Show mistress M 1 0 s e s s of monterey M 0 OIL 1 t e 14 FARe 0 virginia stiver silvers bartlett Dart lett VIRGINIA STIVERS BARTLETT 00 V demce SYNOPSIS in spanish governed california ot of 1781 1783 a conflict between church and state Is represented by two friendly enemies frail old fray serra missionary and don pedro rages fages civil governor after telling serra he be Is sending to mexico tor for his bis wife and son whom ho he has not seen I 1 for or eight aars h nis his aid toward founding the santa barbara mission in mexico city dona Eula eulacia iia a accompanied 0 cc by her duenna angustias Angust las arrives arrive a at t the embassy in response to a letter from her husband don pedro she agrees to go to calif california don pedro sends tor for serra telling him that two priests are on their way from mexico with eulalea and young pedro arid and that he be Is leaving to meet them rages fages engages a young indian girl Indi zuela as maid lor for eulalia eulalla sails from san blag bias it Is a desolate trip from the port ot of loreto a large cavalcade loaded with eu lallas lailas party starts out tor for the long overland trip hui eulalia alla accustomed to luxury and comfort bitterly regrets having been persuaded to come the two priests fray mariano and fray bartolomeo call on her and arouse her suspicions as to their genuineness in eness As the cavalcade stops at various missions eulalla eulalia hears rumors ot of the approach of her husband CHAPTER VI continued 5 but my lady allow me 2 keep your hands off me sirl I 1 will not move but senora see it is night we must go on we must pro progress gressl 1 Pro progress gressl I 1 have done nothing but progress for weeks months and I 1 arrive now nowhere herel now I 1 will go no farther the capitan gripped his hands but we have no water here no food no provisions for the night we can not stay here up senora come come this is serious eulalia settled herself firmly on the ground serious I 1 should say it was serious no water no food Is that my fault Is it my duty to see the skins and casks are filled did I 1 send the provisions ahead so that we should be without food she tossed her hair out of her eyes and glared at him look at me look at met me disheveled dirty hungry thirsty weary and no place to lay my head and it is your fault ali ah wait until I 1 tell his excellency the governor how you have treated met me leading me into this and offering no relief except riding more and more miles to some spring which no doubt will turn out to be a dry onel one you are responsible caneles Can etes dignity was touched senora it was certainly not I 1 that suggested this trip it is no pleasure jaunt to me I 1 assure you it was only at the earnest solicits eions of the viceroy himself in behalf of my friendship with your husband the governor that I 1 undertook it 19 nevertheless you are responsible you and the viceroy and the king himself she clenched her hands and beat them on her breast 1 I wish his excellency the viceroy mayorga and his majesty the king of spain could be here in my place if so anxious to make CaR california fornia a colony why dont they come here themselves let them have the dirt and heat and thirst and cactus and rattlesnakes rattlesnake sl would they want it then would they call california the brightest jewel in the diadem of spain she stamped her feet not no no they would say as I 1 do my god is this california let the indians have it or england or whoever wants UP it what they would bayl say and yet they let me a poor defenseless woman sacrifice herself to make california a crown jewell jewel her voice reached a hysterical pitch california brightest jewel ell her choicest possession she mimicked ironically then her voice broke Sp ains rotten egg she screamed and leaned sobbing against her saddle by this time the whole cavalcade was milling around the spot angustias stepped into the breach she smoothed her mistress hair arranged a scarf over it patted the heaving shoulders and whispered meaningless affectionate comforting in g words then she turned to canete 1 I think you can help my lady to mount now she said As the capitan stooped to take the ladys foot in his hand he noticed the moonlight play a strange trick with angustias face it almost seemed that she winked to make sure he gave the duena a lift into her own saddle thank you sir she said grimly then you are a gentleman sir but you need a firmer hand some time later they rode into the camp at santa martita and found it in a great state of excitement far far below them a pillar of fire blazed against the dark night blazed and faltered and blazed again young pedro riding before ca nete bete as the burro had not been found shivered indians he asked bad indians then they heard running feet three indians naked except for breech clouts clonts panting and shining entered the camp and stood before the fire el capitan which is he they asked 1 I am he what is your message senor el gobernador gobernadora Gober nador don pedro fages is camped a days journey from here his smoke is yonder in the valley he sent us to find you and bid you hasten capitan canete heaved a great sigh of relief praise godt god he murmured d devoutly then he detailed three other indians from his train to make all haste to the governors camp tell him we will be with him by nightfall tomorrow he said he looked around at the drawn face of the governors lady and tell him all in my expedition are well happy and enjoying the kripl he added CHAPTER VU VII pedro fages listened to the report of capitan caneles Can etes indians and dismissed them that they might eat and rest after their all night journey striding to the spring the governor splashed face and head smoothed his hair with his fingers and wrung his beard then cupping both hands to mouth he whooped until the silent morning rang and echoed rise my childre childrens nl rise and greet the sunt rise and say your prayers and hear the tidings tiding sl 1 to N 11 li t f X i I 1 i indians were dispatched into the canon for deer night there will arrive here the cavalcade of capitan canete rise beggars vagabonds curiosity overcame laziness and soon the camp was buzzing with anticipatory preparations the arrival of canete meant news from home letters messages from spain and mexico it meant a fiesta for there were women in the capitals Cap itans train surely the governors lady would bring maids don pedro moved with dynamic energy his eyes glowed his step was light his energy boundless and his orders legion indians were dispatched into the canons for deer quail rabbit antelope others gathered wood and piled a mighty pyre on the beach at last the governor having assigned to each his task turned to one he would entrust only to himself A large round tent which had remained rolled and packed on the journey had been pitched some distance away from the camp he entered it and almost fe fell llovera over a tiny indian boy naked as a rabbit brown as a berry with wild bright eyes ali ah lazy little one and eat thy tortillas hortillas tor tillas sleep all day the child scampered toward the cooking fire and the governor went to work with the happy expression of a man performing a labor of love he began opening bundles that had been a mystery on the trip as they had never been opened and had taxed the pack animals to the ears there were bright blankets of indian weave supple serapes scrapes in ga gay y colors skins of mountain lion wildcat and bear robes of otter and rabbit these he spread on the ground until it was covered arranging and rearranging until thel their r disposal suited his fancy and as he worked he sang a little soldiers song beneath his breath eulalia eulaha had seen a painting of a lady of the french court dressed in a green velvet riding habit with voluminous draped skirt tight fitting basque trimmed in rich cream lace on her head a saucy velvet hat with a nodding sweeping plume A clever parisian semp stress ma crooned in mexico city had copied the costume for eulalia but she had been hustled away into exile and one of her regrets at leaving was that she had never worn the green velvet habit nevertheless it was packed in a leather trunk which angustias had marked with a green cross in a circle and when the governor of california greeted his lady wife he would see not a bedraggled travel stained pilgrim in dusty black her head covered with a like a mexican peasant woman but a real lady of high degree her velvets velvety green against a white jennet her proud head high with nodding plumes and jeweled ah yes besl I 1 she would wear her emeralds of course the heavy gald set necklace the long earrings the massive ring on her first finger yes the green was a happy thought green velvet and gems set oft off a skin that is white and dazzling capitan canete rode ahead his perspiring brow furrowed with anxiety by all the saints this was the tha worst day of the entire jour journey neyl A narrow trail zigzagged down the side of a mountain which seemed to bulge over the sea thousands of feet below a tortuous treacherous trail so narrow it was necessary for the cavalcade to travel in single file and so winding the animals had almost to bend themselves double at some turns when his thoughts permitted him he admired the governors lady riding so calmly behind him with never an outcry or even a gasp of fear as her trembling horse avoided the ever present sidewinder side winder rattlesnakes and picked its way among rolling pebbles where a miss misstep tep would send horse and rider plunging to death down the mountainside into the ocean lapping hungrily below what a woman and after that scene of last night but the ladys head was full of other things the green velvet habit the jewels that lay dark in the little case strapped to her jennet only waiting a gleam of light to make them leap and glow like green flames against her white skin tonight slid she would see deeher her husband again would he be the same would he look the same she could picture him in in armor and plumed helmet like the great conquistador cortez or in rich velvets velvety like the gentlemen of the court or as the governor of of the Cali fornias surrounded by bowing attendants but ut no extension of her imagination could show pedro pages fages as he actually was a bluff soldado de caera early in the california campaigns he and his tough little company of catalonian volunteers had adopted cuirasses cuirassed cuir asses of hide and had immediately been dubbed the leather jackets soldados sol dados de caera and don pedro though he had risen from a humble lieutenant of the catalonian volunteers to the governorship of the Cali fornias was still only a soldado de caera and wore his cuirass on all expeditions his skin was tanned to the color of his jacket his beard grizzled his face lined poor lady how could her imagination stretch to such imaging As evening approached the trail twisted between two great arms of opened to vermillion sea and led gradually into an arroyo after a consultation with the indian guides capitan canete turned to the lady it is only several hours from here to the camp of his excellency and if you wish to stop and refresh yourself before going farther I 1 will withdraw and send the bearers ahead 1 I will gladly avail myself of the opportunity you are very kind said eulalia with a smile that wiped out all the calumnies calum nies of the night before so kind that I 1 will ask you to get me one chest from my belongings a large iron studded chest marked with a green cross in a circle canete looked at the chests and boxes strapped on the weary burros and opened his mouth but eulalia smiled again the captain approached the animals searched carefully then called an indian who carried the trunk to the lady then the train moved on out of sight down the canyon eulalla eulalia and angustias unfastened the great lock with little laughing cries of anticipation slowly angustias lifted out a garment and shook it it was not velvet and it was not green eulalia gasped grimly the duena began throwing things out pt af the chest on to the ground until it was strewn with garments but the riding habit was not among them and th the pack ani mals were out of sight and sound angustias looked fearfully ather mistress whose lip trembled what shall I 1 do oh angustias what shall I 1 do I 1 had set my heart on that green velv velvet etl angustias braced herself she could cope with the situation when her lady wept it was only the cold tearless storms that baffled her she turned to the scattered garments al A god be nina look this is perfect here is the little maja costume the sweetest prettiest most becoming thing you ever hadl had I 1 laid eyes on it s since ince 1 I left spain god bless the place let me see that dress angustias the woman held it up yes it is charming I 1 suppose there is nothing else to do but how you could make such a mi mistake in the chests angustias I 1 dont know and I 1 had set my heart on the ali ah this is better belter much better the green would not be so becoming to you now since you have grown so tanned so bonny and brownl brown she amended hastily as she heard a snort from the lady yes yes it is all here even the little buckled shoes and the he rede cilla cilia come nina let us get this on you before it grows too dark to see what we are doing eulalla eulalia permitted herself to be dressed at first submitting in sulky silence then growing interested and at last enthusiastic as the charming little maja costume was fitted to her As she fussed bussed angustias talked volubly eulalia spoke briskly come now woman how do I 1 look she pulled her little jacket over her bosom and turned slowly around the tiny fitted jacket was of red with a little white lace collar and puffs of golden colored embroidery over the shoulders like epaulettes epaul ettes the long close fitting sleeves broke at the wrists with another puffing puffin of satin then tapered over her hands A row of jeweled buttons followed the curves of her breast the gay garment terminated in a short waistline with charming little tabs the one directly in back sticking jauntily out like a drakes tail this she wore over a full skirt of many breadths of white satin covered by an overskirt of embroidered tulle that fell just short of her ankles and the buckled shoes her hair except for a fe few w waves in front was concealed by the rede cilla cilia typical of the maja a knitted cap ending in a long queue and a tassel angustias gazed at her in catl satisfied 1 s admiration lovely lovely nina you know you never looked mare more beautiful how pleased don pedro will bet bel TO BE CONTINUED |