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Show fcT i A . A A A A A A A A A A A A A I CONDENSED I CLASSICS I I ! RAMONA f V Y I I By HELEN HUNT JACKSON t I 5 Condensation by A jjj Mary Brooks, Gloucester, Mass. Y &l !! ' l ; Helen Flske vrns born at Amherst, Mm, Oct. 18, 1S31. She iru the daughter of Professor Pro-fessor N. IV. Flske. She -was twice married, first to Major Edward B. Hunt of the United States engineers he died In 1803; It Teas while living as a widow at Newport that she made her pen-name pen-name of "H. H." (Helen Hunt) well known. Years later she married W. S. Jackson, a banker of Colorado Colora-do Springs. She was a pen-woman pen-woman of great Industry and suc cess. She first won attention by "Verses by H. IT." Her poems were widely read and were praised by Emerson and T. W. Hlgginson. She wrote for the famous o Name Stories two novels, "Mercy Phllbrick's Choice, and "Hetty's Strange History." She was author of books of many types, including those for children. She became be-came greatly interested In the Indians; she was appointed a special commissioner commis-sioner to investigate their condition. From this work resulted "A Century of Dishonor," and the novel by which she will be remembered, "Rnmonn." She died Aug. 12, 18S5, In San Francisco. She possessed the affectionate regard of many readers. AMOXA! The blessed 1- child!" Father Salvierder-ra, Salvierder-ra, nearing his journey's end, cried with joy. Through the golden gold-en mustard tangle that overhung his path a dark-haired maiden came swiftly swift-ly to meet him. At sight of Ramona's ar.gelic face the aged Franciscan forgot for-got his weariness, almost forgot his burden of grief over his beloved missions, mis-sions, despoiled and crumbling. A silent si-lent blessing, and he followed her contentedly con-tentedly to the Moreno ranch, where sheep-shearing had been delayed until his visit, that he might confess the shearing band. Before Mexico's surrender of California, Cali-fornia, General Moreno'.; estates were lordly indeed; now huge portions had been lopped away by the United States land commission, and the general's widow revenged her losses by de-i ncuncing all Americans as "hounds." A marvelous manager, the Senora Moreno, Mo-reno, whom her handsome, gentle son Felipe obeyed In everything and knew It not! Yet she never suspected that Felipe's affection for Eamona could be more than brotherly; she had never loved the girl. For Ramona was not of Moreno blood. Her father was a tempestuous Scotchman, who, cruelly jilted by the senora's sister, married an Indian woman. To his old love, childless and unhappy, he gave his beautiful blue-eyed baby to rear as her own. At Senora Ortegna's death the child came as a legacy to I Senora Moreno, but at nineteen, Ra- 1 mona still waited to learn the mystery of her parentage. The stern, silent j senora would not tell. The Indian sheep-shearers arrived at sunset, just as Ramona hurried to the brook to wash an altar-cloth. Her face aglow, she bent over the stones, all unconscious that Alessandro, captain cap-tain of the shearing band, beholding i her, stood spellbound. j When Father Salvierderra led the : household sunrise hymn next morn ing, a new rich barytone voice thrilled Ramona strangely. "I never heard anything like it," she told Felipe. "That is Alessandro, old Pablo's son a splendid fellow. He plays the violin vio-lin beautifully, the old San Luis Rey music. His father was bandmaster there." I Sheep-shearing began most unfortunately. unfor-tunately. Felipe, up too soon from a long illness, suffered a relapse while packing the dusty fleeces. Only Alessandro Ales-sandro could soothe his delirium; accordingly. ac-cordingly. Alessandro was persuaded to remain until the invalid should recover. re-cover. As Felipe improved, he lived on the open veranda, lying on a rawhide bed that Alessandro made. The family sat near him. Alessandro, too, "his crras!.: a delight, his strength and fidelity fidel-ity a repose, his personal presence always agreeable, was freely welcome." The young Indian watched Ramona with dumb devotion. "Such eyes," she mused, "like a saint, so solemn, so mild. I nm sure he is verv good." She ceased to re-card re-card him" as on Indian. How could she understand this new feeling? Felipe was the only young man she iad ever known. One thought possessed Alcssan-tlro Alcssan-tlro after old Junn Canito, the head shepherd, told him of Ramona's parentace: "The senorita has Indian Indi-an blood. . . The senora loves her not." When Ramona wept at the? senora's unkindness, he trembled so that Felipe read his secret. "If only my mother could think it." reflected "generous Felipe, "It would be best to have Alessandro stay here as overseer, and then they might be married." mar-ried." The crisis came when Ramona's eyes dircired with tears because 6he feared Alossnr.dro's father would not let lilt: remain permanently on the ranch. "Senorita !" he cried, "tears have come Into your eyes. Then you will not be angry If I say that I love you !" "I know, Alessandro; I am glad of It : J. love you !" "Oh, senorita, do you mean that you will go with me? You cannot mean that!" "Yes, I will go with you." And then, as they stood locked in each other's arms, the senora CTscov-ered CTscov-ered them ! "Shameful creature!" she cried, smiting Ramona's protesting lips. She hustled the girl to her room and locked her in. Alessandro, watching sadly all that night, heard two wood doves calling, "Love?" "Here." "Love?" "Here." "My Ramona is like the gentle wood dove," thought he; "If she Is my wife my people will call her Majel, the Wood Dove." In vain Felipe tried to persuade his mother. In vain she coaxed and threatened Ramona. The jewels which were to be Ramona's dowry, if she married worthily, were no temptation. When the senora scornfully declared, "Your mother was an Indian; a low, common Indian," the girl was truly glad. "Why do you object to my marrying Alessandro?" she demanded; "I am of his people. The jewels you can give to the church. I shall marry Alessandro." Ales-sandro." Felipe sent Alessandro home to Te-mecula Te-mecula until the storm should blow over. But the long-dreaded Americans Ameri-cans In their search for more land had just taken possession of that peaceful village. Dragged out of his own house by force, Pablo died of grief. Alessandro Ales-sandro burled him, and then in utter misery came back to bid Ramona farewell. fare-well. "Dearest senorita ! I have no home," he faltered; "my father Is dead, my people driven out of theli village. I am only a beggar now." But Ramona felt no fear of privations. priva-tions. "Take me with you!" she cried. After long pleading she overruled over-ruled his wiser arguments, and that night they slipped away, with Baba, Ramona's own horse. No trace of the lovers was found, for those Indians who knew Alessan-dro's Alessan-dro's whereabouts purposely misled Inquirers In-quirers ; and at San Diego, where they were married, Ramona had given Ales-sandro's Ales-sandro's pet name, "Majella," to be entered en-tered on the register. , Their first home was near Alessan-dro's Alessan-dro's cousin in San Pasquale, where the Indians received Ramona gladly. She' was very happy in her new life "under the sky." She accepted a tiny brush hut as cheerfully as the comfortable com-fortable adobe which Alessandro soon built and which she beautified beyond belief. Gleefully she led Baba when he plowed the first furrows in their fields. But Alessandro's anxiety rarely left him. When he heard that the Mexican Mexi-can pueblo paper of San Pasquale was worthless, that all the village lands belonged to the Americans in Washington, Wash-ington, he lost hope. "I think I shall go mad," he said. When American ranchers appeared, he sold house and crop and moved to Saboba, seeking a place the Americans did not want. On the way to Saboba they nearly perished in a snowstorm, but were saved by an easy-going Tennesseean family, the Hyers, with whom they became friends. Already Ramona's heart had been wrung at hearing of Father Salvierderra's death. N3W came a new grief ; she feared for Alessandro's Ales-sandro's reason. Could he bear another an-other blow? "Eyes-of-the-Sky," their baby girl, never recovered from her exposure, and died on the way to the agency doctor, who would not come to her. White men began to encroach and to be insulting. "We will hide forever," declared Alessandro. Al-essandro. Leaving horses and wagon In San Bernardino with the Hyers for the winter, they went to a tiny valley, almost Inaccessible, folded high on Mount San Jacinto's slopes. "Here we are safe !" exulted Ramona. " 'Pears like she's gone klar out 'er this yer world Inter another," mused Aunt RI Hyer, as she sat weaving carpets car-pets and gazing up at the shining mountain in the southern horizon. When Alessandro saw the brown eyes of his second daughter he sighed, "It Is an 111 gift to have the eyes of Alessandro ; they look ever on woe." Now began attacks of mental distress dis-tress wild flights from imaginary white pursuers. Sometimes he tried to drive flocks he fancied were his own. One fatal day he galloped home on a strange horse, taken by mistake during one of his "sicknesses." "Penor, I will explain " But Far-rar, Far-rar, the enraged owner, shot him dead in the midst of his explanations. Child in arms. Ramona ran for help to the nearest village, Cahuilla. Then came oblivion. Ten days afterward she opened her eyes. Aunt RI was beside her and Felipe! ne had recognized Baba in San Bernardino, and from the Hyers had learned the whole sad story. "I have been searching for you all this time." he whispered. "I am alone, dear. There is no one now but you to take care of me." In Mexico Felipe made a new home, and there Ramona became his loving, loyal wife. But when the wood doves called, she heard a voice saying "Majella "Ma-jella !" That was her only secret from her husband. CoryrlsrM. 1513. tV the Post Publishing Co- (The Boston Postl. Copyright in the United Kingdom, the Dominion?. Its Colonies Col-onies an,! dependencies, under the copyright copy-right act. hy the Post Puhllshinp Co., Boston. Mass.. U. S. A. All rights reserved.' re-served.' Printed hy permission of. and arrangement with Little, Brown & Co., authorized publishers. |