Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-02-04
If / had the time.
THE GOLDEN ROSES.

LIE UOlIDIlN hUOIO.
A glowing southern sun bathed the
drowsy old garden in q flood of molten
gold. The milky yucca blossoms mingled
their beauty with that of the Haunting
scarlet of the cactus. The orange and fig
trees hung their luscious fruit within
tempting distance, while over the thick
white adobe wall, across the trellis before
the house and up to the senorita's bed
room window, climbed in riot of yellow
splendor the superb Gold of Ophir rose tree,
famous along the entire coast.
Never was there such another rose tree.
Its limbs were as thick as mans arm
and its blossoms were great, glorious nests
of color and perfume. 1t bloomed the en-
tire year-bloomed for offerings before
Our Lady's shrine in the old mission;
bloomed for weddings and funerals; for
the tourist who paused at the senorita's
gate to wonder and exclaim at the marvel,
and for the senorita herself.
The senorita was straight and tall and
slender. Though the gray was beginning
to creep in her dusky hair and the tell
.aio WIiHhioS woio se"inAhS Aoi iole,o''
she yet was handsome woman, with tha
same Anoa!uslan Ieauures' 1he soie, speak
ing eyes, the clear olive skin, her beauti-
full mother had brought from Spain years
ago.
In the tiny, low ceilinged drawing room,
immaculate as sanctuary, with Its snowy
mating, its wooden blinds, it's sanded
thresholds, among the images of the mar
tyrs and the pictures OF the blessed saints,
hung portrait OF the senorlta, painted
when she was IL. she wore, as became
her station, silken gown and string OF
pearls about her throat. Over the superb
ly nodded shoulders bertha OF rare lace
was thrown and in her hands she held
Gid Of Ophir rose-the first one ever
piucked from the bush before her door.
Every afternoon When the senorita hau
finished her household duties, before, she
sat down TO the dainty Drawn WORK whlcn
was 9 part OF ner dally oocupatlon, anu
from which she derived moaesu income,
u was her custom 10 ehter 0he drawing
room, ana, aiter adjusting the piinas So
that the sunllgn1 wound oouch cne Portray
gent'y, 10 stand perore IL lntenbly regard
ing her own ios6 youeh. :,
Maore gu Dlos, was Une lnurMureu
exclamatlon, puu IL was long tilie ago-
long-tlme-ago!
Ihere was Always vase Oh goiaen roses
on nttie suano peIore Ohe portral0. Wnen
the senori6a gaze 1911 the picture, IL leil
upon tne mowers. WIN gehole sign she
Woulo penslVely Gouch ohe pe1ais WIN
caresslng fingers, tnen siien1iy anu iiAe
ghost slowly glide nom One room.
This was the little SHRINE a6 whlch the
senorita worshiped, loved ana remembered
Every gay were .hese ulos,enVa'lous oele-
monies repeated. livery gay her gehuie
voice murmurea, Maore u dos guy ~
was long 1lme ago-long-Vi
Years before, when the senorlta hau
been young, a beauty ana tne pelle OF tne
little epanlsh-Ameflcah setolemenc' up az
the fresldio thefe had peen gaiiano young
lieutenant VINO iell desperately ~ ioye
Win the charming opahlara' lheir couro-
snip amid the myftle ana orahge groves
under the warm moonlight OF the souGh-
ern region III the sheltered hooks along che
white beach mad been IDEAL both young,
ardent ana inadly III love- ohelr alieceloh
became a bit OF local PRIDE: May you
love as fgnacla, was uhe piessihs ihooh,
ers whispered TO thelr uaughtefs anu
May 0he salhts sena you ahother iie,.Ieli.
ant" brought the plood INTO tiie cheeks ol
the senorita's girl companions.
Once when the lieutenant returned from
Santa Barbara, whittier he had been sent
on important military business, ne brought
to his sweetheart tiny rosebush, which
he planted before her door,
ttvonooio - h., whisnarad No he caught