The morning call., 1890-12-14
IN THE GOOD
OLD DAYS.
A Chat With Niece of the Late
General Guadalupe VI. Vallejo.
She Tells OF the Time Whsn Her FalhaI
Owed Broad Acres at the Mis-
sion of San joss.

Miss Guadalupe Vallejo, who contributes
to the current number eff the Century Maya
zine an interesting article on Ranch and
Mission Days in Alta California" is now
living across the bay in that Athens Of the
Pacific Coast, the fair city of Oakland.
Learning this fact, a CALL representative
took trip in search of her, and, after some
difficulty, and one or two disappointments,
succet ded in finding the modest domicile at
the corner of Telegraph avenue and Twen-
tieth street, where little sign, bearing the
legend Spanish Taught" is the only out
ward indication that here daughter Of one
Of the oldest and proudest Of cur old Span
ish families, whose father dwelt in regal
style in his fine old home, and called his
nearly all the land between Mission San
jose and Decoto. now dwells, and main
tains her aged mother and herself by teach
ing her mother tongue TO the invading
Am ricans.
Miss Guadalupe is the youngest daughter
of the late Don Jesus J. Vallejo. who, with
his brother, the late General Vallejo, are
weIl-known characters in the history of
Alta California. Their father,
DON YGNACIo VALLEJO,
Figured az prominently In his day in the
exploration and settlement of the province
as did his sons in The exciting times OF the
revolution and the conquest. Indeed, as
Miss Vallejo herself remarked, the tradi-
tions and records of the family cover the
entire period Of the annals OF early Calfor-
mia, from San Diego TO Sonoma.
The CALL representative found Miss
Vallejo in a sunny little sitting-room, up a
long fight Of stairs, alone, but busy
with task along the line of her chosen
profession. She Is translatiDg into the Span
lsh one Of 0uida's novels tor publication,
but with true Spanish courtesy she laid
aside her work. and, with a pleasant SMILE
at once endeavOred to make her unknown
visitor feel at home.
A copy of the latest Issue of the Century,
which the latter carried. furnished at once
matter for conversation. 'Ah, yes, those
were good old days." said the lady, who
looks fully thirty years too young to have
any personal recollectons of Alta Califor-
Ma. We were SO peaceful, so happy, in
onr simple life. You say you have seen my
old home at the Mission Of San Jose? / am
glad of that, but you can hardly form any
idea of what it was in the days OF the Span
ish regime. Where, now, are the SO many
homes and small holdings? In those days
stretched for miles, my fathers grain-fields
and stock ranges. 1 have not seen the place
In years; l never go back there, but my
mind is full OF those happy memories.
There are sad ones as well, for 1t was during
my earliest childhood that the troublous
times were at their height. Still, we had
many seasons of peace and prosperity, if
you would call them such, when
THE TROUBLE
Was not so near by. We lived on large
scale. in many ways, in those days. My
father was a man who had great love for
the most elegant and beautiful of everything
that he could procure. Did any one have an
unusually fine weapon, the best bit, bride
or horse trapping of any description, to SELL
it was always brought 10 my father, and, Ii
it was really the best of its kind he was
very apt to buy IT," A ripple of amusement
passed over the fine Spanish face, and, after
O moment the speaker continued: Il re-
member very fine saddle my father owned.
He had bought it from Mexican. for a
large amount 1t was Of elegantly en-
bossed leather horn, cantle and stir
rups richly trimmed with gold and
silver, and the coraza richly en-
broidered in the same materials.
Ny father thought great deal of 1t, and