Show Mistress of Mon tele q v. v 51 Slivers Stivers luers n ua IiI e 11 L pi pi pi pi a D Virginia Silvers Stivers s. s Bartlett C CHAPTER CHAPTER APTER Continued 23 23 The priests at Mission Carmelo were vere shocked and horrified when La Gobernadora was delivered to them jno ino no longer hysterically screaming i as when she left leU the presidio but cold and Icy sitting regally before the bewildered soldier on his hors horse I If Ii she had been as the Governor shad had last seen her good Fray Fermin Fermin Fermin Fer- Fer min min would have feared her less and thrown her to the tender mercies of I the matron of the for pline i But this cold haughty queen who held her head so high and comported comport comport- ed herself hersel like a prisoner of state was someone to be feared So they put her quietly Into the which Serra had long Jong ago called a dove dovecote dove coto I and there through the long spring days days she lived with the Indian girls under the chaperonage of the an an- dent clent Dona Maria Marla Dona Maria Marla took tooka a B certain grim pleasure In watching over the proud Gobernadora and though she did not exceed her duties duties duties du du- du- du ties in regard to her she did not neglect any discipline which she considered necessary Eulalia wove and sewed sang psalms and prayed outwardly as quiet as the stupidest Indian girL But when she lay at night on the pallet they had made for her on the floor with a barred window high above her head she would cram the coarse sheet Into her mouth to keep from screaming She boiled and seethed with rage despair outrage L Sometimes It was directed against the Governor then It turned most bitterly against herself hersel Fool Fool she muttered to herself herselt Silly fool to allow this to happen to me met Ai Dios Madre de deDios deDios deDios Dios There was one rule she refused to obey And that was to attend the masses at the church When this duty was urged upon her she was silent but drew her brows together together to to- gether dangerously Then the priests and the matron were glad to leave her alone One day the Fray Presidente called for her and Dona Maria Marla escorted escorted escorted es es- her to his quarters She stood uncompromisingly stiff before him bim but he motioned her ber to a chair Be seated Senora la Gobernadora Gobernadora Gobernadora Goberna Goberna- dora he murmured Eulalia Eulalla smiled at the title In the she had been simply Dona Eulalia t The father leaned back and looked at her curiously I have bave been studying you since sInco you have been here my daughter he said and I must say that I have found your conduct most exemplary ex ex- Eulalia Inclined her head bead He continued You have been docile obedient silent amid a discIpline discipline disc pline that must have bave been a severe punishment to you And I should say that you have been very brave Now I do not know what the private private private vate difficulties are between you and his Excellency I have heard beard of course of the events that led to your being brought here Not officially officially officially for his Excellency did not communicate them to me But I Ican Ican Ican can not help feeling that there is some grave misunderstanding between between be be- tween you that caused you to to do as you did Eulalia leaned toward him her hands gripping the arms of the chairA chair Ai A Padre mio she breathed if yo you you only knew But the priest silenced herI her I 1 was going to say that I am sure the fault does not lie with you whatever it is For you have behaved behaved be be- haved hayed under this punishment only as one who suffers unjustly and Is Innocent of at wrongdoing Eulalia leaned back and stared at him breathlessly As your spiritual father I tell you this And as the spiritual father father father fa fa- faI I ther of his bis Excellency Don Pedro I must speak to him as I have bave spoken to you Ah no o she cried suddenly Then at the surprised expression on the priests priest's face she controlled her her- herI herself I self elt hastily t B You think then she said haltingly halt holt that perhaps Don Pedros Pedro's conduct Is Extraordinary to say the least Eulalia smiled a secret smile of triumph She rose Is that all Father she asked meekly That Is all for the present But ButI I am going to ask you one thing Come to the early mass Sunday Very well When on the next Sunday she entered the church with the Indian women she was trembling nervous nervous- ly Y No comfortable chair was placed for her as when she had been there before and md she needs must stand on the cold dirt floor and kneel upon It without any cushion With her head wrapped in a coarse black re re- bozo her face shone out white and drawn m with v the strain of her in in- on Dona Maria looked at ather ather ather her and compressed her lipsI lipsI lipsI lips I am afraid for that one she thought to herself herselL She looks ill With shaking knees and voice Euf Eu Eu- f iI- iI lalia followed the service Her thoughts flew back to the first time she had bad taken part in the services in the church of Mission San Carlos Carlos Carlos Car Car- los and Serra She bent her head bead There at her feet actually beneath beneath be be- I neath her where she stood lay his bones Serra Serra She nearly screamed the words aloud Through the wood of his rough coffin through the dirt that covered him his eyes seemed to stare at her ber reproachfully blazing at her from fleshless sockets The of pride and will that had kept her suffering nerves In leash these two long months deserted deserted de her and weeping hysterically hysterical ly she collapsed on Serra's Serras Serras Serra's Ser- Ser ras ra's tomb When the Governor reached the presidio almost the first report he be had was from tram who told him accusingly that La Gobernadora Gobernadora Gobernadora Goberna Goberna- dora Imprisoned in the at Carmel had been very ill but was now better No wonder snorted the old I I woman With no no decent food or clothes I went over to Carmel sevc sev- sev c s ti 1 4 M a a 1 k a I b l i y He Lifted Her Der In ills His Arms eral times to brush her hair and that old beldame Maria wouldn't let me It was his bIs first Impulse to run to her swiftly Suddenly more than anything in the world he wished to hold her in his arms to comfort her as though she were a little girl His flower his Eulalia Why it was because she was such a spirited fiery flery little thing that he had fallen in love with her and married her And after he had married Her he had spoiled her and been away from her too long was her fiery flery spirit broken after these two long months in the to which he be had sentenced her ber He sent a messenger to her to tell her to come to him as soon as she was able For he could not trust himself to togo togo togo go to her And Eulalia In the austere mon mono jera wept Suddenly to her ber nothing seemed so desirable as to be in her husbands husband's hus hus- husbands husbands husband's bands band's arms wherever he might go whatever he might be CHAPTER Waiting restlessly for tor Eulalia Eulalla to come to him Don Pedro rod rode out outto outto outto to his vineyard in the bright spring morning He left his bis horse and walked alone among the green vines Tenderly he looked at them admiring their robust growth touchIng touching touch touch- Ing a tendril here stroking a glossy leaf leal there He knelt down on the earth beside a young vine and picked a bit of soil up in his fingers fin gers as was his habit Over him the sky was unusually blue for this coastal region and ond the sun was high and hot A little in hi the distance he could see sec his orchard some of the trees in early green some still rosy with blos blos- And where the land was not cultivated it bloomed with wild wild flow ow- ow ers erSt California he breathed She has bas given herself herselt to me like a wom wom- an Give her smiles and her tears and fruits of her body I shall not leave such a fruitful mistress A single horse and ond rider came rapidly toward the vineyard It wan waa Eulalia Eulalla Pedro Fages rose to his bis feet and looked about him bim The vines are arc young he mur mur- Next spring they will be young again Ten springs a score of springs and they will still be young But Eulalia He watched almost In fear as she slipped lithely from her horse horse and came toward him at first slowly then as she caught sight of him when he stood upright in a little run holding bolding up her skirts laughing like Q a girl shading her eyes with her hand But Eulalia Eulalla Is young now he be cried to himself Ten springs a score of springs and then then NO Suddenly he brushed the soil of California from his fingers and sprang toward her Dimly he e noticed noticed no no- that her feet crushed the young vines as she ran ran Pedro I My Pedro Pedrol She sank at athis athis athis his feet In the dirt laughing weep weep- ing Pedro oh my Pedro He lifted her in his bis arms then put her on her feet teet and knelt before be fore her swinging off oft his sombrero He clasped her knees looking up into her face Eulalia my dear my flower you are arc beautiful and ond pale You have suffered He Fie kissed her little shoe and noticed noticed noticed no no- the pungency of the vines she had crushed d. d She pulled him him upright to her and took his face between her hands Pedro my great bear you are so brave so strong so cruel to me I am a great fool He groaned straining her to him Eulalia I have something to tell you I am resigning as Governor of the Call Call- fornias and And she exclaimed flushing suddenly radiantly and we are going away from here back to Mexico Spain Over her head he looked at the hills bills the sky the distant mountains the sea the orchards the beloved vineyard Tears filled his eyes and blurred the scene Yes Yes away from here he be said CHAPTER Triumphantly Eulalia sailed on the first ship that put out from Monterey Monterey Monterey Mon Mon- terey with the two children and Angustias From the shore Pedro Fages watched the ship as far as he could see it it then turned and rode madly to the Mission Carmelo He went into the little church and kneeling by the tomb of Serra talked with his old friend It would be a year before his successor successor suc sue cessor censor would arrive And the time was all too short In which to say his farewells to the land he be had loved so faithfully so he had hastened first to the old missionary He spent the year putting his affaIrs affairs affairs af af- af- af fairs in order tending with an aching aching ach ach- ing heart his trees and vines And at the end of the year his successor came On board the old San Carlos arrived his old friend Capitan Romeu who had persuaded Eulalia Eulalla so long ago to come to Cal Cal- A few days later the San Carlos was due to saiL On that same day the great t Spanish explorer Malaspina Malaspina Malaspina Malas- Malas pina put the frigate into the harbor of Monterey Those on onshore onshore shore watched her launch a longboat longboat longboat long long- boat among the frisking whales When the long boat landed there wasa was a R bundle wrapped in sail clothA clothA cloth A dead sailor said the captain We wish to bury him ashore So he was buried Pedro Fages and the new Governor of the Call Call- fornias paused by his grave on their way to the beach from where Don Pedro was to be rowed to the San Carlos They examined the slab of oakwood that bore his epi epitaph aph John Graham a seaman Born In Boston Massachusetts Our first American murmured Romeu Pedro Fages looked east across the mountains In his minds mind's eye he saw saw higher ranges of mountains deserts prairies rivers more mountains and great inland lakes And across that country men hastening hastening hastening has has- to the call of the siren California California Cali Call fornia and her go golden den lure You are right he be said our first But not 0 O Governor of all the our last Then he hastened to the waiting lancha and turning his back resolutely resolutely resolutely reso reso- on the land was rowed to the waiting San Carlos Soon the sails filled and Romeu watching on the shore saw the gallant old which had borne Pedro Fages Pages to California slowly turn with the tide to bear r him away THE END |