Page:Ruth Fielding at Silver Ranch.djvu/24

14 Bill Hicks had learned a few things, too. He had never seen people spend money before he came East, and he had not understood Jane Ann's longing for the delicate and beautiful things in life. He saw, too, that a girl could not be properly brought up on a cattle ranch, with nothing but cow punchers and Indians and Mexican women about, and Mr. Hicks had determined to give his niece "a right-down good time," as he expressed it.

It was to give Jane Ann pleasure, and because of the kindness of Ruth and her friends to his niece, that Mr. Bill Hicks had arranged this trip West for the entire party, on a visit to Silver Ranch. But the old gentleman did not want their introduction to the ranch to be a tragedy. And with the herd of half-wild cattle ahead, and Old Trouble-Maker thundering along the trail behind the motor car, it did look as though the introduction of the visitors to the ranch was bound to be a strenuous one.

"Do go ahead, Helen!" cried Madge Steele, Bob's elder sister, from the back seat of the tonneau. "Why, that beast may climb right in here!"

Helen started the car again; but at that her brother and Ruth cried out in chorus:

"Don't run us into the herd, Helen!"

"What under the sun shall I do?" cried Miss