The San Francisco call., 1905-04-30

its location of scene and it's luxuriance
of climate nourished genius for strong
and beautiful expression, that should
be a double recommendation TO Cal
ifornians who are looking for a good
spring story to read. 1t is a book
which makes you feel as if you had
been Therein the race, for instance,
from that fire in the Forest of Hidden
Waters, when Castro set the woods
a.blaze to drive from their stronghold
the renegades who had captured his
daughter; and in the meadow, watch
ing the duel Of riatas between two ex-
pert ropers at enmity because of love
of the girl Jacinta, who also watched
while her lovers circling rawhide
humned in the air, kept there by
whirling force of motion, and the hand
of it's owner bid it follow the mestizo
like a questing snake; on the plains,
when the drunken shepherds fought
with knives to the death, and the see
ing the Portuguese fall forward with
a wet cough, and the poppies, drowned
in blood, shrank all away from him;
and thence with the flock of shepherd
less sheep as they were instinctively
herded by the dogs, Noe and Reina
Maria, through grass and bloom and
wood and canyon until Isidro, the pic
turesque hero of the story, met them;
and on till Isidro comes upon the still
more picturesque FL Zarzo, the Briar,
flower couched, ready with words, and
at the age of eager and expectant life
awaiting, shepherding a little flock
where the grass grew up tall and muf-
fed the bells of the sheep; lying un-
der a tree in the far woods, even as
Eric Pape has pictured her in the
frontispiece of the book. Ell Zarzo is
what makes the life of Isidro a stir
ring story, and So ii is we'll we are
given look at the prepossessing fig
ure at the very start.
1t is here Isidro first sees the youth
full shepherd. Isidro is young and rich,
but on his way to become a priest at
one of the old missions. Finding the
flock of the murdered shepherd, he
thinks it suits the priestly character to
care for it till he locates its owner. So
comes the gayly clad Castilian horse
man upon his first interesting adven-
ture, late in the day when he is tired
and hungry BY this time the light
d
slantwise on the poppy fires. Under an
oak, mocking the jays with a shrill
voice, sat a slim, dark lad, pillowed on
a great sheaf of plucked bloom" Later
we learn further of this very vital crea
lures appearance, that Ell Zarzo was
"boyish enough to look at. 1.-the and
slim, with hair, straight as the fine
slant wires of rain, falling on either
cheek below the round, firm chin"
AS for the horseman, Isidro Escobar,
the Briarf found him so fascinating and
companionable that. next morning the
pair rode away together toward the.
mission If Isidro was going to serve
God and see the world, very good; so
FL Zarzo said, Il also serve God, and
see the world" Out of this desire of
Ell Zarzo to serve God and see the
world, and be close companion to Esco-
bar, came complications later on. in
which were romantically mixed up pa
dres of the old missions, proud and
wealthy families of Castilian blood,
comandantes, Indians, mestizos and
Portuguese shepherds
Briefly, but most vividly. we are told
of how Jacinta, daughter of the rich
Castilian, Castro, came to be born of
the young girl, Ysabel. who was in no.
vitiate to be bride of the holy church
till Castros passion changed the plans
of the padres: of how the young bride
hated her husband and concealed the
fact of her motherhood fror, hin. Lest 1t