The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-04-29
HIS CRUEL FATE.

4
am, besides, the only one
Who can e bright Without the sum-"
4
HIS CRUEL FATE.
1t is August in the tropics. or. to be
exact, in the semi-tropics; the earth is
ashen, the sun red ball looking like
nothing but . toy balloon; the bay =
sheet Of glass. Otto the southwest rise
the mountains Of Mexico; back few
miles from the coast towers San Miguel,
gray. bare. and majestic; across the
harbor the breakers dash just rs they
have been dashing ever since the earth
left its Creators hands, or at least as
long as old Juan Espada remembers,
which is very long while indeed. Old
Juan is link between to-day, with its
telephones and carshops, and the gold
en- age Of Spanish occupation. His
father came in the shining train Of sol
diers that followed Padre Junipero and
his sandaled companions the friars
going up the valley to favorble spot
and building the first mission church
of California, the soldiers encamping
at the presidio, in sight Of tho calm
ocean, and playing at war. Juan's
fat her was then but small lad, look
ing much like gay-winged butterfly
with his bright costume, his flying rib
bons. and his tiny guitar, brought all
the way from sunny Spain Juan has
that guitar yet. and he sometimes
sits and thrums melody, and from his
withercd old throat cvokes sounds that
tell Of the Guadalquivir's ripping wat
crs or Of the home in far CASTLE. In
due time another butterfly winged its
way to the dull adobe fort-a little girl
who danced the cachucha when Jose,
now tall youth. played, and who, As
years went on, became bride. then
the mother of Juan, and in the course
of things an ancient Spanish dame,
telling her beads in shadowy corner
of the church or scolding the maid for
forgetting to put the pinch Of red pep
per in the broth. But at last she fol-
lowed Jose to the walled churchyard,
leaving Juan, an old man now, to tend
the sheep and dry the peppers.
And as he sits before his dwelling
in the remorseless sun, bit of the last
century left over-an archaic relic Of
the days when the Spaniards were the
lords of the land, before the hated Yam
KEGS came in and possessed it. Juan
is looking for friend who comes to
chat with him daily, asking him the
most enticing questions about the times
when his father sang and his mother
danced in the preside and each fiesta
was the occasion of bull-ight with
matadors right from Spain itself. She
is, in moderate way, y Questioning,
and concocts romances for filthy lucre.
He is to her just SO much material, >
but he does not know it, and delight
edly and unconsciously maunders on
about the famous sheep bearing up the
STA Juana and the earthquake that
rang the mission bells and cracked his
own adobe walls. On this particular
day. however, it is not the scribbleE
who turns the corner Of the low house,
but blonde man with slight roll in
his gait. He looks like young viking,
with his tanned cheeks and fair hair,
but he is only Marshall Mel, master Of
the stanch schooner Pelican, now I'M
loading redwood lumber at the wharf.
Juan rises to receive him, holding
out hand in true Mexican fashion, his
mind unconsciously turning to pecu.
liar brand of cigarets which the Cap.
tain has the knack of finding in q Ger.
tain shop in San Francisco. The ciga.
refs lose no time in finding their way
to Juan's brown palm, and soon the
smoke from one goes upward toward.
the top of the eucalyptus trees about
the door. Continued association with
the hated Yankees has eliminated any
patois from the speech Of thu
old Spaniard. He has lin
guistic taste and has acquired til,
accents of the usurper.
Captain. he says, You are mos
welcome"
Thank you. Senor,' answers tn,
Captain. Il thought as much, for ,
} cigaret to Spaniard is rs acceptable
! as rose to lovely women
'.And how have you been since y0l
last. sailed from herep did not lOol
for you SO soon again, and though
|, you were the little New York Lady I'm
!, til you spoke. :
.sBut who is this mysterious lady"
| SsIho 20 a ro1 a Two ~ tho Vi0fo a,r,r,,
the hill. She writes for magazines
But do not let that prejudice 20,
against her, he adds uneasily, turning
his head to see if that well-worn, gra,
gown may not be alarmingly near.
She is surely coming now with
light step and gay laugh. Mel turn
to see the sunny face which ought +
60 with such q happy laugh an,
3 springing step. But it is not q sunni,
2 face. 1t is the visage of q woman VIII
has seen much of the darker side Q
life-a face chiseled by experience, tn
: only perfect sculptor. But Mel ha
seen beautiful faces that he liked less
Juan's knowledge of the conven
tionalities Of society fails him. H
makes an awkward matter of th
introduction, but Miss Brantome j
equal to the occasion.
Juan has told you my name. and 20
are Capt. Mel Of that three-maste
schooner at the wharf. Now we know
each other" But Mel does not seen
50 exceedingly well acquainted IS sh
indicates by her words. He is . sh
man, at his ease, to be sure, when wit
the bellies of Humboldt County, but b
has never before met lady from Ne,
York who writes for the press.
pleases her to draw out this Captain
who tries SO hard to be social, but VIII
so signally fails. But he answers i
abrupt monosyllables. There surel
must be some subject on which he ca
talk. Any man can talk shop. Sh
will encourage him to do it.