Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27

breros laden with silver, fine lawn and lace,
jewei and sash, velvet serape for the chill
of the late afternoon. The matrons brought
their stiff robes of red and yellow satin.
the girls as many Powered silks and lawns,
mantillas and rebosos. as the family car
retas would hold. The square of the Pre-
sidio was crowded from morning until mid
night with the spirited horses of the coun-
try, prancing impatiently under the heavy
Mexican saddle, heavier with silver, made
a trife more endurable by the blanket of
velvet or cloth. No Californian walked
dozen rods when he had a horse to carry
him.
But the horses were not always champing
in the square. There was more than one
bull-bear fight, and twice week at least
they carried their owners to the hills of
the mission ranch, or the rocky cliffs and
gorges above Yerba Buena, the Indian serv-
ants following with breat baskets of lunch
con, perhaps roasting an OK whole In
trench. This the Californians called bar
becue and the picnic merienda.
There was dancing day and night, the
tinkling of guitars, flirting of fans. ReZanov
vowed he would not have believed there
Were many fans and guitars in the world
and suddenly remembered he had never
seen Concha with either.
The ladys CT his choice reigned supreme.
Many had taken the long bistering jour-
ney for no other purpose than to see the
famous beauty and her Russian; the en-
gagement was as well known as if cried
prised and delighted to find Concha sweet
rather ,h, than proud and e eTr her with
fewer in number. for most of the men in
California at that period before a freer
distribution CT land We're on duty in the
army, artfully ignored the unavowed bond
but liked ReZanov when he took the ,trou-
Bile to charm them.
Khostov and Davidov watched the load
ing of the Juno with a lively regret.
Never had they enjoyed themselves more,
Both had begun by falling in love with
swiftly from the blow to their hopes, it
happily saved them from more serious
dilemma; unwealthed and graceless as
fornian father AS it was. their pleasures
were imprisoned by regrets or rebuff.
When they were not flirting. in the dance
or in front of a lattice, receiving lesson
in Spanish behind the portly back of
duena or clasping brown little fingers I'M
riveted on the death struggle of bull
and bear, they were playing cards and
drinking in the officers, quarters which
they liked almost as well. 1t is true they
sometimes paid the price in cutting re-
Duke from their chief but the rebukes
were not as frequent as in less toward or
by some fresh Indulgence. This, they I'M
easily guessed, was not only the result
of the equable state of his excellency's
temper. but because he had a signal I'M
pleasantness. in store, and would not
hazard their resignation. They had
taken advantage of an imperial ukase to
enter the service of the Russian American
Company temporarily, and they knew that
if they evaded any behest of Rezanov's
their adventurous life in the Pacific would
be over. Therefore, although they resent
ed his implacable will. they pulled with
him In outward amity; and. indeed, there
were few of the Juno's human freight
that did not look back upon that California
springtime as the episode OF their lives,
commonly stormy or monetonous, in
which the golden tide flowed with least al
10y Even Langsdorff, although i'm
pervious to female charms and with scien-
tific thirst unslaked employed the Spanish
fare and the society of the priests, The
bull fights and fandangos, loved and
pledged; and were only restrained from
emigration to the interior Of this enchant-
ed land of pretty girls and plentiful food
by the knowledge of the sure and merci-
less vengeance of their chief. Had the
rumor of war still held it might have been
otherwise, but that raven had flown off
to the limbo of it's kind, and the comand-
ante let it be known that deserters would
be summarily captured and sent in irons
to the Juno.
In the mind of Concha Arguello there was
never a lingering doubt of the quality OF
that fortnight between the days of tortur-
ing doubts and acute emotional upheaval
and the sailing away of Rezanov. 1t was
true that what he bantering.y termed her
romantic sadness possessed her at times,
but it served a shadow to throw into
sharper relief an almost incredible happi-
ness. If she seldom Rezanov alone