Show AL A tr e of mo t im 7 0 virginia stivers silvers bartlett virginia f stivers a bartlett service CHAPTER continued 21 no she replied coldly 1 I will not come are you really going actually going to leave me here tick sick and miserable with an ailing child and a couple of silly women to take care of me are you really going my dear you are not ul ill you are just cunha unha unhappy appy you should not ull how can you say that what do you know of me I 1 am ill I 1 am dying I 1 tell youl you I 1 hour by hour day by day I 1 am dying in this yet you win will leave me to go to your fiestas and your mission soundings foun dings and let me die alone eulalla eulalia this is not true control yourself fl 1 control myself fill 1 she rose to her feet how dare you say that to me what have I 1 been doing but controlling myself my thoughts my unhappiness all this time I 1 am sick I 1 teu tell you I 1 am dying 1 she was crying hysterically uncontrollably pedro reached to take her into his arms but she evaded evade d him screaming out at him unintelligibly li eulalia eulalia he said caid but she was inthe in the full sway of her emotions a flood of feeling was carrying her along and she did not struggle against the tide miserable unhappy clacel she screamed 1 I 1 want to get away from this california never see it again it if I 1 dont I 1 tell you I 1 shall die or kill myself I 1 no dont touch me keep away from me go to your mission santa barbara go go ali ai diesl she flung her hands above her head and clasped them for the moment utterly bereft of her reason As her husband came near to her she leaped suddenly backward beast devil she screamed and crashed to the floor her head struck a corner of the heavy table and as she lay on the dirt floor blood streamed from her temple her screams had at last brought angustias frightened into the room and she was on her knees beside the now motionless figure before fages she has fainted exclaimed angustias breathlessly and cut her head recilla pedro fages threw his hat gaunt lets and riding whip into a corner oh godl god he muttered oh my god then he lifted the lady in his arms and carried her to her bed so the mission of santa barbara was founded without the governor of california being present but when the mission was already ten days old the governor his son and a small party arrived at th the e place another ceremony was carried out in solemn reverence at which the governor attended with a stern set face and when the rites were over he knelt for a long time before the crude altar those who watched near him said when he arose his face was wet with tears he was gunipero Juni pero serras good friend they explained to one another pityingly he is thinking of him now no doubt so though the legal date of the founding of the mission santa barbara was the fourteenth of december that being the day when the governor was present the governor always insisted that the real founding was on the feast of the lady santa barbara herself that being december fourth the governor lingered not for celebrations eb nor fiestas but returned at once to monterey now he said to himself looking back at the little spot where the church was to stand now at last padre gunipero Juni pero your prayers are answered and my vows are kept CHAPTER for nearly three years ever since don pedro had gone south to the founding of the mission santa barbara eulalia had lived in as chaste a state as the old spanish virgin virg in at first she had denied herself to him through sheer lassitude then realizing his need of her his seeming dependence upon her she had purposely withheld herself she had determined that there should be favor for favor for the privilege of holding her in his arms he was to return with her to mexico the plan had seemed beautifully full Y simple to her but when she mentioned it to her husband he had turned on her a strange unbelieving look tugged his beard muttered something about prostitution and set up a camp cot in his office by the presidio gate so three years had passed don pedro grew a little leaner and his face a little wolfish with gleaming eyes and grizzled beard but always stern uncompromising and eulalia eulaila with everything at stake upon her attractiveness grew more beautiful but nervously alert her black eyes were wary and predatory one day angustias marched boldly toward her with a determined tread that bespoke some matter of import brewing in her mind ninal she spoke sharply standing with arms akimbo you will pardon me for speaking to you this way god is my witness I 1 have kept quiet long enough but this thing goes too farl what thing murmured eulalia eulaila easily you know well enough this thing of don pedro bless his heart sleeping down at his office three years I 1 humph I 1 she snorted loudly perhaps it is not fitting that a single woman such as I 1 should speak of such things indeed it is painful difficult for me to do so I 1 but I 1 must eulalla eulalia smoothed an eyebrow with a fingertip finger tip urn um m m she murmured 1 I think I 1 shall take a walk across the presidio and call on his excellency in his office she rose grandly and holding b her ier skirts aloof from the dust walked erectly across the parade ground in his office the governor was puzzling over a letter he had received by a courier from san lancisco yran F ran cisco so that when eulalia swept imperiously sly into the office he greeted her absently although eulalia sat impatiently in the chair he offered her and looked around the office while the governor talked excitedly the whitewashed walls were hung with maps crisscrossed with marks of trails over unknown country which don I 1 ari r s very well do as you please pedro himself had explored his few books which he had moved from the palacio were on a rough shelf and in one corner was his camp cot she lifted her nose disdainfully dain fully at the crude furnishings as she remembered the splendid fittings of the palace at mexico city A fine office for the governor of all the Californi calif she fretted uneasily but the governor did not notice her so they darel he was saying they dare these rash new people to send ships to our pacific coast which they must well know is territory of the king of spain what kind of people are they in gods name are they not contented with the whole atlantic coast that they must send ships here I 1 I 1 do not mind confessing t to 0 you gentlemen that I 1 fear these people they will make us trouble some day mark my words this continent large as it I 1 is is not large enough to hold us all we should exterminate them several officers nodded anxiously in assent well these ships from what is it they call themselves los estados estades unidos anidos de america the united states of americal america what blasted effron effrontery teryl I 1 suppose we are included in these united states subject to their kingl king he is not a king your excellency he calls himself a president pahl pah not even a kingi king what is his name he examined the papers again washington general george washington oril whew his tongue struggled with the english words now I 1 an sending word to don jose dario arguello at san francisco that if these two tw 0 ships the columbia and the lady was washington put into san francisco bay they are to be seized and their captains what are their unholy names captain james kendrick and captain robert gray are to be thrown in in prison the officers bowed and departed don pedro turned toward his wife with inquiring eyes she rose slowly and began moving about the little room 1 I remember the first time I 1 saw a map like this she said pausing before the map of the Cali fornias it was in the palace of the viceroy she traced a trail with her finger and they told me I 1 could ride to monterey in my coach hum liars I 1 she hissed suddenly fages said nothing she circled till she reached the cot she sat down upon it you have that old robe ol of pelican down on your botill catl so you remember it asked don pedro fedro ali ah yes what a hard little bed she murmured and so nar row romr she raised her eyes to him it is as narrow as the grave replied don pedro and as hard as stone but I 1 am used to sleeping on it I 1 am as calloused as a franciscan als can it could hardly hold two people could it no matter how fond their love don pedro looked at her strangely sloe two could sit upon it side by side and still be strangers he said and walked slowly to her she looked up at him invitingly sit down then she said patting the robe of down and let us see if we two can not sit here and be friends he hesitated then sank beside her 1 you great bear she said come to your own room tonight and let us talk he drew away from her about what he asked suspiciously cious ly about going back to mexico together you and I 1 and the children you have too many anxieties here and we are not happy here io together 9 ether come let us go back let us be happy the rest of our lives you and I 1 too have done our duty by our king in this california come she caressed him and the rest of our lives will be a honeymoon do you not desire that for an unhappy moment don pedro stared into his cifes flushed pleading face then abruptly jerked away from her and stood in the center of the room fists clenched brows knotted duty who are you to speak of duty you do not know the meaning of the word wheedling me deceiving me trying to seduce me from what I 1 consider right eulalia sprang sto to her feet very do as you pl please easel As the door closed behind her the governor with a c urse curse swept his desk clean with one hand papers books quills and ink scattered on the floor damn herl her he said fervently damn her what is it Indi zuela called her cold cruel spaniard yes the coldest and cruelest I 1 ever knew why can not I 1 be left in peace I 1 only ask to be alone to do my duty I 1 do not want to go back to mexico or to Spa spain iril he flung the words at the silent walls as though someone had challenged him then eulaliah Eul alias words came back to him to live a honeymoon the rest of our lives a little comfort a little ease they sounded reasonable when he said them to himself fifty years he muttered 1 I am over fifty years and the best of those years have been given to this siren california why not go back his toot foot rustled against the map that lay crumpled on the floor he picked it up and smoothed it across the desk As he did his fingers almost unconsciously began tracing trails which he had traveled here was the mysterious country across the bay from san francisco the tule country and a hundred spots where his camp fires had been here were crosses that marked mission sites that he had helped dedi cate here was where he had the fight with the bears again he leaned his head in his hands and groaned ali ai dios mio I 1 can not leave my california Califor nial I 1 would be lost anywhere else in all the wide world this country only is my home the home of my heart 1 I will not leave ill he exclaimed suddenly why should I 1 sit here sniveling in my beard my woman torments me what has come over me am I 1 no longer a man and governor of california hal he smote his chest 6 1 I shall go now this very day this very hour on a long visit I 1 shall go to santa barbara and san gabriel and san diego and have some festivities and I 1 shall leave eulalla eulalia here alone I 1 shall be stern and hard hard as my bed he kicked the overturned cot come to her bedl bed not il II I 1 will go out and seek the company of worthy priests and good soldiers pioneers all and we will talk man talk and drink deeply together he took his gun down from the wall and cuddled it in his arm and you shall go with me my friend and we will kill the hugest bear in all Califor california nial 1 in her room at the palacio eulalia eulaila was writing a lengthy document when she had finished it she poured sand over the paper then read the contents carefully what she read evidently pleased her for she smiled many times then she called for a servant and the letter was delivered to a courier riding south with official dispatches where is the governors frank on this inquired the courier when he received it it is from her excellency murmured the servant humph grunted the courier and tucked it carefully away in his bag CHAPTER eulalia watched the governor preparing for his departure without a word his impedimenta seemed to consist mainly of small casks of aguardiente agu ardiente and skins of wine of guns and ammunition he wore his disreputable leather jerkin and roughest boots he packed a few other belongings haphazardly into his knapsack when he was ready he bowed before his wife ironically and said with mock reverence ila la senora la Gobern gobernadora adoral I 1 go and I 1 know not when I 1 return do nut not grieve for me but control your impatience for my company until I 1 return which will be in due time and according to my own free will adios eulalla eulalia said nothing but drew her brows together darkly she watched don pedro and his party gallop away across the pa rade ground toward the great gate which was swung open and ready for them A few miles outside the presidio preside 0 the governor and his gay par party ty came upon the mail courier lying beneath a tree his head pillowed billowed pill owed on the sack of mail ho cried his excellency what is this Is it in such a manner that the kings business is carried on but never mind he ad added ded hastily as the fellow scrambled to his feet guiltily never mind do not disturb yourself I 1 would like to lie down and rest too let us an all rest caballeros and let us wash some of this dust out of our throats all dismounted TO BE CONTINUED |