The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-11-07
REZANOV
BY GERTRUDE .ATHERTON
a(Copyright 1906 by Gertrude Anterior.
XIII.

An hour after tho comandante IS sur
render he had dispatched invitations
to all the young folk Of the Gente de
Razon Of Monterey, Santa Barbara,
Los Angeles and San Diego, and to
such of the older as would brave the
arrived for the mission entertainment,
and during the next few days the rest
poured over the hills: De Ia Guerras,
Ximenos, Estudillos, Carrillos, Estene-
gas, Morenos, Cotas, Estradas, Picos,
Pachecos, Lugos, Ortegas, Alvarados,
Bandinis, Peraltas, members of the
Luis, Rodriguez, Lopez families, all of
gentle blood, that made up the society
OF old California;; as gay, arcadian, IT.
responsible, yet moral society as ever
tiuttered over this planet. Every house
room at the Mission, opened to them
with the exuberant hospitality of the
country. The caballeros had their
finest Wardrobes of colored silks and
embroidered botas, sombreros laden
with silver, fine lawn and lace, jewel
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 flow
cred silks and lawns, mantillas and re-
bosos, as the family carretas would
crowded from morning until midnight
with the spirited horses Of the country,
prancing impatiently under the heavy
Mexican saddle, heavier with silver,
made trif1e more endurable by the
blanket of velvet or cloth. No Cali
fornian walked dozen rods when he
had horse to carry him.
But the horses were not always
champing in the square. There was
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 seTv-
ants, following with great baskets Of
luncheon, perhaps roasting an OK whole
in trench. This the Californians
called barbecue and the picnic merien-
da.
There was dancing day and night, the
;tinkling of guitars, flirting Of fans.
'Rezanov vowed he would not hare be-
guitars in the world, and suddenly re-.
membered he had never seen Concha
with either. The lady of his choice
reigned supreme. Many had taken the
long clustering journey for no other
purpose than to see the famous beauty
and her Russian; the engagement was
as we'll known as if cried from the
Mission top. The girls were surprised
and delighted to find Concha sweet
rather than proud, and envied her with
amiable enthusiasm. The caballerhos,
in California at that period before a
freer distribution of land were on duty
in the army, zartfully ignored the I'M
avowed bond, but liked Rezanov when
he took the trouble to charm them.
Khostov and :Davidov watched the
loading Of the Juno with a lively re-
greet. Never had they enjoyed them
selves more, nor seen so many pretty
girls in one place. Both had begun
tho they rehounded swiftly from the
blow to their hopes, it happily saved
them from a mere serious dilemma; I'M
wealthed and graceless as they were,
they would have been regarded with
little favor by the practical Galifor-
MAN father. AS it was, their pleasures
We're sunpoisoned by regrets or rebuff.
When they were not flirting in the
dance or in front of a lattice, receiv-
" back of duena, or clasping brown
little fingers under cover of fan when
all eyes were riveted on the death strug-
gle of a bull and a bear, they were
playing cards and drinking in the Of
ficers' quarters; which they liked al
most as well. It is true they some
times paid the price in a cutting re-
Z buke from their chief, but the rebukes
were not as frequent as in less toward
circumstances, and were generally fol-
4 lowed by some fresh indulgence. This,
result of, the equable, state Of his ex-
cellency's temper, but because he had
signal unpleasantness 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 tenn
porarily, and they knew that If they
evaded any behest of Rezanov's their
adventurous life in the Pacific would
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 Cal
ifornia. springtime as the episode of
their lives, commonly stormy or mo-
notonous, in which the golden tide
flowed with least alloy. Even Langs-
dorff, altho impervious to female
charms and with scientific thirst un.
ilslacked. enjoyed the Spanish fare and
the society of the priests. The sailors
fights and fandangos, loved and pledged
and were only restrained from emigra-
ton to the interior of this enchanted
land of pretty girls and plentiful food
by the knowledge Of the sure and mer.
ciless 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 its kind
and the comandante let it be known
that deserters would be summarily cap
tured and sent in irons to the Juno.
In the mind of Concha Arguello there
was never lingering doubt of the quail.
ity Of that fortnight between the DAYS
Of torturing doubts and acute emotional
7 upheaval, and the sailing away of Rez.
anov. It was true that what he ban
teringly termed her romantic sadness
possessed her at times, but it served
as shadow to throw into sharper re-
lief an almost incredible happiness. If
she seldom saw Rezanov alone there
was the less to disturb her, and at
least he was never far from her side
There were always the delight of UNI
expected moments unseen, whispered
words in the crowd, the sense of com
plete understanding, broken now and
again by poignant attacks Of unreas
oning jealousy, not only on her part
but his; quite worth the reconciliation
at the lattice, while Elena Castro, gen
tie duena, pitched her voice high anC
amused her husband so well he sought
no opportunity for response :,
Then there was more than one excur.
sion about the bay on the Juno, din:
ner on La Belllsslma or Nuestra Sc
nora de los Angeles, long return af:
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