Omaha daily bee., 1888-10-07
to seekers of ~curiosities and to lovers Of

to seekers of curiosities and to lovers Of
ramancc.
WFfteen years ago Carlos Narvoeze was
the officiating priest at the mission OF
San Mateo. He was II tall, handsome
fellow. who lived much among the trees
and flowers tina surrounded the mission.
He had often claimed to his associates
tina he was better fitted for the world
than he was for the dull, ensympathetic
walls of a mission. In disposition he
was as amiable as a child, and could
love with the ardor and tenderness OF u
woman. Many a sick man, oma and
child in the country round about the
mission had been nursed back to the
world by his tender ministrations, and
Father Narvoeze was almost worshiped
by his parishioners. 1t vas principally
due to his care that the mission of San
| Mateo was so bright n spot as it was.
He always had a sympathetic word for
the sufferer, and his hand vas never
withheld from n man in trouble.
Two miles from the mission was the
ranch of Ferdinand Velasquiz, Il pros
porous sheep raiser. Velasquiz had
built his home among the Sierra Ne
vada shadows ear before, and under
his hand the land about his dwelling
had yielded him n bounteous income,
and at this time he had settled back
from the active cares of life to enjoy in
his declining years the fruit of his
early labOrs.
The old Spaniard had married late in
life. and his eldest daughter had passed
her 18th year when Father NarvocZe
came to the mission. Narifa NelasqucZ
was "a beautiful girl, with II richness of
complexion and supplcness of form in
herited from her Castillian ancestors,
enhanced by fresh air and n life devoid
of care. OF the world Xarifa knew
nothing, excepting as she had caught
glimpses of it between the leaves Of the
limited number Of books of travel she
had been privileged to read. She had
never set her foot beyond the shadows
of the hills among which she had been
born and bred. She was as artlcss as a
child. and she vent to confession at the
mission with the same light and fearless
step that she trippcd homeward to lay
n kiss of love on the check OF her
mother.
At the mission. as we'll as with the
people in the country around, %arifa
was Il contest. Her beauty won her
friends, and her frank, open nature, de-
void Of conceit or ~scliishncss, held them
to her. Father Narvoeze came to be n
frequent visitor to the Nclasquez dwell
ing, anu u RftuI lIIclluSNIp sprung up
between him and Xarifu. She a u
child; he was a man and had seen much
OF the world, and he told her Of it,
while she listened eagerly and Curl
ously. They spent many hours to-
gcthcr among the hills and amid the
flowers at the mission. Their tastes
were alike. They soon discovered they
were cOngenial companions. and before
| many weeks had passed Narvocze found
himself desperately in love with mis-
beautiful companion. For weeks he
fought madly against the ardor that
blaZed in his bosom, but IL would not be
quoted, and, unable to restrain his mao
passion, one evening, as he was escort
ing Xarifa home from the mission, he
told her the story OF his heart in words
that burned into her very soul and
opened the door Of her heart, letting
her into its ~profoundest secret, and that
secret was that she loved the strong,
handsome man who stood as media
tor between her and her God. At
first she ~shuddered at the thought, for
he was a priest and was forbidden by
the laws of his church to love such as
she. But her love for him was pure,
honest. sacred, and why should he be
withheld from her by the church, an
earthly constitution? The argument
won, and together priest and girl
| plunged deeply into their Dlissful dream
Of love, forgetting the world behind