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Updated: June 27, 2025
She would have loved to go on to pass her examinations for college preparation, and finally get her diploma and an A. B., at least, from some college. That, however, was not to be. Old Captain Rugley lavished money on her like rain, when she would let him.
Pratt could not have blamed the Western girl if she had "knocked their eyes out," to use Tom Gallup's expression, with an exhibition of the gorgeous jewels Captain Rugley had got out of the treasure chest. Without much doubt the old ranchman would have been very proud of his daughter's beauty, set off by the glitter of the wonderful old gems.
The mothering instinct was just as strong in her nature as in most girls of her age. But she knew her duty lay elsewhere. Before this time Captain Rugley had never entirely given over the reins of government into the hands of Silent Sam. He had kept in touch with ranch affairs, delegating some duties to Frances, others to Sam or to the underforeman.
But Captain Dan Rugley had deposited a guarantee with the Committee that he would pay any debts over the subscriptions received, therefore Frances and her helpers had gone ahead along rather lavish lines. The end wall of the school building had been actually removed.
But sad as the joke was, all that Captain Rugley said seemed so open-hearted and kindly save only when he was talking to the unknown tramp that the guest could not consider him vulgar. The dining-room was long, massively furnished, well lit, and the sideboard exposed some rare pieces of old-fashioned silver.
Doubtless the two plotters had proposed to themselves that Captain Rugley would be too ill to take the lead in any chase after the kidnappers. Perhaps Pete even hoped that the old ranchman would agree immediately to the terms of ransom set forth in the note Ratty had taken to the Bar-T.
Instead, Frances Rugley was sitting with her back against a stump at the edge of the clearing where she had come so suddenly upon the campfire, with her ungloved hands lying in her lap so that Ratty's bright eyes could watch them continually. Pete had taken away her gun. Molly was hobbled with the men's horses on the other side of the hollow.
Right thar with Miz' Edwards and her crowd." "Was young Pratt Sanderson with them?" "Sure." "That's it!" growled Captain Dan Rugley, smiting one palm with his other fist. "She'd ride off with him. Thinks him all right " "Ye don't mean to say ye think he's in this mean mess?" "I don't know. He's turned up whenever we've had trouble lately.
Like most men who for years have slept in the open, Captain Rugley did not remove all his clothing when he went to bed. He usually lay between blankets on the outside of his bed, with his boots and trousers ready to jump into at a moment's notice. Of some of the practices of his life on the plains, with the dome of heaven for a roof-tree, he could not be broken.
The suspicion that Captain Rugley had a treasure hidden away in the old Spanish chest was not a general one. It might have been lazily discussed now and then over some outfit's fire when other subjects of gossip had "petered out," to use the punchers' own expression. But it was doubtful if even Ratty M'Gill believed the story.
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