Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1938-06-16

light, blinking as he faced the sun.
"Ah-h-h!" he breathed. "How
good is this sun, and warm air! I
am happy, your Excellency. Very
happy. shall 60 now in a few days
to Santa Barbara to begin prepara-
tons for founding the Mission Santa
Barbara
eyes, Father. I am happy also
about that, as you can well under
stand. If only Fray Junipero were
here to be with u.s.
"Ah, well, doubt not he knows
well what is going forward. 1t
seems most fitting to be beginning
these preparations during the sea-
son of the vintage. For I am plan
ming to plant for my beloved, my
Master, another vineyard, and I
pray the hill will be very fruitful, as
yours is" He smiled, and FACES
watched him walk away, his old face
lit with exalted smiles.
Then he turned and watched Indi-
zuela sauntering toward him, her
basket empty. Her hands were pur-
ple-stained, and her lips, for she
had filched the most luscious grapes
here and there as she picked. "Her
eyes are black, black as a starry
night" thought FACES. AS she came
toward him, she smiled suddenly,
and the flash of white teeth in her
dark face was startling.
She was dark, dark as the earth,
and from her rose an aura of fruit
fitness, of ancient earth-mysteries,
hidden, savage, impenetrable.
Pedro FACES blood pounded. His
throat felt choked. A temple vein
rose and pulsed suddenly. His
eyes swan, and his knees felt weak.
"Indizuela!" he called, but his
voice broke suddenly. He cleared
his throat as the girl looked at him,
still smiling with a subtle under
standing look in her eyes.
you Sit down."
She sank on to the earth, and with
little gesture seemed to become
part of it. From swimming eyes
she looked up at him.
Isl, Senor?" she asked softly.
FACES clenched his hands. Gray
Fermin has said," he blurted hasti-
ly, "that he wishes to arrange a
marriage for you with Pho. What do
you say?"
She looked at him mockingly,
gravely.
"That old man should think of
other things than marriages. It is
not decent for his thoughts to dwell
on such things. So have been
taught"
"Do you want to marry Pio?" the
Governor asked hurriedly. "Do you
love him?"
II have also been taught to tell
the truth" She bent over and pat
ted handful of earth into a little
pile, and smoothed it as she spoke.
81 do not love Pho. I do not love
any of the Indian boys, nor any of
the soldiers" She looked at the Gov
ernor, with head suddenly thrown
back.
She laughed. "You know. You
have always known, as I have, that
I am for you. No one shall have
me but my lord, my beloved master.
I am his, to gather as he does the
grapes from his vineyard, and to
crush, as he brushes them"
FACES listened to the low voice
that seemed to blend with the buzz
ing of the bees. What she said
seemed natural, as though some
where, some time, he had heard it
before. AS though in a spell he
spoke.
eyes," he said, in voice not his
own.
The girl took a deep breath.
"When?" she asked simply.
"Now? This is the vendimia."
The man trembled. He was I'M
der a spell. He must break it
quickly He looked about him in
a panic. The gatherers had fin
ished their tasks, and now were
clustered around the barbecue.
Their voices seemed to come from
a great distance. There was no one