Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-05-24
CONCEp prlON DE AR0UELLO.
BY BRET HARrE.

CONCEp rI0N DE ARGUELL0.
B1 BRET HARrE.
l.
Looking seaward, DER the sand hills stands the
fortress, old and quaint:
BY the San Francisco friars lifted to their patron
saint
Sponsor to that wondrous city, now apostate to
the creed,
Angels golden reed;
All trophies long since scattered, all it's blazon
And the nag that files above it but triumph Of
to-day.
Never scar Of siege or battle challenges the wan
Mover bseach Or warlike onset holds the curious
passer-by;
Only one sweet human fancy interweavss its
With the plain and home.spun present. and a love
that ne'er grows old;
Only one thing holds its crumhling walls above
the meaner dust,
Listen to the simple story of q woman's love and
trust.
Count Won Resanof. the Russian, envoy Of the
stood beside t 10 deep embrssures where the
brazen cannon a-e.
He with grave provincial n,agnates long had held
On the Treaty of Alliance and the high affairs Of
State;
He, from grave provincial magnatee, oft had
Infnea 20 .alk apart
With the Comandante's daughter, on the ques.
tions o. inc lsart,
Until points Of grayest import yielded slowly, one
by one,
begun; =
Till beside tue deep embrasures, where the brazen
He received the two-fold contract for approval Of
the Czar;
Till beside the brazcn cannon the bethrOthed
badc ad.eu,
And, from call. port and gateway, North tho Rus
sian eagles flew.
Ill.
Long beside the deep emhrasures, where the
Did they wat the promised bridegroom and the
answer of the Car;
Day by day on wal and bastion beat the hollow
empty breeze
smiling seas;
Week by week the ear hills .whitcned In their
dusty leather clOaks,-
Week by week the far hills darkencd from the
friAgilg plain OF Oaxe;
Till the rains came, and far breaking, on the
fierce Southwestern tOst.
Dashed the whole long coast with color, and then
vanished and were lost.
So each year the seasons shifted; wet and warm
Halfa year Of ciords and flowers, half q year Of
dust aud sky.
Still it brought no ship nor messaee,- drought no
tid.ngs i'll O. meet.
For the .tatesman,i ike Commander, for the dangh-
.er far I'd sweet.
Yet she neard the va ling message, voiceless TO
all ears beside;
t'Hc will COME" The fiowe.s whispered; "Come
no more the cry hills ghed.
Still she fou ID hin with the waters lifted by the
Still she lost ( ~ m WITH the folding of the great
whitc-tented seas;
Until holiows chased the dimples rom her cheeks
Of olive bowl
And It times swift, shy moisture dragged -the
long sweet lashes down;
Or the small mouth curved and quivered as for
some denied caress,
And the fair young brow was knitted in an infah-
tine dis,less.
Then The grim Comma lde-, pacing where the bra
zen Ca mon are,
Comforted the 1Aa d with proverbs, wisdom gar
nered ON a ar;
Bits Of ancient observat on by his fathers gathered
caCn.
AS pebble worn aud polished in the ctrfent of
his speech;
'' Those who wait the coming riler travel .w!ce
as far as he;
Tired we lch and coming batter nevc did in time
ag-ee,
:" He that get eth himqnlf hone.', Though .
clown, he shall hav6nies;'
In the end God grinds the mil err IN the dark
the mole has ejes.'
3" lie whose -ather is Alcalde, of his trial hath no
fear,'-
And he sure the Cou 1t has reasons that will maze
his conduct clca'."
Thent1 voice sen eltiOus faltered, and the Wis
dom it wOuld teach,
Lost irse N .Ondest triies of his soft as.ili.n
sDeech
And on "Co 1cha, /" "Co lchitita, and "Conchta"
WITH the fourd re terat' on which the Spaniard
krows SO we
So with proverbs and caresses, hal:il faith aid
Every day some hope was ki 'dled, hicke- ed, fad
ed, and went out.
Yearly, dowL the hillside sweeping, tae
sta ely cfvalcaue,
Bringing reve! to vaquero, joy and comfort %
each maid;
Bringing days of formal visit. social feast and
rustic sport;
vi JUL ouit hS Oh tuS piULus vi ioNC-hnhitS III
the couit.
vainy then at Conc ,a's lat zee ee-va,y as the idle
wsld,
Rose .he hin high Spar III tenor .Eat bespoke
the you'll 100 Ei'L;
vainly, lean',g from their saddles, caballeros,
bold and fleet,
Plncked for her The bu led chicken f.om beneath
their mustangs feet.
SO in vain the barren hillsdes with their gay
pes blazed,
Bazed and vanished n the dust cloud that their
flying hOOfs had raised.
Then the drum ca" ed from the ram ,art, and once
more with patient mien
The Commando: and his da .ghter each took up
the dull routine
Each took up the petty duties of lie apa and
Till the low yea wrought music in its dreary
Forty years on wall a d bastion swept the hollow
idle b eezc.
Forty yea Oh wal and bastion wrought its slow
but spre decay;
And St. Georges crose was lifted In the port OF
Monterey.
All to honor SIR George Simpson, famous traveller
and guest.
Far and near the people gathered to the lcostly
banquet set,
And exchanged CO lgratnlatons with the English
BarOnet;
Till the for nal speec"es ended and amidst the
laugh and wine
Some one spoke of COncha's lever-hcedless of
the wa y. lg sign.
Quickly len C: ed Sir George Simpson: "Speak
no i'll fhim, pray,
lie Is dead. He died. poor fellow, foity yea-s age
this dsJ.
"Died while speed ng home to Russia falling f.om
fractiOus hO-se.
Left q swoe.rc :. too, they tell me. Married,
suppose, OF course!
"Ljvcs she yet!' A dcath-lke silence fell on BAN
qre., guests and ha
And trembling figure rising fixed the awe struck
gaze Of all.
Two black eyes Ia darkcned orbits cleaned
benea. h the nuns white hoOd;
Black serge hid the wasted figure, bowed and
stricken where it s:ood.
''Lives she yet!" Sir Geo &c repeated. All were
hpshed as COncha drew
Closer yet her nua's attire. "SenOr, pardon, she
died toO!''
Atlan',c M"hfhiy for Mcy.
How il the Great West Peoulef17