San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-02
Through Santa Clara Wheat
By FRANCIS BRET HARTE.
Copyright. All rights reserved.l

ncctarlneS, ana vineyards OF grapes SO
comparatively dwarfed in height that they
scarcely reached to the level of their eyes,
yet laden and breaking beneath the weight
of their ludicrously disproportionate fruit.
What seemed to be vast green plateau
covered with tiny patches, that headed the
northern edge of the prospect, was an
enormous bed of strawberry plants. But
everywhere, crossing the track, bounding
the fields orchards and vineyards, inter-
secting the paths OF the whole domain,
were narrow irrigating ducts and channels
of running water.
Those" said the major POLITICALLY, "are
the veins and arteries Of the ranch. Come
with me now and III show you its pulsat-
ing heart" Descending from the wagon
into pedestrian prose again he led Rose a
hundred yards further to a shed that COW
cred Il wonderful arteSian well. In the CEN
ter of a basin a column of water rose regl-
larly with the even flow and volume of
brook. 1T is one of the largest in the
state" said the major, land is the life of
all that grows here during six months of
the year"
Pleased as the young girl was with these
evidences Of the prosperity and position of
her host, she was struck, however, with
the fact that the farm laborers, vine grow
ers, nursery men and all field hands scat
tered on the estate were apparently of the
same independent, unpastoral and unpro-
l2ssiOnal character as the men of the wheat
field. There were no cottages or farm
buildings that she could see nor any ap-
parent connection between the household
and the estate. Far from suggesting ten
antry or rcUaineIs, the men who We're
working in the field glanced at them as
they passed with the indifference of
strangers, or replied to the majors greet
;ugs or questiOnings with perfect equality of
manner or even busnesslike reserve and
caution Her host explained that the
ranch was worked by a company ION
shares" that those laborers were in fact
the bulk of the company, and that he, the
major, only furnished the land, the seed
and the implements. THAT man who was
driving the long roller, and with whom
Yea were indignant because he wouldn't get
0Jt Of orr way, is the president of the COM
pany."
''That needn't make him so uncivil,"
said Rose pOutingly, for if it comes to
that you're the landlord" she added
trim phantly.
No." said the major good humoredly,
Il &m simply the man driving the lighter
and more easily managed team for pleasure,
and he's the man driving the heavier
and more difficult machine for work. It's
fer me to get out of his way. And looked
at il TIE light of my being the landlord it
is still worse, for as we're working ON
shares I'm interrupting his work and re-
duciny his profits merely because choose
to sacrifice my own"
| need not say that those atrociously
lcyel!lg sentiments were received by the
young ladies with that feminine scorn
which is only qualified by misconception.
Rose, who under the influence of her
hostess nationality had a vague impression
TINT they sounded something like the
French revolution, and that Adele must
feel like the Princess Elizabeth, rushed to
her RELIEF Ike good girl. But, major,
now you're gentleman, and if you had
been driving that roller you know you
would have turned out for us. "
II don't know about that" said the
major miSchievously, but if had should
have known that the other fellow who &C
cepted il wasn't a gentleman"
But Rose having sufficiently shown her
partisanship in the discussion, after the
feminine fashion, did not care particularly
for the logical result. After a moments
silence she resumed, And the wheat ranch
below-is that carried on in the same way"
Eyes; but their landlord is a bank, who
advances not only the land, but the money
to work it, and doesn't ride around in
buggy with a couple of charmingly dis
tracing young ladies'"
And do they all share alike" continued
Rose, ignoring the pleasantly, big and
little-that young inventor with the restT'
She stopped. She felt the ingenue's usu-
ally comDlacent eyes suddenly fixed upon
her with an unhallowed precocity and as
quickly withdrawn. Without knowing
why, she felt embarrassed and changed the
subject.
The next day they drove to the Convent
of Santa Clara and the mission college OF
San Jose. Their welcome at both places
seemed 10 Rose to be a mingliDg of caste
greeting and spiritual zeal, and the austere
Seclu3ion and reserve of those Cloisters re-
peated that suggestion of an old world civ
ilization that had already fascinated the
young western girl. They made other ex-
cursions in the vicinity, but did not extend
it to a visit to their few neighbors. With
their reserved and exclusive ideas this fact
did not strike Rose as peculiar, but on
later shopping expedition to the town of
San Jose a certain reticence and aggressive
sensitiveness on the part of the shop keep
ers and tradespeople toward the RandOlphs
produced an unpleasant impression on her
mind. She could not help noticing, too,
that after the first stare of establishment
which greeted her appearance with her
hostess she herself was included in the
antagonism. With her youthful prepos-
session for her friends. this distinction she