Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-14

left at daybreak for his fathers rancho
some thirty miles to the south.
There was a flutter at the Preside when
the invitation of the chamberlain was
made known. The compliment was NOT
unexpected but there had been lively
speculation as to what form the Russian
return of hospitality would take. Concha,
whose tides had Numbered and ebbed many
times since the night of her party, sub
merging the happy inconsequence OF her
sixteen years, but leaving her unshaken
spirit with wide clarified vision, felt young
today from sheer reaction. She would lis
ten to no protest from her prudent mother,
and smothered her with kisses and tor
rent Of words ~
But, my Conchita." gasped Dona
Ignacia, II have much to do Thy father
perhaps they would not approve-before
they are hereto go on the foreign snip
If Luis were not gone! Ay vi! Ay vi?
1--WE go, we go, madre mia! And his ex-
cellency will give you shawl feel it! l
know 1t! And if we go now we disobey
no law. Have they ever said we could not
visit foreign ship when they were not
here? We are light-headed, irresponsible
women And if they should not let us go;
If the governor and the Russian should
disagree! Now we have the opportunity
for such a day as we never have had be-
fore. We should be imbecles. We go,
n1adre mia, We go!'
So it proved At a few minutes before 9
the Sonora Arguello, clad in her best black
silk skirt and jacket, a red shawl en-
broidered with yellow draped over her bust
with unconquerable grace, and black re-
bose folded about her fine proud head, rode
down to the beach with Ana Paula on the
aquera. behind and Gertrudis Rud4sinda on
her arm The boys howled on the corridor.
but the good sonora felt that she coulo
not too literally construe the kind in
vitation. of a chamberlain OF the Rus
sian court.
Behind her rode Concha, In white with a
pink reboso Rafaela Sal, Carolina Ximeno,
Herminia Lopez, Delina Rivera, the only
other girls at the Preside old enough to
grace such an occasion; Sturgis, who hap
pened to have spent the night at the Presi-
did, Gervasio, Santiago and Lieut.. Rivera.
Castro had returned to Monterey, Sal was
officer of the day, and the other young men
had sulkily declined to be the guests of a
man who looked as naughty as the tsar
himself and betrayed no disposition to
recognize in Spain the first nation of Eu-
rope But no one missed them. The girls,
in their Powered muslins and bright rebosos,
the men in gay serapes and embroidered
botaS, looked a fine mass of color as they
galloped to the beach and laughed and chat
tered as youth must on gioriouS a morn
ing. Even Sturgis, always careful to be as
nearly one with these people as his different
appearance and temperament would permit,
wore clothes of green linen. ruftled shirt,
deerskn botas and sombrero.
Three Of the ships canoes awaited the
guests, and, not one of the women had
ever set foot in boat, there was a chorus
of shreks. Dona Ignacia murmured an
audible prayer and clutched Gertrudis Rudi-
sinda to her breast.
'Madre de Dos! The water cannot!
she muttered. But Santiago took her firm
ly by one elbow. Sturgis by the other. Davi-
dov caught up the children with reassur-
ing laugh, and in a moment she was trem-
bling in the middle of the canoe. Concha
had already leaped into the second and
waved a careless little salutation to the
Juno Her eyes sparkled Her nostrils f1ut-