, 1870-03-16

"Thars an: Vel, yes, 1t does look rather ries.
And kinder nakes one queer.
and I1y Ssd1x ED nk sss as?R OF sh'fss
THE RIGHT EYE Of TIE CON
- MANDFR
~:,-i Il New YeutsA TAle. 49,.
The year OF grace 1897 passed away On th
cpaRt Ct Cali 'ornix in south Gesterly gale
The l;ttie bAy OF San CArloe, albeit shelteret
by the be4d1ands OF The blessed Trinity, We
Tongn and turbulent; it's foam clung quiver
Ing 10 the eea~ard wall OF the Mission gar
den; the sir vns filed with flying sand AMI
.epume, anc, ~ e2nor Commald&ns Hermen
.eei'ao Salvatierrs, look.d from the deep en-
btksnred window OF the P1esidio .gulr3-room
be felt the enlt breath OF the distant sea
brtfet color into f1ib ernoke-dr1ed cheeks.
The Commander, hare eaid, wsa gazine
fbcughtfu1ly frcm the window Of the guard
-event. Of the yesr now about to p .ss away.
But. hls the garrison at the Presidio,. there
wh6Ittle to review the year, like ita prede-
.osssore, had been uDeventfu[-the daEs -hsd
slipped, By in delicious mouotony Of simple
duties, nnoroken b. incident or interruption.
The regularly recur1it 6 feaets and saints
dsys. the hail-yexri, courier from San Diego,
tie rafe Hnnsrort-ehip and Eater foreign vsa-
eel, vera the mere details Of his pstr1a1chM
ife- II thsre Was no sehiersuent, there waa
certainly no failure. Abundant harvest. And
patient Industry amply supplied the wants Of
Ireeidio and Mission. Isolated from the
1annly OF nations, the wzrs which shook the
world concerned tbea, 1ot SO much as the Iast
earthquake; The st1uEgle thlt emAncipated
their tister colonies On the other side Of the
continent to them h1d no suegestiyeness. In
ehort it vas that glorious lndlan sumner Of
CahioIna h1stoty, around which so mich
poetical hhze etill liDgers-thst bland, indolent
autumn Of Span1th rule, so soon to be fol-
lowed BY the Kint15 storms pf American con-
quest
Tho Commander turned from the window
and walked toW1rd the FIRE that burned brightly
ou the deep ovec-like hearth. A pills Of copy
booka. the work Of tbs P1esidio school lsy on
che tabla. Aa he 1urued over the leaves With a
p.:entl interes|, and surveyed tie fAit, round,
sctiptufaI tekt-the INT piuus pot-hooks Of
the pupils OF Ear. Csrlos-sn audible COM
.znenttEy fell fr6m his lips: t''AbimeIech took
her from Abrsham'-k6, htsle one, e1celleut!
Jacob ssnt to seeA his brosher'-bodF Of
Christ! that up-s.roIe of thine, Fsquit1, ia
marvellous; the Governor shall sac it !" 4
1i.m pf honest nride dilEd the Commanders
left eye-the right, alaa! twenty years before
had been scaled. BY, al Indian arrow. He
rubbed it softly With the sleeye OF his leatner
jacket, and continued: s'The IahnaeIites haY~
ing arrived -"
He stopped, for there was step in the
-cour'-yArd, : foot 1pon the threshold, and 4
st1angsr entered With the instinct Of IN
'old soldier, the Commander, after one glance
at the intruder, turned quickly toward tie
Eau. where his trusty Toledo hung, or eho1ld
hhye beth hxng5ng. But it was not there,
and, as hs recalled that the LAST time he hsd
seen that xearQn, it #as being ridden mp and
down the gallery by Pepito, tina infant son Of
Eauiista, the tmtila-maker. be btuehsd and
then oontented hiusen with frowning upon
the intruder.
But the strangers air, though irrsverent
wAB decldfdly peacefnl He was uusrmed, |
and wore the ordinary CAD Of t&rpxulin and |
eea-boots Of marioeE- Except rfn3nous
: sme1i Of codden, tht1e was Ittle about him I
TINT waA pecuGar
His u1ne, as he informed the Commander,
in Spautsh, that wnu mora fluent thfu elegant
or precase-his name EAa Pelag Seuddar- He
was master of the echoooe1 General Court, OF !
ete port OF Saiem. Massachusetts, On q trad
ing voyage to the Soath Ssas, but now driven
by etTees Of weather into the bay Of San
C1flos- He begged pe11is -ion to ride out the |
gala under the heAdlauds OF the blessed T11n- |
:;F, sd no uers. Water he did not need,
37xving taken 1r supply ut Toboga- He !
knew the strict Surveillance Of the Spanish
port regulations in regard to foreign vessels,
and would do nothing against the severe dis
cipjre and good order Of the settlement |
tone as he glanced toward the desolate pa
background Of the P1esidio, and the open un- |
guarded Gstt- The fact w4s thst tbs sentry,
Felpe Gomez, bad discreetlg retired to ehel-
ter u the beginning OF tho sto-ta, and WAS
then e6und asleep in the corridor.
The Commander hesithted- The port zegu-
latiars we're eevere, but ho was accustomed
to exercise Individual authority, and, beyond
an old order issued ten years before, regard
ing the Ametica1 ship Colnnbia, there Was
no precedent to guide him. The etotm Was
seyra, and een;inent OF humanity urged
hinto grant the strange1's request i is but
Just to the COMMANDER to ssy that his i'm !
bility to enforce refusal did hot woigh With
his decision. He would have denied. xith
equal disregard Of consequences, that right
to ! seventE-four gun snip which he nov
yielded eu gracefully TO this Iaukoo trading
schooner He stipulated only, that there
EEip and Shore For yourself, Seuor Cap
fain, be continued, tsaccept my hospitality.
The fort is yours az long as you shall grace
With 599r ds7htngu7saed presence &c ana ~
Eembltnce Of withdrawing from the guard
roon.
: 1.sEsier Peleg Scu5der smiled a. he thought |
OF the half-dismausled fort, the two mouidE
<ious, aud the shiftlass garrison. 4 wild
Thought Of accepting the Commanders Offer
Iteallv, coDceiEed in the reckless spirit Of a
man who never let Flip An offer for trade, for
q moment filed his brain, but . timely redec-
zion Of the commercial unimportGn Gnce OF the |
t7aneaction checked him. He unlr took a ca
pacioue qnid OF tobacco, Is the Commander
srArefT drew settle bsfore the fire, tnd in
honor OF his guest united tho black silk hand !
kercblsf that bound his grizzlcd brows.
What passed between SaIyatierra and his !
guest that night II becomes me not. as grave |
chronie}ar Of the salient points Of history, to
relate. { have said that Master Pe1eg Scud
der wzs fluent taIker, and, under the fufu-
ence OF divers strong waters furnished by |
his hoet. he became still more 1oquscious. |
And think OF mau with twenty years
budget OF gossip! Tho Commander lelrned,
for the frat time, how Great Britain lost her ]
colonies; Of the French Revolution Of the
great Napoleon, whoae achievements, perhaps, 1
Peltg coiortd more highly than the Com.
mander's Huperiors would have liEed- And J
Fhen Peleg turned quessioneE, the Command
er Was 1t his mercy. He grtdusllg madeIhim- |
st1f master Of ths gossip Of tbs Mission and I
Preside, the V email bee1' chronicles OF that
pastoral Age, the conversion OF the heathen,
the Presidio school. and even asked the Con-
Iosnder how be had lost Lis eyet It is sAid
that st this point OF the conversation Master !,
pe1eg prod duced from about his person divers /
sn1u t1inkets, kicI-sbsvs, and now-fangled
fr1fiee, and even forced BONE OF them upon ]
rnahgn influence Of Peleg ard several glasses | {
OF d9unrdtente. the Commander lost eou1s- |
Fshst Of his decurum, and behaTed in man I
ner unsee1ningtr for one in his positfon, re- E
piping, in thin, high voice, divers nadrigala I
and heatben canz 1nets OF N 1norous COM ! i
!:e1ion' chiefly in regard to 3 "litt2e one" + t
& 1sa. Has his, the Commanders, soul!"
ace = SERIOUS chronic1er, should be re-
cei1s@ E:.h ere4t caution, and are introduced | q
h7fe a. simple heaIssy. That the Command 8
8, nosever. took handkerchief aud At- 1
u" se' ''o,=1tucud, capeung in II agile but in +
Gtc,-cGs manner about the apartment, hRs C
ae".s danied. Enough for the purpose OF thin | {
1aafra1Es, thst at m1dright Petes assisted his | [
ins ffien 'ehp. and then. Is the gale had b
:isi bis leave Of the Preside. 1ra q
t:,sssed .bos,d the Ge2ezal t.sE When the e
d=S h-nke the ship Was go3e.. E