| Show L t Ser vicie stivers bardett 0 virgilda vir girda stivers bartlett virginia CHAPTER continued 30 90 he took his seat beside la gobernadora ern adora ate drank and replied absentmindedly absent mindedly to all who spoke it was only when he felt a light touch on his shoulder and looking up saw Indi zuela offering him a cup of wine that he roused for a moment from his reveries she smiled at him reproachfully and moved away the wine jug poised on her shoulder after the feast one of the governors old catalan soldiers clapped his hands for attention senores cenores Se nores y senoras sedoras Se noras Seno senoritas ritas y senoritas Seno ritas Cabel leros y arni gost padres 1 peon deones peones s y dindios indios I 1 will sing I 1 will sing a song of our illustrious lust rious gobernador gobernadora Gober nador el senor don pedro viva viva 1 shouted the crowd someone placed a vine wt wreath e ath on on his head as the old soldier experimented M anted with his guitar e 1 I will sing a song of el goberna dor concerning his prowess as a mighty hunter and how he saved the indians of san luis obispo from being eaten alive by bears how he saved his people from starving by giving them the bears to eat and how a mission w was as founded because of all these doughty deeds then he began to sing a long series of coplas dozens of verses sang the old soldier and at the end ol of each the audience howled ayee ay ee don pedro the governor sat with bowed head covered with canh contusion aaion I 1 and listened the singer went on telling of the frightened indians rushing from their village afraid of the giant bears that were killing th them em one by one and of how don P pedro edro faced the savage grizzly bear and killed him in a fight most fair and how the indians feasted him a day and night praising him for his great might ayee ay ee don pedro hola I 1 viva el gobernador gobernadora Gober nador viva the party gathered in a circle around him singing and shouting toasting him in tilting wine cups creating more verses for the endless song the governor stood by quietly until the song was finished but when the circle broke he slipped away alone to the tree on the hill and threw himself down on the ground it was sunset and color rioted everywhere ery where on land and sea the voices of the singers seemed to come from a great distance he closed his eyes ayee ay ee don pedrol pedro 1 someone said softly Indi zuela dropped on the ground beside him CHAPTER after the vend imia and the harvest the winter season settled down upon the royal Pre presidio sidia of monterey and the mission san carlos at carmelo winter meant rain days and weeks and months of rain the rio carmelo flooded its banks as it filled and a hundred rills and streams sprang into being the trees sighed and dripped dismally and there was little life astir except the screaming seagulls that driven from the ocean by storms came inland to seek food shrieking and wheeling in the gray skies in the palacio of the governor all was gloom angustias grieved for chichi and moved about like a gloomy wraith since the departure of the french explorers la gobernadora seemed frozen all except her somber eyes that burned resentfully from her white face little lines appeared about her mouth and drew the corners of her lips down in a perpetual expression of unhappiness that wrung don a pedros heart she spent hours days lying upon her bed staring at nothing doing nothing or huddled before the sputtering fire looking at the flames with a blank faraway far away expression that frightened the governor with its hopelessness its despair she no longer spent hours over her hair or the little cares of her toilet but wore the same gown day in and day out and even adopted the habit of wrapping her head in a scarf she shivered constantly in the damp adobe house sometimes she would look out on the parade grounds churned to a muddy lake by the feet of horses and men and catch sight of the wife of a soldier a baby hugged close to her in in a shawl running from one house to another she almost envied these little soldiers women with their endless chatter about nothing their contentment with empty lives sometimes she thought wildly of running out into the ram herself but it if she did where would she go so she only shivered and drew her manton closer about her pedro fages was profoundly distressed living in the small palacio with the unhappy woman eulalia loving her sorrowing over her and unable to express one word of what he elt for he had never re berred to the dreadful night when ae ie had struck her and dragged her back from running away depressed his days and saddened his nights his only comfort was in reading 9 over and over again the few books he possessed las de Es pl andian sancho panza and the plays of shakespeare long hours he would read then impatiently order his horse and ride for hours through mud and rain nowhere there was only one light one spot of warmth in his darkness and that was not the clear warmth of the sun or the pure cold ray of a star a light like a little fire shows from the depths of some murky cave and that was Indi zuela time and again he put the thought of the girl out of his mind only to have her walk into his brain and heart and through some witchcraft take possession of him and so the winter pressed down on monterey but froni from the south from santa barbara came letters from fray fermin lasuen bubbling with a youthful enthusiasm that rose perennially enni ally in his old heart it was summer in the south of california he wrote the sun shone all day and the stars at night there had been some showers and the brown hills had turned green quickly the streams were full and it was already like Sl oring and on the feast beast day of santa barbara december fourth the mission santa barbara was to be founded all was ready the people at the he pre presidio sidia as well as the priests who were to found the mission were I 1 4 N I 1 I 1 wa I 1 I 1 1 4 she Is sick sich the baby blur aured eulalla eulalia waiting impatiently that day and the arrival of his excellency with la senora la gobernadora the feast day arrived santa bar bara the patroness sent fair weather the waters in the channel danced in a fresh breeze and the blue hills and mountains faintly tinged with green rose behind the mission site like a beautiful curtain frey fermin lasuen and sergeant ortega from the presidio pre sidia had been anxiously awaiting the governor ortega had sent messengers and an escort far north to meet him but they had returned without the governor and without news of him fray fermin was worried A great responsibility was in his hands this was the first mission of his own founding carried out through the wishes of his beloved brother juni pero serra for over two years the governor had been planning this day looking forward to it with great anticipation and anxiety and now with everything in readiness the day already at its zenith there was no governor and the mission could not be officially founded without his presence fray fermin scanned the distance as far north as his gaze could reach then with a patient sigh sat down on the ground where he could see the little ramada beneath which the altar was erected and where two bells hung in readiness to ring out to all the world the good news of the founding of the mission santa barbara A recumbent cross was on the ground near by waiting to be erected on the spot where some day dav the mission church should arise the missionary looked lovingly at the scene and as he looked a vision n came before his eyes instead of the humble ramada and rough cross a lovely temple rose to comfort him glowing pinkly its square towers and red tiled roofs rose majestically jestic ally against the mountains A great establishment stretched itself across the landscape dormitories gardens workshops and wineries wintries win eries the little group of dirty Can alenan indians who stood about with dumb curiosity became miraculously thousands of clean happy neophytes who worked and sang as they worked the handful of soldiers who lolled on their horses and eyed the indian women became a 0 dashing comoa chomoa ny by of devout worshipers pres pressing sing into the church filling it full of r reverence ev and adoration fray fermin gazed at his dream and spoke ali ah padre Juni perol he exclaimed cial med gladly it has all been worth it has it noti not I 1 sing 0 heavens a and nd be joyful 0 earth and break forth into singing 0 mountains for the lord hath comforted his people padre mio so steeped was lasuen in his dream so real was the vision that at the sound of the voice he started really expecting to see the brown figure of his brother gunipero Juni pero perce bes beside de him um but it was sergeant ortega who stood a worried frown on his irow brow his hat in his hand padre mio i it grows late there is absolutely n no a sign of his excellency soon the day of our holy patroness will be past what shall we better do painfully lasuen made his decision we must go ahead with our I 1 ceremony he said sadly and when his excellency comes we will have a rededication there must be some good reason that he is not here he rose painfully from the ground sighing it is a disappointment but it is in gods hands and so on december 4 1786 was founded the mission santa barbara the standard of spain waved above the humble altar and the sacred flags of the church marys blue banner and the bloody banner of christ the bells rang prayers were said incense rose in pale blue daue clouds then it was over the andl indians returned to their villages the soldiers returned to the pre presidio sidia fray lasuen was left with three brothers and a few soldiers to guard the shrine dedicated to the holy patroness of artillerymen artilleryman artillery men several days before don pedro planned to leave for the south for the dedication of the mission santa barbara he was riding the highlands back of monterey a and nd pondering how best to approach la gobernadora ern adora on the matter of accompanying him As he drove toward the pre presidio sidia the clouds lifted for a moment from the sea and it being sunset time a rich glow spread over the gray ocean turning it for a few minutes into molten gold and rosy silver the governor paused and admired the scene for a moment A good omeal omen he said with a deep breath all will turn out well god willing As he cantered into the pre presidio sidia grounds the guards at the gate smiled at him respectfully noting the cheerful expression on his face that had for so long been unnaturally gloomy and as he approached pro ached the palacio his heart lighted again as he made out gleams of fire and candle light stealing through the chinks of the closed shutters halal he cried heartily as he stamped into the sala ai and id how are all in my household this evening did you notice the little bit of sunshine at sunset time A gloomy silence met him huddled near the fire sat eulalia with the baby girl on an her lap and leaning over the fire looking like an old witch or indian sorceress angustias stewed some evil smelling mixture in a at eulaliah Eul Eu alias lallas feet the indian nurse crouched and looked fearfully at her charge what is the matter asked the governor all his cheeriness fading in the gloomy atmosphere she is sick the baby murmured eu eulalia I 1 alia ahl don pedro retired anxiously to a corner and watched helplessly while the women doctored the tiny girl rubbing her little chest with unguents dosing her with the evil smelling mixture that angusta as had brewed the child fretted and cried but at last became quiet her nurse carried her from the room and angustias followed don pedro strode toward eulalia and picked her up in his arms cuddled her on his knee as though she were a child she did not respond ride did not struggle agai against fist him but she was slack in his embrace inert unresponsive asive Is the my little flower very ill he asked she has a bad cold this damp house she looked about her oh a little cold she has had them before let us not worry about her let us be happy eu kalial let us be happy he turned her face toward him and lifted her chin on his finger there was not a single answering gleam in the black eyes but he persisted pack your traveling cantina with jewels pack a chest with your finest clothes and let us go south to the Pre presidio sidia of santa barbara for the founding of the mission it will be a great affair 1 there will be feasting at the pre presidio sidia a baile and the queen of california should be there and what is more we will find summer there fray fermin writes me for the sun shines on the southland and it is already spring come with me Eula eulalia lial with scarcely any change in her expression the lady shook her head ali ah come querida I 1 he held her closely and whispered let us in make ake a little moon of honey of the expedition a luna de yes I 1 eulalia eulaha pulled iway away irom from him her face settling in stern lines you should not ask me to go away from my sick child and I 1 do not think that you should go and leave her either don pedro fedro loosened his arms that is nonsense of course she is not that ill and besides she is in very good hands with angustias nevertheless I 1 shall have to go anyway for without me the founding of the mission is not legal he stood and she slipped off from his lap on to the floor gazing into the fire the governor began pacing the length of the sala yes I 1 should go no matter whether it were necessary or not the mission santa barbara at last oh at long last it will be a happy day for me and a happy and significant day for california when that mission is founded when I 1 think of all the talks and quarrels I 1 had with my poor padre gunipero Juni pero about it I 1 am overjoyed to think that finally the mission is to be founded yes I 1 shall be there eulalia glanced obliquely at him from where she sat he was tugging his beard and did not see her gunipero Juni pero serral she thought bitterly can he never be entirely at rest Is his spirit to follow me always haunt and punish me she shivered pedro fages delayed preparing for his trip until the last possible day and with a deep disappointment in his heart resolved to say nothing more to eulalia but he was frightened about her as she sat hour after hour saying nothing doing nothing but watching the fire and listening to the rain that lashed the little house unmercifully the baby was no better but certainly no worse yet he saw it was hopeless to persuade his lady to go with him on the morning when he had plan planned bed his departure he stood before her stern unhappy 1 I must tell you adios senora he said formally 1 I will return as quickly as possible she said nothing only turned and looked at him ali ah come eulalia he exclaimed suddenly his reserve breaking come with me TO BE CONTINUED |
