The record-union., 1891-08-03
old MONTEREY.
A Glance at Some of Her Relics and
Landmarks.
The Romance of the Old Rose Bush
Spanish Lace-Makers-The Car
mel Mission Church.

The lover of antiquities, and he who is
looking for the quaint and interesting,
can find no better place in which to in
dulge his fancies, and add to his store of
Information, than in Monterey. There
are many pretty legends connected with
the old town, some of which have been
elaborated and used by Bret Harte and
other modern novelists, as the nuclei of
attractive stories or novelettes.
The writer was one of party Of six
who, as an investigating COMMITTEES.
made a pilgrimage through the older
portions of the town, in order to see that
wonderful rose tree around which are
said to cling some tender memories
A short distance back from principal
street in Monterey stands an old adobe
house surrounded by a garden of most
beautiful flowers. Among them is rose
tree fully one-third OF a yard in circum-
ference, whose branches are laden with
delicate cloth-of-gold roses.
A SWEET, SAD STORY
Is breathed forth with the fragrance of
the flowers. Away back in the forties,
when so much war was being waged in
the Far West, there lived in this adobe
house Spanish family who had a refined
| and lovely daughter. 4 young officer
stopping tor while in Monterey became
deeply attached to the dark eyed maiden,
but in those troublesome times there was
little leisure for wooing and wedding.
Being called away suddenly, the soldier,
standing beside the white rose bush, bade
farewell to his sweetheart.
Nov when this rose bush blooms, [
shall return to you," he said, and was
| gone.
The roses have bloomed again and
/ again. for nearly half a century, yet the
lover tarries, and the dark-eyed senorita
waits, now all alone in the old house.
| Will her waiting be rewarded?
One OF our party, acting as cicerone,
stepped to the door, when petite woman,
still pleasing in appearance, gracefully
| answered our request for aqua (waterJ.
! We were shown into a quaint, cool parlor.
with the low, wide-silled windows pecul-
lar to adobe houses. On the wall was the
! portrait Of q lovely young girl. whose
rich coloring betrayed a Spanish origin.
and which was easily identified as like
ness OF our hostess, painted ere the bloom
of youth had departed.
! We admired the garden, and, pointing
| to the roses, asked about them 4 visit
! ful, far-aWay look came into the fading
eyes-it seemed cruel to bring back the
! past, just out of idle curiosity-and with
'muchos gracia, senorita,'' we pro-
! ceeded to call on
THE LACE-1IAKERs,
! About whom SO much is written.
/ Rich and wonderful designs, wrought
in finest linen, were displayed, represent
/ ing shameful waste of eyesight and
time. A yellowed fichu of exquisite
! workmanship, that had been an heirloom
! Tor generations, was shown. The Spanish
! ladies seem to be adopts at lace-makinp.
mo yeJf ~
English language, which is spoken so
freely around them.
One might spend several days in and
around Monterey noting the customs that
are becoming obsolete with the encroach-
ment OF more progressive people, who,
with the telephone, electric light, street
cars, etc., are transforming a sleepy
| Spanish settlement into bustling city.
SOME OLD LANDMARKS.
| There still stands the custom-house
where, in 1876, brave Commodore Sloat
! first hoisted the American flag; and the
capitol building, where the first Constitu-
! tlonal Convention was held; Carmel
Church, built in 1874, to which were con-
veyed the paintings and other portables
of the Mission. The church is the more
attractive OF the two, being in constant
use, and containing many relics.
One thing that attracts the eye is the
paving arounds the church, being not of
stone, as at first appears, but the verte-
bse of the whale. Portions of the mon
sters' jawbones form archways over
numerous gates, SO that one in passing
beneath them can imagine what must
have been the peculiar sensation of Jonah.
Ere many years these interesting land
marks OF most interesting period of MIS-
torywill have disappeared, and the traveller
passing through Monterey viii exclaim:
Sunk are thy bowers in shapeless ruin all,
WALL"
Pacific Grove, July %, 1891. E. G. B.