Show A TALE r ff A LEE OF 0 er r TWO 11 W IL m rah thanksgiving A N kcf gi 1 V 1 N 15 S As thanksgiving approaches each year don antonio is wont to tell the following story a story of two thanksgivings in one year the last thail salving of pastoral california and the first recognition in the west land of the thanksgiving of the american the story runs la in this wise before the gringo came califor nia n a had a thanksgiving day of its own although no governors procia procla mation or presidential edict dignified it with such official title it was in fix to the country and was es specially pec lally ally suited to california s climan ic le conditions and to her religious his tory what time more seasonable to give thanks than just after the bar vest had been gathered and what day more appropriate than the ath of oc tober fete of st francis d assisi st francis whose sons had rescued the country from tribal darkness st t francis to whose special protection were confided the miss missions lons of alta california early in the morning of oct 4 1845 a picturesque pic esque procession approached the old church at monterey from far and near each ranchero brought in a heavy vehicle drawn by oxen and heaped high with corn and beans and melons As the vehicles and walkers came nearer the bells of the church rang out a glad welcome to its loyal chil dren then the assemblage knelt down on mother earth and each heart echoed the prayer the reverend padre voiced the prayer of thanksgiving to st francis for the harvest of the past year and of petition that he con dinue his care by sending early and bountiful rains when the banner had been escort ed back into the church and deposited at the left of the altar the congre gation surged out and a merry scene ensued with chatter and exclamations and infectious laughter the people moved about in ever changing grouns groups no one was greeted more warmly than don thomas larkin who took this opportunity of introducing to the people from the country his latest alvin rodgers the old cal accepted the newcomer warmly as was their habit the friend of don thomas la Is a friend of mine my house Is s yours whenever you wish to visit it the stranger accepted all degrees of friendliness with the same imper tur bable calmness and finally at cached himself to the group in which the diaz family were chattering As the vans started the population of monterey scattered to its homes accompanied by all the country people who could possibly remain over tor for the evening u b fiesta flesta ramon cas tro joined the group but had to content himself with walking with one of the sons wh while ile senor diaz marched rodgers off just behind car melcita and francisca the old senor bad had taken a fancy to the young american in the two weeks since rodgers arrival he had invited hin mon to his home every day with the exception of the father ana carmencita the diaz family felt un comfortable under the cold blue iny of the stranger but aa as californians they did not withdraw their hospitable attentions carmencita feeling the disapproval of her tarn fam lly fly showered favors upon him and be he well at first he came to praz practice lice speaking spanish and later he came because he could not keep away the brown eyes haunted him when away from their presence now misch lev ous now daring now languishing now sparkling but always impelling him to gaze into them into them and on the softly curved cheek and petal di curved mouth he did not want to love a californian nor in tact fact any other woman at present love would interfere with his ambitions yet he answered the call of tae lie eyes and his lips learned more readily to converse As a slave to his con science he het had told carmencita that he had come to this country to make his fortune and that it once gained he wajid return to his own land oh it Is that the climate does not suit you senora the climate is all right but it is the people you do not III e us usa 9 and the dark head went up in the air you know I 1 like ou but but when you go back to your own land senor never go back your land and shall be mine or you will go with me but your fortune senora fortune does not matter nothing matters but you I 1 want you you car melcita promise to marry me promise and he held her close let me go let me go when you make your fortune senor then I 1 will marry you to no no senor III I 1 II 11 never marry a poor americano my own countryman Is different we do not care for money you are different look at hulalia dulalia gonzales she mar ried a poor americano and now she has to work work work and save and never have any comfort all because her husband wants to save money no you make male your fortune and then you may go home or you may marry me it if bamon ramon has not been before hand he 11 II never be beforehand get the fortune and you too oh but only this day ramon has asked my father that he may marry me an the ath of december his fete day and the virgin s december so neara near but this Is only october and vember november comes be tween there are other fete days be sides his this Is your thanksgiving my country has a thanksgiving in a few weel s then either have riches or defaite promise of riches then claim you that will be my thanksgiving As merry voices were heard calling carmencita cita he whispered promise me promise and seal your promise so so so her affirmative answer was ered and they turned to greet their seekers his employment with larkin took him to the different ranches and even as tar far north as pueblo de san jose here old don palomares in extolling california over mexico said oh yes senor mexico has hr her sll sil ver mines but who can say that california has not greater riches perhaps the olad padres can tell of gold fields that the old indians I 1 new about no senor the reverend padres never divulged any such ruch information they had seen how the indians of mexico were enslaved to work in the mines and how avarice awakened by the desire for silver had corrupted the white man so why introduce a great curse here in this land of content where god sends all that is needed heeded and where his children live in peace and in his spirit after this rodgers cultivated the ac tance of 0 the different priests on his routes the padres of monterey of the pueblo de san jose and of the missions of san jose and santa cruz his eyes always stern grew colder and keener and his manners always implying superiority did not tend to win him personal friendship how ever ad a stranger and a ot of larkin the padres extended their hos bos vitality pit pita allty lity to him their ho hospitality vitality but nothing more it was not likely that they would confide to a foreigner a ae se cret h they withheld from their own sons on the monday previous to thanks giving rodgers had to start on a trip to the vicinity of santa aruz ruz that would I 1 beep him away until thanks giving day itself in his absence the preparations tor for the ball went on thanksgiving night arrived the ball began and yet rodgers had not returned about 10 0 clock the voices around the entrance announced arrival he seemed almost excited he he explained that he had had difficult ty in crossing the salinas and that he had rushed for fear of being too late for the ball As he does not dance that would be a pity ramon castro mur murmured muted to a neighbor during the following dance rod gers telegraphed to carmencita s watchful eyes when the music be gan she slipped out and met him in the moonlit courtyard hold up your head he commanded and then he twined strings and strings of pearls around her slender neck then he caught her to him you are mine it Is thanksgiving and you are mine but senor where don t ask anything you promised it if I 1 brought you wealth you would be mine promise me you will sa sail 11 with me in the white wings tomorrow the captain can marry us at sea and at my home you will have happiness you never dreamed of here promise me promise but why that sudden pause in the al ar fa pilgrims hall plymouth massachusetts music the silence made them both start then from the windows thun dered that americano rodgers dog of an infidel he ile murdered the padre of the mission de santa cruz and stole ane strings of pearls from the virgin carmencita shivered her self out of bis his arms as the piercing tones inside continued sancho the indian saw him while hid in the sanctuary he came to tell us but the americano had several hours start now he s here where Is he hea A howl for blood went up as the whole company jumped tor for the door ways the cry roused carmencita come she breathed and seizing his hand led him running through the nearest exit halt half a block down the street they were before their pur auers perceived them then shots filled the air at the corner they made a swift turn and ran directly to tho the bay carmencita jumped into an old boat rodgers followed and unmoored it he seized the oars and made some distance from the shore the pursuers reached the beach some fired wildly but others boarded a boat and continued after them it was inevitable that they ba be taken carmencita crept along the boat to hia bis side and put her arms around him it was my fault my sin you did it for me I 1 love you I 1 love you the oars were dropped his arms her dont don t let them take us she whispered he sudden ly stood erect with her still in his arms then one bound and the waters had closed over their bodies they never again reached the shores of monterey nor has the sea ever again given up the treasured pearls when he finishes his story old don antonio always leans loans back and sighs you see why it Is 1 I 1 do not ampre elate clate the american thanksgiving there always returns that picture of the first time we celebrated it did the padres know of the gold fields who can tell I 1 the did they were wise to withhold the inter matlon mation you see how much harm the desire tor for gold works Is it true well I 1 was one of the pursuers katherine Kather lne A chandler in san francisco call |