The Ranch Girls and Their Great Adventure: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Cultural Adaptation

The Ranch Girls #6

by Margaret Vandercook

The deep-rutted English lane was bordered with high box hedges. On one side was a sloping park with trees a century old and on the other side a wide field filled with meadow grass and scarlet poppies. It was in July.

"In all the world there is nothing so peaceful as this English country, is there? It is like another world when one first gets away from the turmoil of New York."

The girl who said this was undoubtedly an American, both in her manner and appearance, although her dark hair and eyes and her deep-toned olive skin were almost Spanish in coloring.

Her companion—in spite of the fact that her costume was a typical English walking one, a mixed brown tweed skirt, Norfolk jacket and high boots,—was equally an American. She smiled before replying.

"I don't know that I agree with you, Olive. Of course that is what people from home always say. Jim Colter declares he is half asleep the entire time he is in England. But that is because Americans, particularly my beloved westerners, don't understand England and the English. Things are not always peaceful just because they are quiet. We think so because we are noisy. Frank says there was never more unrest."

But at this Lady Kent, who a number of years ago was Jacqueline Ralston and one of the four Ranch girls at Rainbow Lodge, slipped her arm through her friend's, Olive Van Mater's. "But, Olive dear, for goodness sake don't let us talk politics the day after your arrival. It is so English. Sometimes I feel scarcely fitted to play the part of an English 'Lady,' now that Frank has come into the title of 'Lord' and is a member of Parliament. I often long for a ride with Jim over my own prairies to search for lost cattle." Lady Kent laughed.

"Once a Ranch girl, always a Ranch girl, so far as I'm concerned, Olive; and yet I'm farther away from the old place than any of you. But, tell me, what made you decide to come abroad so suddenly without even writing? I have had letters from everybody at home except that lazy Frieda, and yet not one with a suggestion of your trip in it. Tell me about every member of my family—Ruth and Jim and their babies and Jean and Ralph and Frieda and her Professor. Funny, I never can think of Frieda really being married. You see, although it has been nearly four years, I have never seen her since we went over for the great event."

Jack ceased talking for a moment, for she was still "Jack" to her own family and the friends who knew her intimately. Olive never had talked so much as the other Ranch girls, but now it occurred to Jack that she was asking a great many questions, without allowing an opportunity for them to be answered.

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

Margaret O'Bannon Womack Vandercook was an American writer of children's literature. She did not become a professional writer until after her husband's death, but has since been described as the queen of Camp Fire writers, writing twenty-one Camp Fire novels under her own name as well as under the pseudonym "Margaret Love Sanderson" (also used by Emma Keats Speed Sampson, author of the Miss Minerva books). In addition to the Camp Fire Girls series, Margaret is also known for her other girls' series books, which include the Ranch Girls, the Red Cross Girls, and the Girl Scouts. Additional works include stories, articles and poems for Harper's Bazaar, Delineator, Pearson's Magazine, Book News Monthly, Paris Modes, and many other publications. She was also a member of the Louisville Kentucky Authors' Club.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1917 book came out two years after what was supposed to be the final book of the Ranch Girls series. I was curious about why, as well as curious about what the Great Adventure might turn out to be. I had a hunch it would have something to do with the war, and the story did tell how WWI affected our girls and their new families and friends. But the Great Adventure turned out to be nothing more than married life. Okay, yes, that is a great adventure (or can be with the right person) but still, I was expecting something much different!

This book was a few chapters shorter than any of the others, and was faster to read, as well as being concerned with more mature topics. Trust and fidelity in marriage, war work, loyalty among friends.

Frieda was still pretty much a baby, I suppose she will never change. Jack was her old self as well, but she had a terrible loss to deal with that made me teary, it was so totally unexpected. Would she be able to maintain the strength of character she has had since we first met her way back in book #1? Jean wasn't mentioned much in this story, and Olive seemed to float in and out of the pages, but she had her big moment towards the very end and seems happy.

When we leave our Ranch Girls this time, they are all involved with war work in some way, but I think at least one husband has learned a very important lesson. The following comment came after Jack and her husband had a serious disagreement and Jack felt he was being too bossy. I'm blocking his name because I don't want to reveal who it was that Jack married. But I love the statement. The silly boy! LOL
"And for a single instant ** did hesitate, but the next he made up his mind that unless Jack was made to realize the extent of his displeasure she would probably never yield to him again. He honestly believed that he had the right to be the master in his own family."

There was no afterword for this book, and no hint of any other being written. But three years later, in 1920, Vandercook wrote another one. I've pulled it up already to start on tonight, but the two that she wrote after that are not yet available at Gutenberg so by the end of the next book I will truly be saying Hasta La Vista to the Ranch Girls!

[christine ✩]

this is not a wwi novel lmao i read this being like omg ranch girls wwi novel! it's not. it's about marriage and familial drama and some very fascinating marriage & womanhood philosophy i highkey can't actually get a grasp on. girl what the frick lmao
sure the war's there but there is no actual classic dime novel propaganda surrounding it i was looking for because it focuses so heavily on the interpersonal relationships like seriously what in the everloving world. on that note it's wild to see how she wrote this after she finished the series technically and it FEELS DIFFERENT LIKE AIGHT MAN i am a little bit bewildered by the occurrences and am not sure what the book was going for other than "american girls need to have their own minds and english men are way too trad and need to chill out." idk i feel like frank was kind of justified about the macdonnell thing even though i really wanted to throw hands with him the rest of the time like waow vandercook was really like marriage? to an englishman? let alone a Lord? good luck !!! and then FRIEDA??? i am so puzzled about that entire plotline!! jean really got the best out of all of them she and ralph chilling in america while war explodes in europe and her sisters are having WILDDD husband drama. idk this felt like a fever dream i have nothing to really yap about cuz i DONT understand the marriage philosophy in this one lol!!! it was crazy bonkers that was for sure. like... there was war mentioned in a few things... but it was never as close as i thought it would be. frank's government work, so vaguely mentioned, and ,,, GAS BOMBS FROM HENRY RUSSELL LOL? and one mention of nursing and knitting socks and war efforts but really nothing at all otherwise. the landscape didn't change. plus they went back to america. jack's kid is dying is WILD and ofc it was what brought frank and her back together sigh. this was not the outdoors girls propagandist mess i thought it would be and i am going to be still thinking about the drama cuz i can't make head nor tail hahaaaa < stupid