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Show Mistress of Monterey N a oi "f 1 1 1 1 Virginia Stivers Bartlett j 7 8 Uirqima Shuers Dart Lett h r h wn. SYNOPSIS In Snanish-governed California of 1783 a conflict between Church and State is represented by two friendly enemies, frail old Fray Junipero Serra, Franciscan Francis-can missionary, and Don Pedro Fages, civil governor. After telling Serra he is Bending to Mexico for his wife and son, whom he has not seen for eight years, he refuses his aid toward founding found-ing the Santa Barbara Mission. Dona Eulalia agrees to go to California, accompanied ac-companied by her duenna, Angustias. Don Pedro sends for Serra, telling him that two priests are on their way from Mexico with Eulalia and young Peciro and that he Is leaving to meet them. Fages engages a young Indian girl. In. dizuela, as maid for Eulalia. Eulalia sails from San Bias. It is a desolate trip. From the port of Loreto. a large cavalcade loaded with Eulalla's party starts out for the long overland trip. Eulalia, accustomed to luxury and com-.fort, com-.fort, bitterly regrets having been per- y ' suaded to come. The two priests, Fray Mariano and Fray Bartolomeo, call on her and arouse her suspicions as to their genuineness. As the cavalcade stops at various missions, Eulalia hears rumors of the approach of her husband. While Don Pedro plans a great fiesta to welcome wel-come his wife, Eulalia plans her costume. cos-tume. Don Pedro welcomes his beautiful beauti-ful wife and young son. Eulalia Is toasted toast-ed as the Queen of the Californlas. On the long Journey to Monterey, the reunited re-united couple are royally entertained at the Presidio at San Diego. Eulalia dis-'approves dis-'approves of the democratic relations of Don Pedro and his people. Pleading 'weariness in the midst of the feast she goes to bed where Angustias tells her , she knows Eulalia Is again to become a rnother. Don Pedro Is disturbed by the developments in the character of the priests and dreads Serra's disappointment disappoint-ment in them. Limping from mission to mission, Father Serra has a vision of St. Francis and tells his saintly master that he will be ready to Join him when Santa Barbara Mission is founded. Meanwhile Eulalia finds there is a conflict con-flict between Serra and Don Pfdro and plans to use the priest as an ally. CHAPTER XI Continued "Ah, La Gobernadora," said the priest. "Your prayers are answered too, Don Pedro." His words to her were simple, a welcome, a blessing. Then she was on her mount again. Dimly she heard Pedrito presented to the padre, and others talking. But she was silent, as though under a spell. "Good Father," the Governor was ( saying, "you must mount my horse and we will all ride into Monterey together. Come, up with you." Fray Junipero drew back. "Ah, my son, you know I never ride. I still have the legs God gave me, though one of them is not very good." The Governor threw his reins to a body-servant. "Then with your permission, Padre, Pad-re, I will walk with you." "Yes, yes. And my two Brothers-in-God! Where are you, my Broth-ers?" Broth-ers?" He looked around him. The two friars who were muttering to each other joined him with sanctimonious sancti-monious smiles. Again Serra put his arms about them. "We will walk together, this way, Brothers, I the older in the center, with two strong good young trees like yourselves to lean against, eh?" he asked delightedly. delight-edly. The others acquiesced in embarrassment. em-barrassment. Young Pedro slipped his hand Into his father's and walked beside him. The Governor looked at his lady, so still and white on her white horse. "My dear," he began. She smiled at him, but addressed the priest. "I too, would walk with your Revs' Rev-s' erence, but," laying a hand on her heart with a dignified, significant gesture, "you see how it is with me." The priest returned her smile and raised a hand to her. "But I will follow slowly behind you, if I may." CHAPTER XII The Governor's lady sat in a great hand-made chair of native sycamore syca-more wood on the portal of her new home, basking in the warm sunshine. sun-shine. Her feet rested on Escabel-lito, Escabel-lito, who lay eying Chichi, tethered to one of the upright logs that supported sup-ported the thatched roof of the portal. por-tal. From within the house came sounds of bustle and fuss, and Angustias' An-gustias' exasperated voice as she and the maids, with the help of a couple of Indian girls, strove to dispose dis-pose of the contents of Eulalia's trunks and chests which crowded the small house. The arrival had been exciting. For some time before they, Padre Serra, Ser-ra, the Governor, young Pedro and herself, had reached the presidio, they could hear bells ringing, volleys vol-leys of shots, singing. As they drew nearer they could see moving figures, fig-ures, black in the glow from great . bonOes built in the center and four ' corners of the walled presidio. It was all too confusing for her to get any definite impressions of the place or a" the people that crowded about her. Only two personalities remained re-mained with her. One was a round, dark, officious little man, presented by her husband as Capitan Nicolas Soler. The other was an Indian girl, about fifteen, who was awaiting await-ing them in the house. The girl had glanced casually at La Gobernadora, Gober-nadora, then kept her eyes on the Governor. He had patted her head - - - and called her Indizuela. Eulalia frowned and kicked Es-pabellito Es-pabellito slightly as he slapped Chi chi, who was reaching tentative exploratory ex-ploratory fingers toward the small Indian's thatch of long hair. Indizuela. Um-m. Rather pretty. Some Spanish blood in her background back-ground undoubtedly. She would have to inquire, very carefully, about Indizuela. In-dizuela. At least she was adequately adequate-ly clothed. La Gobernadora sighed and stared out at the presidio basking bask-ing in the spring sun. "So this is the place," she reflected. reflect-ed. "This is the Royal Presidio of San Carlos de Monterey. That hut in the center of the enclosure is no doubt the royal chapel. I can hardly believe there were manifestations manifes-tations of joy and thanksgiving when this place was founded or that bells rang, masses were celebrated and congratulations published all over Spain and Mexico." As Eulalia gazed broodingly across the bay, she knew, suddenly, sudden-ly, that this was the first of many hours she would pass so. Hours when she would strain her eyes fu-tilely, fu-tilely, watching the bay of Monterey, Monte-rey, hoping for a ship to arrive with news from the world, and fresh faces, longing for a break In the deadly monotony of life in the Royal Presidio of Monterey. "Nol" she exclaimed so suddenly that Escabellito jumped. She pushed him aside with her foot, and stood hands clenched at her sides. "No! I will not live the rest of my life like a captive In chains, or a wild bird cagedl I will escape." She went into the house. After the blaze of sun shining on the sandy parade-ground before her house, and on the gleaming whitewash white-wash of the walls and houses she was blinded for a moment. When vision returned she paced slowly through the six rooms of the Governor's Gov-ernor's palace. She passed down the hall and looked into the dining-room, long, low and narrow, with a hand-made I Fray Junipero Drew Back, sideboard, table, benches, and one window looking out into the kitchen garden. Next the dining-room, a bedroom, Angustias'; across the hall a chamber for young Pedro, and another for the Governor and his lady. She went into her bedchamber and found Angustias, her maids and the Indian girls in a state of confusion. con-fusion. "Ah, my lady!" exclaimed the du-ena, du-ena, "if you could only give me some word of advice! Where shall I put this stuff? There isn't room in the house for it all." "Angustias, 'j said Eulalia, her voice trembling, "I can't tell you what to do. It seems to me we shall have to live here like a soldier's family. Do our cooking in the middle mid-dle of the floor, eat with our hands, and throw scraps to the dogs. The Governor's palace, indeed! It Is only fit for a soldier's woman, and her brood of dirty brats." Angustias saw the need for firm action. 'I admit it isn't much of a place." she said, beginning to stir about briskly. "But we will do the best we can. Your clothes of course, can remain in the chests, and they can be pushed back against the walls." She began pulling things about. "And these can go in the sala, and these in the dining-room, and " "Ai, ai, Angustias! Stop it! Listen. Unpack only the clothes that I need for the present. As for the other things, leave them alone. What is the use of unpacking them? I will not be here long." Angustias stopped. "What do you mean, nina? Not be here long?" She stepped over and looked anxiously anx-iously into her mistress' face. "Do you feel ill? Do you feel that you are going to to die? When your time conies?" Eulalia laughed nervously. "No, no. Forget what I said. I am not afraid I am going to die. Make things as comfortable as you can, my good Angustias, for the present." She patted the anxious woman on the shoulder and walked out into the sunshine again. She became aware of a little flurry flur-ry among the soldiers at the gate. A man was riding Into the enclosure, enclos-ure, his clothes and horse a bright spot of moving color. Across the parade-ground he moved toward the palacio, his mount curveting and caracoling spiritedly. He pulled up before the lady in the big chair and, swinging off his hat, bowed low, much to her surprise. Then she recognized rec-ognized him. It was Capitan Nicolas Soler, whose face she remembered from the evening before. He was all smiles and bows, and made not an unhandsome figure in his gay clothes, raiment which looked rather rath-er strange to Eulalia as she had not been in California long enough to become acquainted with the singular singu-lar and characteristic style the Cal-ifornian Cal-ifornian gentlemen had adopted. "Greetings to you, Senora la Gobernadora!" Gob-ernadora!" he cried. "I know your Excellency is not receiving visitors as yet, but I have made so bold as to come and call nevertheless. You will not be so unkind as to send me away?" Eulalia smiled. "If it is the custom of ladies In California to receive early visits from gentlemen while their husbands hus-bands are busy, I suppose you may, Capitan Soler." He dismounted and walked toward her. He was short and broad for his height, and Eulalia had a rapid impression that he looked like a fighting rooster, with enormous silver sil-ver spurs springing from his heels like a game-cock's. Again he bowed ceremoniously and kissed her hand. Then, when the lady gave him permission, he sat near her feet and leaned against a post, "I do not know what the customs of the ladies are in California," he said chattily. "Anything that you may do, any precedent you may establish, es-tablish, will be followed by all the women in the province. For you are the First Lady, and the officers' wives will follow you. Oh, of course, they are ladies, too. Little ladies. You are a grand lady. And now California society will be changed. And if I have helped you make it a social rule that poor bachelor officers offi-cers may call on the ladies while their husbands are away, I think that is very nice." Eulalia was pleased. "I think you put a great responsibility upon me," she said charmingly. "But I must admit I have no social aspirations toward California. It would be an empty honor to be social leader over some Indian girls and some soldiers' women." "Ah, Senora la Gobernadora, but you will be surprised at the social life that goes on here!" Eulalia raised her brows. "I will indeed. Is it possible? What is there to do?" "Well, we have picnics and barbecues bar-becues in the woods around us here; or on the beach, close by, is a place where there are mussels and clams to be gathered. We go there, the Indians gather the shellfish, and we cook and eat them. Then we have parties in the different little houses dancing, music. Or we visit vis-it the Presidio of Santa Barbara or of San Francisco, and have fiestas. Ah, indeed," he concluded with a shade of sarcasm, "we are quite gay." Eulalia looked at him in surprise. Was it possible that he was actually pleased with such bucolic pleasures? pleas-ures? "But no receptions, no theaters, no opera no music?" she asked. "Certainly not, Senora la Gobernadora! Gober-nadora! Why, Senora, I do not believe be-lieve you realize that this" and he waved his hand about the presidio "is all there is to the capital of California." "I don't believe I do, Capitan Soler. No, I'm very sure I do not I am still expecting to see something some-thing that looks like a capital city." Soler leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. "You do not like California." Eulalia started, but he went on rapidly. "No, you do not like California, I can see that. And I do not blame you. It Is no place for a lady of your culture or your .beauty, one used to the life you have had. It is cruel for the King to insist that the Governor should be a family man, and bring his wife to this country." A trumpet called across the presidio. pre-sidio. The great gates swung open and the Governor of the Californias rode In with a party of horsemen. He dismissed them and cantered across to the palacio. Soler rose to his feet and saluted his Excellency. "Well," said Don Pedro, "calling "call-ing on La Gobernadora early, I see." Soler cast a quick glance at the lady. "Yes," he replied shortly, "I saw her Excellency sitting alone here and came to pay my respects. I must be going now. I trust I have not bored her." "Not at alll" chimed Eulalia. "I have enjoyed your conversation. You must call again." The Capitan bowed again, and swung on to his horse. Don Pedro called in at the door, "Indizuela!" When she answered he spoke in the Indian dialect, and they laughed. She brought him a chair, and wine in a cup. Ha threw himself into the chair, stretching out his legs with a sigh, and drank his wine in thirsty gulps. Eulalia fidgeted, "Why were you so rude to Capitan Soler?" "I do not like him." "Why?" "I never dislike anyone without reason. He is an officious, meddling, med-dling, ambitious upstart." "Is that all?" "No. But why talk about him? I am at home now, would rather talk with my beautiful wife. Look here." He pulled a sheaf of papers from his wallet. "These papers arrived ar-rived for me on the San Carlos." Eulalia started. "The San Carlos! Car-los! Where is she?" "Oh, she has come and gone again, back to Mexico." "Ah she has," Eulalia sighed. "She has gone." "Yes, but there are plenty of documents doc-uments for me to look to now." He opened a rattling paper and read it while Eulalia stared across the lonely lone-ly bay. A soldier, riding up to the palacio, pala-cio, looked at the Governor in amazement, and saluted. "Your Excellency, here are the letters that you left behind you in your office." "What are they?" demanded Eulalia Eu-lalia as soon as the soldier was out of sight. "Letters from home, for you," answered Fages, putting them in her lap. "The San Carlos left them." "And you had them in your office wherever that is all this time and forgot to bring them to me? How could you? How could you when you know how hungry I am for news from home, and how long it has been since I have had any? Oh, I do not see how you " But the Governor with a muttered excuse jumped on his horse and rode across the presidio to his little office by the great gate. For hours La Gobernadora sat reading avidly. Letters from her mother, and from friends; accounts of dancing parties, theater, opera, moonlight horseback picnics, new clothes, gossip of this one and that; all the gay life of the gay capital of Mexico. And she, isolated in this California, read and reread every word. (TO BE CONTINUED) |