The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-02-10

us? What have men Of exceptional tai
ent to fight down In the CALIFORNIA; ex-
cept tho barriers to its developments In
England or the United States they still
would be great men-Alvarado and Cas-
tro at least-but they would have to |
work harder"
Chonita, in spite of her disapproval
and her blood, looked at him with inter
est. His ideas and language were strik
ingly unlike the sentimental rhetoric OF |
the caballeros.
1T is as you say" she admitted, "but
the Californian's highest duty is loyalty
10 his country. Ours is double duty,
isolated as we are on this far strip OK
land away from all other civilization.
We should be moro contemplate than
Indians if we were not true to our nag.
"No wonder that you and that famous
patriot of ours, Dona Eustaquia Ortega,
are bonded friends. l doubt II you
could hate as well as she. You have no
such violence in your nature; you could
neither love nor hate very hard You
would love, if you loved at all, with
majesty and serenity, and hate with chill
severity" While he spoke he watched
her intently.
She met his gaze unflinchingly. "True,
senior; am no bundle of shallow emo
tions,' nor have a hon in me like Eusta-
quia. / am a creature of deliberation,
not of impulse. love and hate as duty
dictates"
He looked up at her with an amused
smile. "You are by nature the most i'm.
pulsive woman / ever saw, and Eusta-
quia's lion is a kitten to the one that
sleeps in you. You have cold delibera-
tion enough, but it is manufactured, and
the result Of pretty hard work at that.
Like all edifices reared without founda-
tion, it will fall with a crash some day,
and the fragments will be Of very little
use to you" And there the conversation
ended. They had reached the plaza, and a
babel of voices surrounded them. Gov
ernor Alvarado stood on the upper corri-
dor of his house throwing handfuls of
small gold coins among the populace, who
were shrieking with delight. The girl
guests mingled with them, seeing that
no palm went home empty. Beside the
governor sat Dona Martina radiant with
pride, and behind her sat the nurse hold
ing the infant on its pillow.
I'VE had better go to the house as
soon as possible" said Estenega. 1T is
nearly time for the bull-bear fight, and
we must have good seats"
They forced their way through the
crowd, dismounted at the door and went
up to the corridor. The Castros and ]
were already there with a number Of
other invited guests. The women sat in
chairs close to the corridor railing; sew
eral rows Of men stood behind them.
Amid the shouts Of the spectators
two vaqueros, dressed in black velvet
short clothes, dazzling linen and stiff
black sombreros, tinkling bells attached
TO their trappings, jingling spurs on their
heels, galloped into the plaza, driving
| large, aggressive bull. They chased him
! about in circle, swinging their reatas,
/ lodging his onslaughts, then rode out,
and four others entered, dragging an un-
willing bear by q reata tied to each Of
his legs. BY means of long chain and
much dexterity they fastened the two
beasts together, freed the legs Of the
bear, then retired 20 the entrance to
await events. But the bull and the bear
would not fight. The latter arose on his
launches and regarded his enemy warily,
but the bull appeared to disdain the bear
as too small game. He but lowered his
horns and paved the ground. The spec
tators grew impatient. The brave cabal-
leros and dainty donas wanted blood.
They tapped their feet and murmured
ominously. AS for the populace, they
howled for slaughter.
Governor Alvarado made a sign to one
of the vaqueros. The man rushed alb
ruptly upon the bull and hit him SHARP
blow across the nose with the crue
uuirto. The bulls dignity vanished
With the quadrupedian capacity fol
measuring distance he inferred that the
blow had been inflicted by the bear, who
sat some twenty feet away mildly lick
ing his paws. He made savage onset
The bear, with the dexterity of vague
70. leaped aside and sprang upon the as
sailant's neck, his teeth meeting argu
mentatively in the ropelike tendons
The bull roared with pain and rage anC
attempted to shake him off, but he hung
on. Both lost their footing and rolled
over and over amid clouds Of dust, 1
mighty noise and enough blood to salts
fy the early thirst of the beholders
Then the bull wrenched himself free
Before the mountain visitor could scram
BILE to his feet he fixed him with his horn
and tossed him on high.
As the bear came down on his bacl
with thud and snap which woulC
have satisfied bull less anxious to show
what bull could do the victor rusheC
upon the corpse, kicked and stamped ant
bit until the blood spouted into his eyes
and pulp and dust were indistinguisha
BILE. Then how the delighted spectator
clapped their hands and cried "Brava!
TO the bull, who pranced about the plaz
dragging tho carcass of the bear afte
him, his head high. his big eyes red ant
rolling! The women tore off their reboso
and waved them like banners. smashe,
their fans and stamped their little feet
The men whirled their sombreros wit