The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-23
Chapter Four
The Vaquero

~ road branching right. " ,'
AT least she was home. She was
on FL Cabrillo property, free of
mortgage, taxes and all encum-
pranceS save for Taylor.
If the fog would lift she would
be able to look up a two-mile
avenue of Eucalyptus and cedar
to the rambling ranch house.
with the smaller servants quar-
tiers clustering nearby.
But the fog didn't lift and the.
road seemed mitch too long and
there were no trees visible along
the road.
Mayb~ Taylor hal seen fit to
cut them down.
Oh well, she liked fog, fog
scented with fragrant sweet grass,
eucalyptus. bay and calf of the
sea. AS a child she had walked
through such a mist as this, her
hand safe in her fathers. They'd
made a game of it. Each brush,
shrub, or pile of rock was fairy
o. gnome.
She forgot the fairies abruptly
= the car struck a chuck-hole.
The road was i'm ossible. Surely
Taylor could have kept it in bet
ter condition.
It grew narrower, more deeply
rutted, and the car labored as the
incline grew sleeper. A hill
jumped out of the fog and Con-
stance lodged. "Idiot!" sh e
ito ed, and then, looking at her
watch: II wonder if I've taken
the wrong road. ] can't turn
around, T."
Out of the heavy mist doomed
a horse and rider. For a moment
Constance thought they were go
ing to lope straight into her car.
She turned on the headlights
and the horse stood up and waved
its forefeet at her. She blinked the
lights and he presented a waving
tail and saluted the hill with his
feet.
AT least this gave her a glimpse
OF the rider: man who sat the
saddle like a centaur.
Constance breathed deeply with
pleasure. "a Uaquero," she muir
INJURED. "a real Cabrillo cowboy"
The horse turned again to the
lights, snorting his displeasure,
and above his snort the Udquero
roared, Turn those damn d
lights off,
Constance complied. She also
turned off the motor and watched
the horse come back to earth, the
man still in the saddle.
"There is a sign at the high
way" offered the rider Jelly, as
the horse minced daintily around
to the side of the car, which
statesNthis is a private road"
Constance pushed the curtain
aside and leaned out. Imagine
anyone wanting to keep this road
private" she said.
T-" The vaquero stared at her
in establishment. "Sefiorita, :.
/ beg the pardon"
In one swift, graceful move
ment he had disrnounted. swept
a sombrero from his head and
led his mount to the car.
Constance blinked rapidly. 1t
must be the fog. No man could
look like this one, no modern man.
He was a copy of the old prints
her father had shown her. one
of the tall, dark Basques who had
coma to the new country with
the first Don Cabrillo.
He was tall; tall and dark of
skin, an amber darkness of layers
Of sunburned skin.
And where but in Spain could
one find such smouldering black
eyes. such long. jetty lashes. And
there was a wave in his hair, a
slight one, probably incorrigible.
for 1t looked as though every
thing but honey had beensused TO
ratten II.
There was nothing incorrigihle
about his moustache. 1t was small
and very thin and very black.
That was1 probably what made
his smile seem so dazzling.
Golden Land
you are lost, Senorita?"
Il The magic of the Sefiorita
completed ConStance's capitula-
ton. She was no lie. She was a
Cabrillo, one of the old Cabrillos
who had ruled thousands of acres,
thousands of cattle; and dozens
OF vaqueros like this one.
But would a Castilian Cabrillo
have been as stirred by a cowboy
rs she was stirred? Could this ex-
citing misunderstanding response
be a strain OF the shanty- Irish
cropping out?
perhaps | am lost" she con-
ceded. II thought ! was on Fl
Canine Real"
But not" countered the man
"El Canine Real is many miles
beyond this road II would not be
wise 60 try 10 find ii. Fog is bad.
and fog and twilight is what we.
in this country, call the DEVILS
brew"
Then what shall do?" begged
Constance, looking hopeleSSly at
the dim landscape.
''If you will follow this road n
few miles, you will come to ca
brillo out-rider's post. Maria can
put you up for the night, and to-
morrow / will guide You 10 the
home ranch"
After one backward glance.
Constance decided this was the
only solution.
He said he would ride on
ahead. and promised she would be
out Of the fog when she reached
the summit. Then. with q quick
movement. he had mounted and
was away.
Constance smiled as she fol-