Grand Prairie Ranch by Anysia Eaton (i can read books .TXT) 📕

1823, Boston, USA. Mr Freeth-Cartwright was waiting for his daughter to come off the large cruise liner that had just arrived from London, England. Mr Freeth-Cartwright was a well respected man in both England and Boston. He shares ownership of two different ranches with his brother. His daughter Penelope Freeth-Cartwright had lived her whole life with her mother in England, while only seeing her father about once a year for Christmas. Over the past few months her mother had become sick and she passed away earlier in the month. Penelope was forced out of the house and soon arranged to come and live with her father at the ranch.
Finally, she reached the top of the ramp. She had a beautiful blue dress on. She had long blond hair that she had tied up in a traditional hairstyle. She walked gracefully down the wooden ramp from the cruise liner.
Mr Freeth-Cartwright welcomed her at the bottom of the ramp.
“Welcome to America my dear” welcomed Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“Thank you father” replied Penelope. She looked around. It was nothing like she had imagined. The air was warm and filled with dust. The floor was bone dry dust. The floors around all the wooden buildings were wooden planks.
Mr Freeth-Cartwright led her through the dock town. Literally every man they passed, old and young turned their heads to look at her and watch her walk by. Mr Freeth-Cartwright lead her to a stage coach. They climbed into it and headed off. During the journey they were sat in silence. Penelope looked out onto the waste-land outside. She could just see some desert shrub rolling across the horizon.
It wasn’t until dusk when they finally arrived at the ranch. She stepped out of the stage coach onto the rock-hard dust floor. She looked around her at her new home. On the right of her was a fenced off area containing three horses. To her left of her was a bigger fenced off area stuffed to the brim with cattle. Behind on the left was a giant water tower. Then straight in front of her was a large wooden cabin, big enough to contain over twenty people.
“Welcome to Grand Prairie ranch” welcomed Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“This is it?” asked Penelope in disbelief.
“What do you mean, this is it, this is the biggest ranch in a diameter of 1000miles” replied Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“I’m sorry father, I am just so used to our house in London, England” commented Penelope.
Suddenly she spotted ten objects on the horizon heading their way. As they got closer Penelope could make out what they were. Ten horses with ten men on them. With-in minutes they were right in front of Penelope and her father. One by one they stopped and jumped off their horses. The ages of them ranged from a young man about nineteen to an about fifty year old. The eldest handed his horse over to the youngest and walked over to them, while the rest lead the horses into the fenced off area.
“How do you do, sir? Have a nice journey I presume?” Asked the man.
“A very pleasant journey, thank you Mr Smith. Penelope this is the head ranger at the ranch, Mr Smith. Mr Smith this is my daughter Penelope” Introduced Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Penelope. Your father has given us the honour of hearing thousands of stories about you” said Mr Smith kissing her hand.
“Thank you Mr Smith, it is good to meet you” replied Penelope.
“A charmer indeed Mr Freeth-Cartwright” commented Mr Smith as the youngest ranger approached.
“Miss Penelope, this is my son, Sam Smith, our newest ranger” introduced Mr Smith.
“Hello” said Sam briefly.
“Good Evening” replied Penelope.
“Come, I bet you are tired from your long journey” commented Mr Freeth-Cartwright to Penelope.
He led her inside the wooden building and to one of the back rooms. It had a small wooden wardrobe and a green hammock with white insect nets around it. It had a small hole in the wall looking out on to an open plain. She walked in with her brown cases in each hand. She placed them on the floor and looked around at the ill furnished room.
In the middle of the night, she woke to a noise coming from outside the wooden building. She looked out of the hole in the wall and saw Sam on a horse galloping around the plain. She sat watching him from inside the wooden building.
The next morning, everybody at the ranch was working except Penelope. Mr Freeth-Cartwright was in his office like room filling stuff out for the tax man when Penelope walked in.
“How are you? Did you sleep well?” asked Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“I slept very well, thank you father” replied Penelope.
“Good good” said Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“Father, I want to help at the ranch” mentioned Penelope.
“My dear do you really think that is a good idea?” asked Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“What else am I to do with my time?” asked Penelope in response.
“That is up to you to decide but a young woman can not possible do a grown man’s job” replied Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“Why? Have you ever tried it?” asked Penelope.
“No” replied Mr Freeth-Cartwright briefly.
“Well then, how do you know?” asked Penelope determined to get what she wants.
“Because... I just know” replied Mr Freeth-Cartwright slowly weakening.
“Please Father” begged Penelope.
“Fine. One chance” replied Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“Thank you father” Cried Penelope as she hugged her father, she then asked, “So what do you want me to do?”
“First you need to learn how to ride” commented Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
He led her out to the front and into the fenced off area where all the horses are kept.
“Pick one and it shall be yours” said Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
Penelope looked around at all the different horses. She spotted the one she wanted. It was a white stallion.
“I like this one” said Penelope pointing at the white stallion. It already had a saddle on it ready.
“Then it is yours” replied Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“What is it called?” asked Penelope.
“We haven’t got round to naming this one yet so you can give it a name” replied Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
Penelope thought for a moment and then said, “I’m going to call it white lightening” proclaimed Penelope.
“Well, up you get” commented Mr Freeth-Cartwright holding White Lightening where he was. At the same time Sam walked into the area to get to his horse.
“Here and now?” asked Penelope.
“You wanted to do it” remarked Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
Sam was watching from where he was standing with his horse.
“Anyway. I have work to do. I shall be back in about half an hour. I expect to see you on the horse” Mentioned Mr Freeth-Cartwright walking off.
When he was out of sight, she put her left foot in the foot hole and tried to get up, without success, she just fell back down on to the floor. Sam had jumped onto his horse and had started smiling at her failed attempt trying not to laugh. She tried again, putting her left foot in the foot hole and tried to get up, again without success, again she just fell back down on the floor.
Sam came over on his horse and asked, “Need some help?”
“I can do it on my own thanks” replied Penelope sourly as she put her right foot in the foot hole and jumped up. She managed to get up but she noticed she was the wrong way around. Sam let out a short chuckle. She quickly jumped back down.
“A little bit of advice. Try getting on the other side” advised Sam.
“Thanks for the advice but I can cope just fine without” replied Penelope sourly.
“Right I shall leave you to it” said Sam as he galloped off on his horse.
When he was on the other side of the pen she walked around the other side of the horse. She put her right foot in the foot hole and jumped up. She swung her leg over the horse and put the foot in the other foot hole.
“How do I get you to move?” asked Penelope to white lightening.
She looked over to Sam who was sat on his horse, he lifted the leas up and suddenly whipped it down, and slightly whipped the horse. The horse started galloping about. Penelope copied. White lightening jolted forward and then started galloping Penelope has no idea how to stop it and Sam soon realised. He galloped over to her side and grabbed white lightening leash and pulled it back towards Penelope. White lightening came to a complete halt.
“You might want to consider learning how to stop him before you start him going. You pulled back on his leash to stop him” mentioned Sam.
“I knew that. I just wanted to get used to him” replied Penelope sourly.
Sam held the leash in front of her. She grabbed hold of it. Sam lifted it up and whipped it down, sending White lightening jumping forward.
Penelope straight away pulled back on the leash. White lightening went on his behind legs and Penelope fell off backwards and thumped onto the floor hard.
Sam galloped over and jumped off his horse and asked “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine” replied Penelope staggering up. She walked out of the fenced off area and into the wooden building.
Later that night, when the sun had gone down, Penelope was sat on her hammock when there was a knock at the door. She stayed quiet. The door opened and in walked Sam.
“I never said come in” moaned Penelope.
“You never said go away either” responded Sam.
“Well I’m saying it now. Go away” said Penelope quietly.
“I came to apologise” replied Sam.
“Well maybe I don’t want your apology” spitted out Penelope.
“Well, I want to give it to you whether you except it or not” replied Sam as he walked next to her.
“I’ll except your apology if you leave right now” said Penelope.
“Very well” replied Sam as he walked towards to the door. He looked towards her, she was looking out of the hole in the wall. He walked out of the door.
Late that night Penelope snuck out to the horses to practice so she didn’t embarrass herself yet again. When she had finished she was satisfied she had practiced enough for one day.
The next morning, everybody was at work but Penelope. Sam was changing the straw in the horse pen. Mr Freeth-Cartwright came out to him and asked, “Good morning Mr Sam, Are you having a spot of difficulty there?”
“Yes sir, there is a lot more to get rid of than usual sir” replied Sam continuing his duties.
“Has Penelope been up here?”
“No. I believe she is still in bed” replied Sam.
Mr Freeth-Cartwright was about to walk out when Penelope walked in.
“Penelope, good morning” said Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“Good morning Father” replied Penelope.
“Will you help Mr Sam change the straw?” asked Mr Freeth-Cartwright.
“Of course Father” replied Penelope not happy.
Mr Freeth-Cartwright walked to a spade and passed it to Penelope. She took it off him. She walked up to the main area straw and started shovelling straw from the stable to wheelbarrow. Together they shovelled out all of the straw within the hour, they did it in complete silence. When they had to start putting in the new straw they put down the spade and picked up a fork. Penelope pushed her fork into one of the bails of straw at the very top of the stack and tried to lift it up. She failed. Sam spotted her and came