Evening star., 1940-05-11
TRAILS END%eM1|
INK ~ WlLLAh NsLEoDRAne x&1
~ WlLLIAA MAsl RAlhe

| Fe and to get hold Of herself while
she was away. Abruptly she told
Jim she was leaving and asked him
to look after the Sentinel during
her absence.
| Goes to Santa Fe.
She took the Santa Fe stage next
day. The second afternoon they
came into the old town. The stage
dropped down to narrow streets
lined with one-story adobe houses
and swung into the old plaza which
had been the center of life In this
district for hundreds of years. The
long low governors palace faced
them as they drew up at the stage
ONCE. On the plaza were q score
OF burros laden with firewood, In
charge Of indians who had brought
them IN caravans for 20 or 80 miles.
Henrietta and her husband, q
young lieutenant just out of West
Point, met their guest. He was a
lresh-faced lad named Raleigh
Window, and Anne liked him very
much from the hrst moment. She
was whisked away In a surrey.
leaving her baggage to be brought
later by a soldier with q wagon.
Henrietta. a vivacious blond, was
delighted to see her schoolmate.
She chartered gayly, italicizing words
that seemed to her important,
making them stand out from the
surrounding context by voice stresses.
Though Anne listened, she kept
her eyes open. Never before had
she seen town like Santa Fe, It
bore little resemblance to the raw
frontier outposts OF the West she
mad passed through. Here was
the dignity, the gentle Incidence,
born OF a background crowded with
history. There were ten Mexicans
to one Anglo and there was
about them friendly courtesy which
greatly impressed her.
The old Gandara house where
her friend lived delighted Anne.
The thick adobe walls and deep
windows made for GOODNESS, as did
the patio with its wide porches and
lounge seats. A good deal of the
furniture was an inheritance from
the regime Of the old don.
Anne Tells Of Marriage.
Lots OF the old Gandara heir
looms are still in the house." Hen
rietta told Anne. Tables and
chairs and bellows, heaps of things.
Youll like it here. We have lots of
run. Some OF the officers are very
nice. OF course they will all fall
IN love with you. I had forgotten
you were 500 devastatingly
pretty"
Her guest stuck a pin in that
balloon. This seemed as good a time
as any to tell of her foolish mar
riage. Henrietta listened, wide.
eyed. Anne Eliot was the last girl
she would have picked among her
friends to mess up her life in that
way.
ITS very romantic" Henrietta
commented, her big blue eyes bright
with interest. But 1t doesn't seem
IKE you, darling. You were always
500 sort of sensible"
I'm dreadfully ashamed of having
been such fool" Anne said. SLOWLY
I was In love of course, or thought
So"
And you're not now?" Henri.
eta inquired. your heart didn't
flutter when you saw him the other
day after so long?"
Not a flutter." Anne said. re-
luctantly.
Plenty of Social Life,
There was plenty of social life
at Santa Fe, and Henrietta saw to
1t that her friend, whom she in
troduced as Mrs. Lamprey. was
Kept busy. They rode a good deal
IN the afternoon, and the evenings
were filled with gatherings of one
Kind and another. Sometimes the
young people danced. Occasionally
they played cards. One night they
mad a picnic in the moonlight. A
costume ball wass planned.
Mrs. Window decided that Anne
must go as a Spanish senorita
Ihere Is lot OF stuff in the gar
ret-old dresses in boxes" she said.
Maybe we can find Just what
you'll want"
1t was while they were searching
Tor suitable costume that Henri
etta pointed out the leather trunk
she had mentioned in the letter
to Anne.
I've been meaning to have
Felipe take 1t downstairs and dust
1t on" she said. an have him do
IL now. He can burn the trash in
side it."
Anne opened the trunk. In It
were papers, parchment documents,
spanish newspapers SO years old, a
book or two, and some bundles of
letters wrapped up and tied with
string.
rs 1t all right for me to look
at these letters?" Anne asked,
after Felipe had brought the trunk
downstairs.
"Yes. But they are in Spanish.
You can't read them"
Wants to Translate Letters.
No, she could not read them.
But Anne looked at the faded ink,
set down on that paper more than
60 years earlier, her imagination
kindled. BY the signatures she
guessed that some of these letters
had been written by the wife of
Don Jose Gandara to him. and
others by him to her and to one
OF his sons. Without being able to
read q dozen words of them there
began to rise before her elimpses of
that vanished life when Spain was
lord and master of this whole
Western country. She saw a semi
feudal system, the land parceled
out by the king to aristocratic
soldiers who were to hold the ter
ritory against the Indians for Spain.
These yellowed documents told a
story of high-pulsed hope, of love,
and romance, and adventure.
These letters ought not to be
destroyed" Anne said. "Thcre may
be records here OF great value to
historians. would like to get
them translated II you don't mind"
4 l.