The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1916-12-21


Il sas, runs that old road, El Ca
mino Real Of the early mission
days,
And now replicas of Old mission
bells, each suspended in solitary dig
nifty from rusted iron rod, mark in
teryals along the dusty way, once
narrow trail worn by the patient feet
of that gentle and great padre, Juni-
pero Sierra, trail from the San Ga
briel valley to the shores of Monterey.
A narrow trail then, but, even then,
to him it was broad in it's potential
significance of the dawn of grace upon
the mountain shores Of heavens lost
garden, California.
Not far from one iron posted bell in
the valley, Ell Canine Real falters, to
find eventually lazy way round the
low foothills, as though reluctant to
lift its winding length over the sharp
pitch of the Canajo pass beyond.
Near this lone bell another road, an
offspring of old Ell Canine Real, runs
quickly from its gray and patient sire.
Branching south in hurried turns and
multiple windings. it climbs the roll
ing hills, ever lodging the rude piled
masses of rock. with scattered brush
between, but forever aspiring cous-
ageously through the mountain sage
and sunshine toward it's ultimate green
rest in the shadoUy hills.
| In the sweet sage is the drone of
| bees, like the hum of far city. The
| thinning, acrid air is tinged With the
| faint fragrance Of sunburnt shrubs and
| grasses.
With the sinuous avoidings of n haf-
| fed snake the read turns and turns
| upon itself until its earlier promise Of
| high adventuring seems doubtful. AS
| often as not it climbs a semibarren
dun stretch Of sun baked earth dotted
with stubby cactuSeS, passes these
dwarfed grotesques and attempts the
| narrowing crest OF the canyon wall, to
swing abruptly back to the Gu ttiSes
again. gaining but little i'll its upward
| trend.
Impatient, it finally plunges diZZily
round sharp outstanding angle OF
rock and down into the unexpected
eGchantmcnt of Moonstone canyon
Here the gaunt cliffs sise to great wild
gardens, draped with soft rose and
poignant red amid drowsy unde;tones
If gray and green and gold Dots OF
vivid colors fame and fade and pass
TO lodges of dank vineclaA rock and
| drifts of shale as the road c,iInbs
again.
st the next turn are the iEd!stinct
voices Of water commingling i'll 6
monot0ne-aud the road ceases to bt
as the cool silver of mountain stream
cuts through it with seemingly incon
seGuential meanderings, bat with tli
soft arrogance of a power too great II
be denied And the indiStinct voice:
left behind fade to unimaGiaab.'
sounds as the stream pattcTs down ii:
gravelly course. contented beyon'
measure with its own adventuritg.
Patiently the road takes up its way
moving in easier sweeps through /
widening valley, but forever climbing.
Again and again fetlock deep acros
it runs the stream, gently perSlSte1
and forever murmul'iiig its happy Sc
liloquies.
Here and there the road nassa
tatickly through blot Of shade;
group of wide spreading live oaks-an
( rcappears gray white and hot In tn
9 sun. Then. its high ambition fulfilled
the road RECEIVERS from its last clint
ing sweep around the base OF a shon
q lering hill and runs straight an
smooth TO its ultimate green rest in I'd
= shade Of the sycamores Beyond tlies
. two huge limbcd warders OF the moul
. tain ranch gate there is flower bo'
: tsered way. but it is the road no longe
= The mountain ranch takes IT'S nam
8 fram the canyon below. 1t is I'll
2 MG3nStone ranch. the home of Louis
. Un.lsc ancestors. the Lacharmes. sre'
roses in old France.