Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-01-01
Yos Auoeles Aerald,
= a Y n Written for the HEBALD.I
ANEW YEARS DINNER,
The Mystery Of ToffeImeir's Station.

: 90 WV nY J. ErFrseroS. aar y
It was in the autumn 18-,that mid
die aged man, was slowly walking up
and down In the dining room of TOf-
felmeirs Station. Il He had apparently
finished his ,repast, although it was
notyet five o'clock, and the descend
80 y ing sun shon bright and warm
through, the windows, from which
there W as a view Of the pastoral land
seape Of Los Angeles Valley. TO the
north the viewwas bounded by the
-, mai estic Coast range, whose SUBMITS
yelled in clouds, or exhibiting aw-
... full forms, seen and lost again, as the
partial vapOrs rolled away, were
sometimes barren and glea med through
? the blue tinge of air, and sometimes
crowned with forest of gloomy oak,
!. that swept downward to their base.
: The Californian winter had already
setip, and the rocky favines, and dis
mi Cations, contrasted strangely
with the,soft green Of the pastures that
hung upon its skirts among whose
locks, and herds, and simple cottages,
the eye after having scaled the cliffs
above delighted to repose. 10 the
atance, the valley Vas bounded by the
"
South the Vision was obstructed by
what In known - ssDomingueE Hill, !"
over whose brow the lofty peaks Of
Santa Catalina Thirty mlles away,
3hohe In the evening sun IKE spires
OF burnished ~ o. the far famed
minarets q Gonstantinople; on the
West the valley was bounded by the
waters Of the Pacific. The Station
sswasf formerly situated near the Tejerds,
or point Of Intersection ofthree ranchos,
San Antonio, San Pedro, and Te)eras,
, about ten miles from Los Angeles, and
nm equal distance from Wilmington.
The Stage rod from one town to the
othar pass4 by the door. and
for Year. Gen hsd %a ais nGIstie ay
old.gaiifcrAian ksp III station, and
It was noted far aud mar for the hospi-
tally of the landlord, the beauty
Of his daughter, and the good cheer
dispensed BY both to man and beast.
Here ting black-eyed sons and -daugh-
. teksSW tie 4ns wereswOnt to 'chase
IL tho haurs with flying feet or revel
sssi. inthe volupt0us mazes ofthe Spanish
assiG Rdile, and on such occasions Prof. A,
discoursed sweet music from q cracked
Gel gul1oty with ~ much gusto as did
ga Gottsohalk, when he had the world
for an audience. But at the time Of
d (which Ip4itee the rafting ,diligcncid
had baen replaced by the commodious
JerrQ-earrii and the glory Of the Station
"a had f0Fevefdeparted. Clara the daugh-
sky tefhed AecnmS 2 blushing bride. The
mzand gonessAud the Station itself had
been pdrchasedS by gentleman, re-
90 moved And being fitted up as DWELL
90. 3 Ing house for the families. of his son
tay and himself. The son had been left
ssce In charge during the absence Of his
father, who was to bring the families
from the town Of s. r. q few miles
nortA of6an francisco. The members
who were residents, and who were to
be; We viii Introduce to the readers as
ggo follows Don Santiago Torres, who at
an early day, had taken up his resi-
y Qdence near where the present village
3 Of Compton now stands, was in the
prime 81 life, joyial hearty, fellow,
who enjoyed good joke but q good
Hora dinner bore. His family consisted OF
rio soaly wy, her sdspghter who in
Several years previous to the opening
- = 81 our story, she had married young
asiT Englishman, . FOSTERING blade, whose
= -, dlsRositi0n was in the most perfect
" hatmonr withthe son Juan. In the year
q - aGone, together these two young men
aalw had been the terror Of the neighbor-
9 80 hood III which they lived, and the
4 al mysterious disappearance of turkeys
,saiand chickens, the want of tactical fluid
- on the part of neighbor Jones COW after
II DARK night, was sure tobefollOwed by
=. sunday Jolly dinners, over which one
- - * thu, other Of these worthless presided
Ov nth aigta8 or nonchalance that
ssls would have done justice, to Lord
1siipe Tories, q younger brother Of
xoag Don Santiago and the hero of our story,
-, WA q, tall, broad shouldered, we'll
cr built man, about thirt live, years Of
81 Z. a6e. In wh0se open cOuntenance and
well de1ned features, there was look
sss OF kinduess and honesty, that stamped
him - One a. natufsl nOblemen. Al
'oiois though fortune had hitherto withheld
+ ri he's smiles, he had few years before,
- chosen 9 worthy help-mate, and to-
La seethef they had pursued the winding,
tortuous road that leads to competence,
.,ifnot 70 affiuence. Together they had
AtRmmed the rushing streams and
j Il T&hX Bat519rs OF life, and together
: NaY had chosen to cast their lot in
the valley Of Eos Angeles, over whose
Summits Of the sierrds kept faithful
watch Gnd ward, 1t lacked but two
20 days o. New = Year, and as Don
Feline paced slowly to and fro in the
10 diniHR room Of the old station, there
y bod As lOok Of deep thought upon his
b brow, and . close observer, would have
.As4Soon that peculiar thoughts were pass
1s5 int In hIs mind! No, no, he would NUT
ter, and again he would exclaim,