Evening star., 1936-03-09

IlOW BOCo 10 odu jose 1OT a lew Gays. WlSGe
he wins 50 600 in a gambling game. Re.
10 leave for Suffers Fort where his mothel
makes plans for the wedding Of JOAQUIN
70 Eosita, and soon the betrothal festiyi-
ties are at their height.
CHAPTER vi.
TINE morning following the bailit
Joaquin donned his workinf
clothes and resumed his jok
Of breaking horses. Having
indicated a special adaptability fol
this work, Felipe Sanchez gave him
entire charge of it. But to the break.
ing corrals Juanita De La Cuseta came
no more, a circumstance not lost upon
Joaquin or his betrothed. It saddenet
Joaquin a little. for, although a youna
man, he was sufficient of a philoso.
pher to realize that the decision as tc
the object Of a woman's love Is moi
a Woman's prerogative: that caste
wealth or racial barriers do not con.
stitute insuperable obstacles; he knew
that Juanita was suffering and thai
ne was the innocent cause of thai
suffering. RoSita, on the other hand
being a woman, with the narrower
and more selfish viewpoint of her sex
rejoiced In her freedom from what
threatened to be serious competition
and wasted no sympathy on her van.
quished rival. Whatever Felipe San.
chez thought about it was not re.
vealed; he had lived to learn that 9
shut mouth catches no flies.
Arrangements for the Fiesta of the
Grapes had started the morning fol-
lowing Don Ricardo's decision to have
1t in the Spring rather than in the
Fau. The latest of 2-year -old steers
were cut out Of the great herd that
spread far over the vast unfenced VAL
ley OF the San Joaquin, driven into q
corral and stuffed with corn, barley
and hay. Chickens and turkeys were
similarly confined and overfed; long
rough tables were removed from stor-
age, scrubbed and set up under the
oak trees; fire pits were dug and char
coal made from dead willow limbs for
the roasting; barrels of the older and
netter Wine were made ready to be
dispensed, men and women told off
for their especial duties.
Two days before the fiesta the
women made huge quantities of Aztec
food-tamales. enchiladas and friioles
con Gueso (beans with cheese). The
roofs OF the jacals were robbed of
ther long strings of brilliant red chill
peppers and punches of garlic. Hav-
ing been notified by couriers two
weeks in advance, guests of high and
low degree from the ranches of the
santa Clara and Salinas Valleys, com.
menced to arrive or horseback. on
ourros and mules, in heavy old car
rlages; when the hacienda's guest
accommodations had been given over
TO the closest friends of the De Ia
Cuestas, beds were set UP in rude tents
1or the other guests, whose peones
ana mosoS found shelter with those
OF Don Ricardo or slept in their
blankets and serapes in the sweet
grass under the oak trees, for the last
rains OF the Spring had fallen and
already the land was awakening tn
the Summer warmth of the great in
terror valleys of California.
Men came with their fighting cocks
with their fastest horses and little In
dian boys to ride them in the races
That would be held out on the plain.
Don icardo's vaqueros had captured
6OO-pound brown bear in the hills
and carried him home to a log corral
where he would furnish amusement
oy battling to the death with a man
killing Spanish jack; wild steers and
Wuo horses were corralled, ready to
be ridden: since the dancing would
continue night and day without in
terruption for three days, came NIL
slclanS from other ranches to relieve
Don Ricardo's musicians when the
latter should become weary.
On the morning of the first dav of
the fiesta Joaquin and Rosita were
to be married, the ceremony to take
place IN the chapel of the rancho and
be solemnized by Father Gregorio. the
rancho chaplain. True to her promise
Juanita presented the bride with the
latter'S wedding garments and. be-
cause Juanita was a lady and, there
fore, not without a sense of sports-
manship, she carried these gifts in
person to Rosita at the humble little
sanchez casa and herself dressed
Juanita.
At the appointed hour for the be-
ginning OF the fiesta, Don Ricardo
came out on the balcony of his
hacienda and with deep feeling and
ornate phraseology, welcomed his
guests. To the rancho the night
previous had come, unlimited, but well
come nevertheless, Capt. Armstrong
OF the company of United States Cav
airy station at Monterey. He was &C.
companied by platoon of troopers
and was en- route to Suffers Fort, his
mission being to capture and punish
band Of Indian horse thieves in
that neighborhood. Don Ricardo had
urged him to remain for the fiesta
and, because the latter was a Gringo
and, since the war with Mexico
GringoS were not at all popular, the
don had been at some pains to make
the captain a special object of his
hospitality and solicitude. Armstrong,
he was delighted to learn. spoke Span
ish very duently; he was a newcomer
in California and this was the first
fiesta he had attended.
AS he stood beside Don Ricardo
and listened to the graceful speech
of hospitality with which De La
Cuesta welcomed his guests, his one