MY^FRIEND
FLI KA|]
•J* MARY O’HARA
CHAPTER I
■ High up on the long hill they called
tiie Saddle Back, behind the ranch
and the county road, the boy eat his
horse, facing east, his eyes dazzled
by the rising sun.
The snug, huddled roofs of the
ranch house, way below him, began
to be red instead of just dark; and
the spidery arms of the windmill in
the gorge glinted and twinkled. They
were smiling back at the sun.
"Good morning, mister!” shouted
Ken, swinging his arm in salute;
and the chunky brown mare he rode
gave a wild leap.
To keep his seat, riding bareback
as he was, he clapped his heels into
tier sides, and she leaped again, this
time with her head down. Stiff
legged and with arched back she
landed; and then bucked.
Once, twice, three times; and Ken
was off, slung under her nose, hang
ing on to the reins.
She backed away and pulled to get
free, braced like a dog tugging at a
man's trouser leg.
She Jerked her head viciously
from side to side. Ken's teeth set
In anger. "If you break another
bridle—”
This thought made him crafty and
his voice fell to a coaxing note.
“Now Cigarette—be a good girl—
thatsa baby—good girl—"
Ken got warily to his feet and
went to her head, still talking sooth
ingly but with insulting words.
“D’you think I’d ever ride a or
nery old plug like you if I had a
horse of my own like Howard's?”
The frown faded from his face and
his eyes took on a dreamy look. "If
I had a colt—"
He had been saying that for a
long time. Sometimes he said it in
his sleep at night. It was the first
thing he had thought when he got to
the ranch three days ago. He said
It or thought it every time he saw
his brother riding Highboy. And
when he looked at his father, the
longing in his eyes was for that—for
• colt of his own.
He must get on Cigarette again.
First he had an apology to make.
In all fairness, he must tell Ciga
rette that the fault had been his
own. He had put his heels into her.
He knew exactly what his father
would say if he told him about it
“Cigarette bucked and tossed
me.”
"What did you do? Put your heels
Into her?”
“Yes. sir."
He and Howard had to say Yes,
sir. and No, sir, to their father be
cause he had been an Army officer
before he had the ranch, and be
lieved in respect and discipline.
He took hold of her withers and
back. Jumped and pulled, landed
well up against her, held stiffly there
by his arms, then carefully swung
his blue-trousered leg over; and
slowly, just like his father, settled
to her back, legs hanging straight
down.
Cigarette was calm. He tightened
his rein, squeezed the calves of his
legs a little, and she moved off.
One of the exciting things about
coming up from school in Laramie
to the summer vacation at the
ranch, was the weather. Always
something doing. Winds and rain
bows and calm sunny days, then an
electric storm; or frosts or even bliz
zards. People said it was because
of the eight thousand foot altitude.
He put his head back and sucked
in the smell of the cleanness and
the greenness and the snow and the
windiness—all so sharp and heav
enly.
This was what he had been wait
ing for. All through the last un
bearable months of school, the end
less cl" -ses. the examinations—
At this an uncomfortable feeling
gripped him. His and Howard's re
port cards had arrived in yester
day's mail with a letter from the
Principal of the school addressed to
their father. Captain McLaughlin.
And McLaughlin had slung them on
the desk with some papers and bills
to open later. By the time Ken got
back to breakfast surely his father
would have opened them. There was
that examination — Ken knew he
hadn't done very well—
He wondered what time it was
now. He looked down at the ranch.
It wouldn't be long before break
fast. Everybody was awake. Going
downstairs, his mother would call,
“Time to get up, boys!” His father
was sitting up in bed with his hair
rumpled, pajamas rumpled, hand
reaching out for a cigarette.
Gosh—if his father had read the
reports! And that wasn’t all, there
was the saddle blanket too, the lost
saddle blanket.
He turned from looking at the
ranch house and let his eyes sweep
the hillside. Saddle blanket, saddle
blanket—every time he asked his
father for a colt, McLaughlin said.
I’ll give you one when you deserve
one.
A Jack rabbit sprang up almost
underfoot. Cigarette jumped, but
Ken sat tight, and as the rabbit
sailed away, he gave a yell and
chased after.
Cigarette loved a good run.
Leaning back as Rob McLaughlin
had taught his boys to do, feet for
ward and out, reins free, Ken rode
like a steeple chaser.
Rabbit, pony and boy disappeared
over the crest of the Saddle Back.
Nell McLaughlin pulled the drop
leaf cherry table out from the cor
ner, opened the leaves so that
it would comfortably accommodate
four people and flung a red-checked
cloth over it.
The roomy kitchen was full of
bright sunshine from the windows
which opened on the front terrace.
It made squares of gold on the paint
ed apple-green floor; and in front
of sink and stove and baking table
there were hooked oval rugs with
gay flower patterns. A little brown
cat sat by the stove washing her
face.
Neither motherhood nor the hard
living at the ranch had deprived
Nell of her figure or her maidenli
ness. At thirty-seven, she looked
not much older than when she had
won a silver cup, at Bryn Mawr,
for being the best all-round athlete
of her class.
Of medium height, with a long
slender waist, her curves were held
where they belonged by trained
muscles, and, as she walked, there
was a lightness about her which
came partly from natural vigor and
partly from the way her narrow
head lifted from the shoulders to
face whatever was to be faced, a
danger, a storm, a loved one, a hope
or a fear.
Ken was late to breakfast.
Coming in, he looked first at his
father to see if he had opened the
report cards.
Then he said, "Good-morning,
Mother, good-morning. Dad," pulled
out the one empty chair—a green
painted ladder-back chair with seat
woven of rawhide thongs—and sat
down. His heart was beating hard
Stiff-legged and with arched back
she landed.
because his father’s face had its
glaring look and Howard was smug.
Howard always got good marks.
McLaughlin picked up a card and
a letter which was lying open be
side his place. "I suppose it will
be no surprise to you to hear that
you have not been promoted," he
said. "You might like to see your
marks."
He tossed the card over to Ken.
Nell McLaughlin handed Ken a
blue bowl full of oatmeal covered
with cream and brown sugar and
said, "Let him eat his breakfast
first," but Ken took the card and
tried to focus his eyes upon it. He
hated so to look, it was hard to see
anything at all.
While he studied it there was a si
lence, Howard eating his bacon and
smiling. Nell’s face was troubled.
She looked down, buttering her
toast.
Ken read his marks through and
finally came to the English examina
tion.
He looked up and met his father's
eye.
McLaughlin leaned forward. “Just
as a matter of curiosity.” he said,
"how do you go about it to get a
zero in an examination? Forty in
history? Seventeen In arithmetic!
But a zero! Just as one man to an
other. what goes on in your head?”
Ken had no answer. His face
burned, and he bent over his plate
and began on his oatmeal.
"Fortunately," he said reaching
for a match, “there are almost two
and a half months before school
begins again. You’D do an hour a
day on your lessons aD through the
summer to make up this work."
Nell McLaughlin saw Ken wince
as if something had actually hurt
him, and his eyes went to the wide
open window with a despairing look.
■•Well,’' said McLaughlin, his
voice like the crack of a whip.
"Speak up. What have you got to
say for yourself?"
"I dunno," answered Ken.
"What were you doing in that Eng
lish exam? What were the ques- !
tions you missed?”
"We were supposed to write a
composition.”
"What did you write?”
"I didn’t get started.”
"Didn't write a word?”
Ken shook his head.
"Couldn’t you think of anything?”
"Yes, I had it all planned. I was
going to write the story about how
you lost your polo mare. How the
Albino stole her from Banner—"
Ken’s eyes went to his father’s. "We
could write anything we wanted, it
had to be at least two pages—”
"Well, what happened to you?”
"I—I—got to thinking about it.
Thinking about Gypsy and the Al
bino—and what it was like, when he
took her away—where he took her
to—and all the wild horses in his
band—and where they were all that
time. All of that. I thought there
was time, I thought the hour had
Just begun, and then the bell
rang—"
There was a knock at the back
door and McLaughlin shouted,
"Come in.”
Gus, the Swedish foreman, came
in, carrying his big felt hat in his
hand. His thickset body bent in a
sort of bow aimed respectfully at
Nell, and he looked first of all at her
as he said, “Gude mornin’, Missus,”
and then, ‘‘Mornin’, Boss.”
He did not come clear into the
room, but propped himself by a
hand on the door jamb, leaning
there in his shy manner, a little
smile like a child's turning up the
corners of his mouth. His round
pink face was framed in a mop of
tight gray curls.
‘‘What's today. Boss?”
Weather always entered into the
plans. So before McLaughlin an
swered, he glanced out the windoy,
noting the clear deep blue of the
sky, and that the big white cumu
lous clouds were sailing across at a
rapid pace.
Finally he said as if to himself,
not looking at Gus, “A good day to
move the horses.”
“Ja, Boss. It’s time de horses
were off de meadows. De grass is
growin an we should have water on
’em soon.”
Howard couldn’t keep still. “Could
I help you move ’em this year,
Dad?”
Ken didn’t ask because he had no
hope.
McLaughlin turned to look at How
ard, but he wasn’t thinking of him
and did not answer. He smoked
and Gus waited. At last he said,
“Yes. We’ve got a month before
Frontier Days. I’ve got to get four
of the older horses in shape to rent
for the Rodeo. That means fool
proof. And those three-year-olds will
have to be broken. I can’t let them
go any longer.”
"Ja, Boss.”
“And catch up Shorty and saddle
him for me. I’ll be up at the stables
in a half hour or less."
“Ja, Boss."
Gus went out.
McLaughlin put down his pipe and
pulled his coffee cup towards him.
There was a moment’s silence, then
Howard asked Ken, “What horse did
you ride this morning, Ken?”
"Cigarette.”
McLaughlin looked up. "You've
been riding Cigarette?”
“Yes. sir.”
“Did you manage to catch her and
tie her up without her breaking any
thing?”
“No. sir.”
“What did she break, a bridle?”
“No — that is — not today. She
broke a bridle yesterday.”
“What did she break today?”
"Tlie metal catch on the halter
rope.”
McLaughlin paused a moment and
looked down at his small son.
“You’re going to have to buck up.
Ken. I don’t know what to do with
you. You never have your wits
about you. Always wool-gathering.
You lose a saddle blanket the first
time you go riding—”
"But I found it again—"
"Yes. found the blanket and lost
your horse. Trouble is, you don't
try."
"I do try."
"I'd like to see some proof of it.
Come, Howard. You can ride with
me as far as the meadows and open
the gates."
Ken pushed his chair back too
"Can’t I help?”
"Certainly not. You have your
study to do. Every morning right
after breakfast. Remember that.”
McLaughlin's scarred boots and
heavy spurs clattered across the
kitchen floor. Howard strode aft
er, nobly refraining from casting a
patronizing glance at Ken.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
-
Put Health Into Menus
With Vitamins Plus
Crisp greens give you plenty
of vitamin A, B and C. Assemble
them in your salads and get plenty
of health insurance—you don’t need
points to shop for these.
What’s the pep appeal of your
meals these days? It should be bet
ter than ever be
fore with spring
vegetables dotting
l the markets col
orfully in greens,
yellows and reds.
Many vitamin
and mineral laden fruits are just
coming into season so you home
makers should have no trouble get
ting your quota of two fruits, two
vegetables and a citrus fruit into
your family’s diets.
In winter it is sometimes extreme
ly difficult to meet that nutrition
requirement because of the scarcity
of vegetables and fruits and their
consequent high prices. Now, though
prices are higher than last year at
this time, they are abundant, and
most of us can afford to spend the
extra money required to buy them.
Perhaps, you have a garden this
year. You’re probably planning to
put up most of the produce, but you
always have some crops available
for immediate consumption such as
lettuce, tender green shoots of on
ions, etc. In some parts of the coun
try it’s a bit early for some of
these to make their appearance, but
when they do, up and at them!
Homemakers are fortunately be
coming more and more conscious of
the importance of fruits and vege
tables in the diet, and the more so
they become, the more healthy will
become each generation of Ameri
cans. Even those of you who have
been deficient in these foods during
the growing years will get much
benefit from including these foods in
your diet A heavy meal calls for
the light, crisp, ‘‘just right” feeling
which fruits and vegetables supply.
Remember vitamins and minerals
work hand in hand to give your
body health and
to keep it in good
workable order.
' Most vegetables
have many of
both minerals and
vitamins. It is in
teresting to know
that greens (let
tuce, parsley, watercress, turnip
greens, etc.) are rich not only in
iron that makes for good, rich blood,
but also in vitamin A which pro
motes good health of skin, eyes, and
keeps you buoyant and full of en
ergy. The greens get a nice big
star for being rich in Vitamin C,
necessary for health of teeth and
bones, and for quick healing of
wounds.
Don’t be surprised when the
greens come in for a nice share of
honors for vitamin B, also. That’s
the vitamin necessary for normal
nutrition.
Easiest way to keep most of the
vitamins intact is to serve the vege
tables raw—as you would in a sal
ad. The same goes for fruits. Don’t
let either of them soak in water or
stand uncovered in the refrigerator
—the vitamins seem to evaporate
quickly, especially in the case of
vitamin C, so easily lost by cooking
or leaving exposed to air.
Lynn Says:
Fresh as a Day in May: So will
be your foods if you keep them
properly refrigerated. Desserts
to cool you off and keep your ap
petites unjaded, if they’re to be
frozen, belong right in the freez
er. Meats and fish are safest
kept right under the freezer in a
meat-keeper if you have one.
Milk, cream and beverages are
stood along side the freezer unit.
Custards, puddings, butter and
staples fill the middle section
nicely, are easy to get at.
Leftovers. foods prepared
ahead, salads, some fruits and
berries are well refrigerated
when kept on one of the lower
shelves. The humidor or crisper
means just that for it keeps those
fresh fruits and vegetables crisp
and well refrigerated.
The storage bin at the bottom
of the rafrigerator is usually non
refrigerated, and gives splendid
storage to cereals, crackers and
extra beverages.
Lynn Chambers’ Point-Saving
Menu
Braised Liver and Onions
Whipped Potatoes
Parsleyed Carrots
Green Salad
Enriched Bread Butter
•Orangeade Refrigerator
Pudding
•Recipe Given
Keeping vegetables well refriger
ated insures at least a good degree
of vitamin preservation. Keep them
covered, too!
Arrange your crisp raw fruits and
vegetables attractively. If you’d like
to have some fun, really, then take
out the old geometry text, and fol
low some patterns you find therein
—they're fine inspiration for attrac
tive appearing vegetable and fruit
dishes.
Cottage Cheese-Vegetable Salad.
(Serves 8 to 8)
2 cups cottage cheese
1 garlic clove (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped chives or
green onion
2 tablespoons chopped pimlento
Va cup chopped celery
Paprika
2 cucumbers
1 medium sized onion
2 large tomatoes
2 carrots
French dressing
Salad greens
Rub mixing bowl with clove of
garlic. Add cottage cheese, salt.
and paprika. Fold
in chopped chives,
pimiento, celery.
Turn into a bowl
that has been
rinsed with cold
water. Chill in
refrigerator. Un
mold on center of
large salad plate, surround with wa
tercress, thin cucumber slices, on
ion rings, carrot flowers, tomato
wedges. Serve with french dress
ing.
A salad bowl that’s popping
full of health with its tomato slices
(vitamin C) lettuce (vitamins A and
C) bananas (A, B, C), green pep
pers (A and very much C).
Here’s a vegetable that makes a
main dish when combined with mac
aroni:
Green Pepper Stuffed With
Macaroni.
(Serves 6)
6 green peppers
1 cup rooked, elbow macaroni
Vi pound grated American cheese
1 cup soft bread crumbs
Vi teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Vi teaspoon salt
Cut a slice from top of green pep
per, scoop out, and cook in boiling
salted water for 5 minutes. Drain.
Mix remaining ingredients, saving
Vi of cheese for top. Fill peppers
with mixture, stand upright in pan
and sprinkle remaining cheese over
top. Bake in a moderate oven 25
minutes.
Jaded appetites will respond
quickly if you serve this delectable
cool pudding:
*Orangeade Refrigerator Pudding.
(Serves t)
1 tablespoon gelatin
Vi cup cold water
1V4 cupa orange Juice
Vi cup sugar
Vi teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon Juice
2 egg whites
Vi cup sugar
4 cups oven popped rice cereal
Vi cup melted butter
Vi cup sugar
Soften gelatin in cold water. Heat
orange juice, sugar and salt to boil- j
ing point. Add softened gelatin and
stir until dissolved. Add lemon juice
and cool. When mixture begins to
thicken, fold in stiffly beaten egg
whites to which sugar has been
added.
Crush cereal crumbs fine and mix
with melted butter and sugar. Die- '
tribute evenly in bottom of a square
pan and press down firmly. Pour in j
orange mixture. Chill in refrigera
tor. Cut in squares when firm, and !
serve with whole orange slices and
whipped cream, if desired.
Lynn Chambers welcomes you to
submit your household queries to her
problem clinic. Send your letters to
her at Western Newspaper Union, 210
South Desplaines Street, Chicago, llli
nois. Don’t forget to enclose • stamped,
self-addressed envelope for your reply.
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
ON THE
HOME FRON.,
RUTH WYETt^SPEARSj
CUTTING DIMENSIONS TFf
USING BEST PARTS E
OF 3 OLD SHEETS SLI
+3'/2 YARDS OF
FLOWERED PRINT
l6k20H6V I9'^l6k !9H&*-2CM6i
t
95"
I
^}-2 SIDE STRIPS
^ OF A SHEET
HSDE STRIP
I CENTER END PIECE
A NY pretty flowered print may
** be combined with the side
strips of sheets that are good after
the center part has worn out. A
good section may be cut from the
center bottom too. The diagram
at the left gives all the dimensions
you need for making a spread for
a double bed from the good parts
of three old sheets put together
with six-inch strips flowered cot
ton material of about the same
weight.
Here, the figured goods is in a
pink and white pattern that is
especially effective with the white
muslin. It is also used to trim
the curtains made from old sheets.
Another interesting color note is
I the mats of the pink and white ma
terial used for the row of framed
photographs over the bed. It also
edges the full white lamp shades.
• • •
NOTE—The new book 0 which Mrs.
Spears has prepared for readers shows
numerous ways to make, repair and re
model things for the home. It contains 33
illustrated pages and costs IS cents. Please
mall requests for booklets direct to:
MRS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS
Bedford Hill* New York
Drawer 10
Enclose IS cents for Book No. 9.
Name.
Address ...
An old pair of curling irons
makes an excellent gripper to use
in dyeing garments. You can grip
the material firmly and swish it
about in the dye bath and it will
not slip off as it sometimes does
when a stick or something of that
sort is used.
• • •
To remove a stain left by ad
hesive tape, apply kerosene, then
wash the spot with warm suds.
• • •
Aluminum pots and pans leave
their marks on the surface of sinks
and enamel drainboards. Such
marks can be prevented by plac
ing a rubber mat on that part of
the sink most likely to come in
contact with the aluminum, or
they can be removed by using a
mild cleaner applied with a damp
cloth.
W W V
Butter will spread more smooth
ly and go further if a little hot
milk is creamed with it.
• • *
A variety of play materials is
essential for a child’s all-around
development. Toys are needed for
vigorous physical activity, for ma
nipulative and creative play, and
for dramatic play.
• • •
Mixed with salt, vinegar will
clean discolored copper, brass and
silver, and remove ink stains from
the fingers. Diluted with water, it
will clean gilt picture frames.
• * •
When washing a coat sweater or
cardigan, sew up the buttonholes
to prevent stretching.
Cold ‘Reduces’ Distance
Figuring one rail to 35 feet, en
gineers of the Canadian Pacific
railroad have estimated that the
3,363-mile “rail distance” across
Canada was “reduced” two and
one-quarter miles during a cold
spell last winter.
There is usually one-eighth of an
inch distance between rail ends.
In cold weather the gap broadens
to five-sixteenths of an inch, rail
road officials said.
A paper plate glued to the bot
tom of a paint can will catch all
drippings from the can and serves
as a rest for the paint brush be
sides.
• • *
Use a stiff wire brush to re
move crumbs and other particles
from the burners of a gas or elec
tric stove.
• • •
Worn bath towels may be cut
in squares or circles for wash
cloths. Either crochet an edge
around them or bind with wash
able cotton tape.
Dog May Be Private or
General for $1 or $100
Although about 90 per cent of
the dogs in the United States are
too small for war duty, their own
ers may contribute to the Dog War
Fund of Dogs for Defense. A rat
ing based on the contribution is
given the animal, says Collier’s.
For example, $1 makes it a pri
vate or seaman, $5 a sergeant or
chief petty officer, $25 a colonel or
naval captain and $100 a general
or admiral.
Pilgrimage to Mecca
Every true Mohammedan is ex
pected to make at least one pil
grimage to Mecca, the holiest city
of the Moslem world. He may
fulfill this duty by visiting a less
sacred shrine a required number
of times. For instance, seven jour
neys to Kairouan in Tunisia are
equivalent to one to Mecca.
Gas on Stomach
Relieved in 5 minutes or double money bucfc
When excess stomach arid causes painful, suffoca^
Ing gas, sour stomach and heartburn, doctors urath
prescribe the fastest-acting medicine# known mf
symptomatic relief— medicines like those In Bell one
JsJwto. No laxative. Bell-ana brings comfort In •
HOUSEWIVES: ★ ★ *
Your Watte Kitchen Fate
Are Needed for Explotivew
TURN 'EM IN! ★ * *
iWHii New Economy
.in war-time baking
Here’s a new guarantee against waste
of baking powder, against waste of
baking ingredients . . . Full baking
effectiveness in every ounce is now
assured by the new, improved,
moisture-proof Clabber Girl
container ... In all sizes at
your grocer’s.
