The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-04-30
A Legend of Santa Barbara.

''NIIdQQldGL6I, Sdlu lllIl6 dUlO, DIS lie SAT Dy
the side Of old Don Maurcio in the garden sis it
true that there are great treasures Of gold and sill
vor buried near this town?''
..Who told you that, Pablocita 2" answered Don
Naurco gently turning the child s face toward him.
To-day at school, some Of the boys were saying
that there is great deal of money buried here.
They read it in a book 1t was pirate who con-
ceaed it.
"Ah! 1t is the ancient legend of the Spanish
freebooter. Pablo" replied the old man. That has
long ago become a legend. l will tell you the true
story.
loved to listen to Don Mauricos stories.
q Ever so many years ago, y began the old man.
abqfore was born. there lived the brow of yon-
der mll-vou can Just see the ruins from where we
sta Spaniard who had a very bad reputation. He
never associated with the people of the neighbor-
hood and his looks so forbidding that all the
women and children were afraid of him. He kept
two servants man and woman, Peruvian Indians
they were said to be, who clothed In odd
fashion, and wore long earrings In their ears. From
empses that people got Of the interior of his house,
Il was a mixture of discomfort and barbaric splendor
The garden planted with and beautiful
shrubs and flowers which both the man and woman
cultivated,
i" After a while ii came to be rumOred that the
mysterious individual was pirate. From time to
people would shake their heads and remark that he
had been about no good business. Finally it
very well known that he commanded a pirate ship,
which never come close to Santa Barbara. but which
he joined by means of a sIoop tina took him out to
the broad waters of the Pacific, where he preyed
upon the merchantmen who had their commerce in
these southern waters.
- But one day he set forth to return no more.
In some way il learned that his ship had been
sunk by a Portuguese galley, and the fate he had
mercllessy melted out for others became his He
was murdered by his captors and thrown into the
The old man and woman lived in the house. becom-
Inc more friendly with the neighbors, that they
were left alone. They had been aware of the pro-
1esslon of their master who they said, had buried
large sums of money IN the vicinity of his home.
People did not attach much importance to this
at first. but in the next generation some spirit more
adventurous than the rest, began search for the
money which ii was believed the Spaniard had con-
eealed. The fever spread from one to another till
at length the whole neighborhood became infected
with II. and the wild desire for sudden wealth left
the ground untitled and the herds uncared for on the
hills
The good padre who attended to the spiritual
wants Of the community vainy preached against the
loly and SIN Of thus chasing wl-o 'the-wisp from
year to year. At last one day the holy man called
hls flock together and said:
My children. | have had vision or perhaps
You would call it only dream but am going to tell
1t to YOU. You remember how last autumn my
good friend Padre Domingo, when he came out
from Spain, brought with him great many bags of
seed which he distributed among the various mis-
SONS do not know what ours contains, but there
Ia the granary behind my house lie three full bags
q small yellow seeds. which have been overlooked
uhhI now. You well know how fervently l have
N"ays 5esought YOU to pray to our patroness, San
"a Barbara. As said a moment ago, last night [
TTN1f 1-,,a14 la4o
me image Of the dear saint that surmounts the altar
~ cur church, and there, praying, l fell asleep.
ana men 1T seemed that / the saint descend
IRON her place and come towards me. Suddenly,
"lefe She stood appeared the three bags of seed
brought US by Father Domingo. Pointing to them
WIN lovely smile, she said:
In those sacks, Padre Buenaventura, lies
,1e prosperity Of your people. / promise, by means
'. Aese seeds, to aid them in their search for the
pirate gold. And to give good luck bless them
lle httle seeds, three Of which must be dropped
'.9 every hole that is dug by the treaure seekers
ana alter while they viii find gold" Will you fol-
~" me advice Of our dear saint2'
n lhe people FASTENED forward crowding around
i1eli father every one begging for seeds When all
5eu oeen distributed they scattered with new ZEAL
e&sSng holes the hillside till one could scarcely
Ina place to set ones foot between them. But
~ sola was found, and when every seed had been
ralea once more they gathered around the padre,
52nlaalnng that he had been deceived by foolish
t., That may be- he said mildly, but wait lit
my children -
p.l, But they went away grumbling; for my little
"Oo there is nothing so selfish as avarice nothing
10e 4esmcable as the sin of covetousness.
o., Winter passed and tiny green shoots began to
opieaf where the seed had been sown. And when
winter came the beautiful branches of thou
m y q trees were heavy with golden oranges, turn
ms s ueIr shining globes TO the sun, San Francisco
s tnen crude, but rich and alI-devouring mining
ny where fruit sold for almost its weight in gold,
'er me direction of the padre the people gathered
m great yellow balls of melting sweetness and ship
PED them to the north 1' sup
Ola. and when the shining dollars they brought
tOou man would smile and cav