Show t 4 CARMEN RANCHO by FRANK ii H SPEAR SPEARMAN N frank H spearman service CHAPTER XIV Continued 15 in san francisco a few days later bowie met captain sutter and at t Vio gets the two discussed plans for managing the fur business up the river sutter took the boat early ly next morning for new helvetia bowie was ready to go with him but a knock on his door at day changed his plans he opened to find the vaquero pedro standing before him greetings exchanged pedro explained he had been told by dr doane where to look for senor bowie and had ridden up the peninsula during the night 1 I have a note for you senor and I 1 was told to deliver it as quickly as possible he drew the note from a breast pocket of his leathern jacket it was from carmen my mother has asked you to come out for a visit at guadalupe defore you leave for Sut lers fort we should all be equally happy to welcome you to your old ho home in e as you well know but even eved if you time for a good visit mother wants to ask a very special fa favor vor strawberries are ripe don francisco guerrero is giving a strawberry marienda meri enda saturday there will be a neighborhood gathering from all the ranchos ranches you remember what a famous host don francisco is we are going from guadalupe wont you join us come out friday night carmen bowie did not stop to read the formal spanish greetings that closed the note he saw on the white sheet of paper only the magic word carmen he slapped pedro on the shoulder and bade him go down and feed the horses and get his break tast east it was already marienda meri enda day saturday bowie made up his mind to ride straight to don francisco Francis cos Is it was the only chance to catch the party he scribbled a hasty note for captain sutter saying that he had been unavoidably detained and would follow on the next boat thirty minutes later he and pedro were riding rapidly for don francisco guer beros at don Francis cos a disappointment met him the marienda meri enda party had already left however it was easy to follow he sent pedro to guadalupe and took the trail to the valley of the strawberries himself A pretty scene greeted bowies eyes when he reached the brow of the hill below him a valley opened like a huge inverted bowl rimmed by surrounding hills each rancho had set up its own pavilion bright with spanish colors and the pavilions were spread in a crescent opening out on the valley the various ranchos ranches had their complements or servants and the horses tethered among the trees were as happy as horses could be close to a running brook but pestered by flies bowie rode rapidly down the ion long 9 hill and around to the camp near the pines dona maria saw him first she called to carmen where she stood at a little distance talking to don vicente a cousin of don francis cos from santa barbara carmen greeted bowie with cordial enthusiasm and he explained in turn the mishap that had prevented him from joining the party at guadalupe the night before dor don vicente caimens Car mens escort scrupulously well mannered and somewhat some whal senior in years to the rest of the group eyed the newcomer with po lite interest while dinner was on don ramor ramon rode in with aunt ysabel from mon terey and more servants bowie was greeted by don ramon like a long lost friend well exclaimed tia ysabel to carmen after the dinner 1 I see your peevish texan is back back what does he want carmen shrugged her shoulders 1 I understand he is to be some kind of a partner of captain that energetic swiss up the river he doing here snapped her questioner he heard of fathers illness and sent out a couple of baskets of champagne and a lot of delicacies so mother asked me to invite him for the strawberry picnic you say dona maria asked you to invite him out she says you asked her to invite him observed tia ysabel bluntly either way he was entitled to the courtesy of an invitation he asked carmen crisply the wine he sent was rare so father said don vicente and I 1 are going after some ferns to press he has my book 11 the tables were being cleared and the guests were scattered in in groups among the pines and redwoods men were smoking and talking horses the women were chatting in little groups and the younger girls with much animation were hulling strawberries and talking fast carmen swinging her sunbonnet by the strings sought don vicente she wandered to the end of the camp without finding him but she did almost stumble without seeing them over the long legs of bowie who sat with his back against a tall redwood looking out at the distant bay oh she exclaimed coloring with a little confusion 1 I see you excuse me for disturbing you dont ask me to excuse you for anything so pleasant oh you left your gallantry in texas sometime I 1 should like to hear more about that republic of yours and its fighting men he shook his head my poor republic it is no more the united states has swallowed it and you like that not a bit but the difference its only another dream gone he added evenly they were strolling back toward camp and so there you were sitting all by your lonesome if you cant find anybody else to talk to why not try me asked carmen 1 I thought you said you see me he objected dont believe all you hear she retorted casually ive seen times when ive wished I 1 As they loitered along she was still swinging her bonnet passing a big tree on the long slope carmen put up her hand that a lovely breeze lets sit down a moment im glad to see your father is out ventured bowie hes improving provi rig 10 but carmen did not care to discuss formalities she wanted to hear about texas and what he saw and did there while away and she wanted to know what was going to happen to poor california with its bandits its insurrections and its new crop of detestable gringos cringos gri ngos bowie shrugged his shoulders at the mention of gringos cringos gri ngos mean I 1 know but no worse than these mexican rats and california at present is getting the very scum of the gringos cringos the crop will improve with time tell me about this senor sutter and what you are going to do up there and why you like it so much better than guadalupe he launched into a eulogy of the swiss but you said why you like it better than guadalupe persisted carmen 1 I said I 1 do like it better he contended it does have one advant advantage ape I 1 dont have time up there to think coming over here just now he continued hastily cutting off any attempt on caimens Car mens part to speak 1 I stumbled on a bed of wild roses do you like brier roses 1 I love them where are they ill show you he got up she held out her hand and he helped her to rise the pressure of her warm fingers stirred his blood the sea breeze lifted the loose hair about her temples dd Is it very far she asked look ing up innocently at him not so very far he answered steadily she tried to talk about guadalupe he about new helvetia but they got something out of their cross fire de despite spite the fact that each felt conscious the other was holding a great deal back 1 I thought you said it very far objected carmen after some distance it seemed so yet to me its just over the brow of the next hill but youre tired stay here a moment ill bring an armful to you oh no I 1 want to find the bed she seated herself presently close cloe to the roses and spoke from where she sat while bowie with his hunting knife cut stems from the plants and slowly trimmed away the thorns before handing akern to her why so much trouble murmured carmen arranging the flowers in leisurely fashion in her lap dont mind the thorns only roses for you replied bowie they walked down through the hills together their own group had gathered at a camp table where don francisco was dealing twenty one don vicente espied the truant couple first he lifted his voice ostensibly to welcome them but chiefly to attract the attention of the rest of the party ahl ah he cried we feared you were lost then walking toward bowie and carmen don vicente carried car mens big fern book in his hand and her shawl on his arm bowing somewhat flippantly to bowie he said with marked deference since you already have the fair senorita perhaps you would like to carry her shawl it would be an added honor retorted bowie he took the laugh that went around with entire composure and turning asked carmen whether she would not now go ferning 1 I know where there are some rare specimens he declared but carmen had already colored rather more than she liked and declined further excursion riding home don vicente took the post of honor at caimens Car mens side but she carried in her arm almost ostentatiously bowies roses bowie had dropped into the cavalcade carelessly after losing carmen but he clung jealously to her book and aft X A am 1 I see you shawl he presently found himself somewhat to his disgust riding at the side of tia ysabel and he did not escape unscathed dont they make an admirable couple she asked looking ahead at carmen and don vicente whom she had managed to drag into her voluble talk 1 I like don vicente so much of course he is much older but he is wealthy and of s uch such a fine family they ought to be very happy together she sighed do you mean to say that they are engaged to be married demanded her much nettled escort aunt ysabel spoke guardedly and rather low to be the more impressive 1 I dont know actually as to that senor bowie but I 1 do know that don vicente has spoken to don ramon and that there is no objection there don vicente is very wealthy well here we are nearing home its really been a delightful ride it thank you for your very pleasant company senor the barb rankled deep but the victim had nothing with which to salve the wound early next morning he was on his way to new helvetia CHAPTER XV summer passed at guadalupe without the hoped for improvement in don ramons health worry contributed tri buted to his illness dr doane told dona maria when political conditions grow better so an honest man can keep his house in peace said the doctor he will improve but conditions did not grow better they grew worse the helpless women at guadalupe gradually so resigned themselves to demands and raids that they grew almost apathetic in the face of disaster but marriages births and deaths must go on even in the midst of tumults and wars wars A cousin of car mens terecita de la guerra was married with a great celebration at santa clara mission and went to santa barbara to live caimens Car mens old indian nurse monica whom she had not seen since childhood came up from san diego to felicitate the young bride carmen was in santa barbara at the time visiting her cousin both girls were devoted to the old woman and carmen after many efforts got her to promise she would go up to guadalupe for a visit carmen her maid maria and monica took the stage of a newly established ii shed line for the return trip it was a three seater wagon of a type long afterward so popular in california with canopy top and side curtains for rain and drawn by four spirited horses the day was beautiful and the ride promised to be exhilarating and to make it more interesting carmen discovered that the driver was none other than her ci devant vaquero ben Par daloe he was as proud of his captaincy of the new wagon his four fresh horses and his pleasing guadalupe guests as if he had been captain of a tour four master ben talked importantly with carmen asking many questions and answering many he placed her beside him on the drivers seat as the stage pulled out after a few minutes ride ben spoke to carmen how are pedro and sanchez making it at guadalupe As well as can be expected with all the troubles that are going on everywhere but they are not what shall I 1 say too peaceable we need a man who will stand up and fight if necessary I 1 wish you were back there we did used to have good times on the big rancho a fact things kind of got different after henry went away got kind of lonesome or something when senor bowie went away everybody missed him kind of funny too Par daloe rambled on looked to me as it if henry never would leave guadalupe he used to say there was no place on the whole earth like it he was always talking about something around the place seemed as if he even liked the bars th then en he I 1 turned clean over interest him in nothing not a thing got so he hardly open his mouth then all of a sudden he was hell bent for going back to texas I 1 go back there it if give me the whole darned republic and then back the boy comes to california after all how some men change their minds what do you think senorita senor ben exploded carmen suddenly 1 I dont think I 1 dont know to become of us with all this robbing and murdering around us first it was the indians now its everybody white and red do you ever hear from senor bowie ie seen him last trip up at yerba buena though company says weve got to call it san francisco now how is he just fine did he say anything about guadalupe asked about everybody how long was he staying in san francisco 11 only till the next boat how does he like it up the river likes it chos the old indian woman youve got back there with mariar an old family nurse her name is is monica she has been visiting my cousin at santa barbara end and I 1 am taking her up to guadalupe for a good long visit I 1 seen monica for years and years ashes the sweetest old creature in the world carmen with her maid and monica left the stage at monterey pedro met them with horses and a carreta for the baggage for guadalupe they reached home late it was monicas donicas Mo nicas first visit to t the he northern rancho she was welco welcome me because of her long and faithful service in the ybarra family in the south and she was mas made to feel at home everywhere in the big bie family circle carmen was especially attached to her old nurse and for a few days devoted herself to showing monica the features of the princely domain only one thing troubled monica she was mentally alert carmen could detect no change in her quick apprehension of everything but her sight was failing cataracts impaired her vision but not her appetite for seeing everything and hearing everything this was as keen as ever moreover she had a fund of interesting anecdotes and reminiscences at least carmen found her intensely interesting and often kept monica in her bedroom at night to listen to her stories like most old people monica rose early much earlier than the household but she had the freedom of the house as well as of the servants quarters and wandered freely where she would on a morning that carmen long remembered monica gave her a great shock it was so terrible to carmen that she was prostrate for the day it was wintertime and cold the houseboy had a log fire in the living roo room in grate monica mo nica looking for a place to warm herself was on hand and promised to watch the fire after the boy had left for other duties TO BE CONTINUED |