Part 18 (1/2)
”'Tain't going to amount to anything,” declared Jane Ann.
”It just looks like heat lightning,” agreed Ruth.
”May not rain at all to-night,” pursued the other girl, cheerfully.
”Who's that yelling?” queried Ruth, suddenly.
”Huh! that's somebody singing.”
”Singing?”
”Yep.”
”Way out here?”
”Yep. It's Fred English, I guess. And he's no Caruso.”
”But what's he singing for?” demanded the disturbed Ruth, for the sounds that floated to their ears were mournful to a degree.
”To keep the cattle quiet,” explained the ranch girl. ”Singing often keeps the cows from milling--”
”Milling?” repeated Ruth.
”That's when they begin to get uneasy, and mill around and around in a circle. Cows are just as foolish as a flock of hens.”
”But you don't mean to say the boys sing 'em to sleep?” laughed Ruth.
”Something like that. It often keeps 'em quiet. Lets 'em know there's humans about.”
”Why, I really thought he must be making that noise to keep himself from feeling lonely,” chuckled Ruth.
”n.o.body'd want to do that, you know,” returned Jane Ann, with seriousness. ”Especially when they can't sing no better than that Fred English.”
”It is worse than a mourning dove,” complained the girl from the East.
”Why doesn't he try something a bit livelier?”
”You don't want to whistle a jig-tune to keep cows quiet,” Jane Ann responded, sagely.
The entire herd seemed astir now. There was a sultriness in the air quite unfamiliar on the range. The electricity still glowed along the horizon; but it seemed so distant that the girls much doubted Darcy's prophecy of rain.
The cattle continued to move about and crop the short herbage. Few of them remained ”bedded down.” In the distance another voice was raised in song. Ruth's mount suddenly jumped to one side, snorting. A huge black steer rose up and blew a startled blast through his nostrils.
”Gracious! I thought that was a monster rising out of the very earth!
And so did Freckles, I guess,” cried Ruth, with some nervousness. ”Whoa, Freckles! Whoa, pretty!”
”You sing, too, Ruthie,” advised her friend. ”We don't want to start some foolish steer to running.”
The Eastern girl's sweet voice-clear and strong-rang out at once and the two girls rode on their way. The movement of the herd showed that most of the cattle had got upon their feet; but there was no commotion.