The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-01-25
Chapter Six
Royal Reception

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sefa had sung under her window.
Constance pieced them together
and humming the melody crept
into bed to lie thinking of Pedro;
to wish, for little while, she was
not Cabrillo and could walk in
enchanted moonlight with a pa
quero.
He puzzled her. But she must
remember she was merely q Miss
Michael who drove a dilapidated
car. In the morning she would put
him in his place He'd take her to
the ranch and there she would
admit her identity and watch his
surprise.
Pedro" announced Maria, as
she served breakfast, "is gone to
FL Cabrillo, last night. He say
Cardoze, he is take you Cardoze,"
She added, ''he do not speak the
Eengleesh."
Constance slipped the thick
black coffee, her eyes narrowing.
So Cardoze spoke no English. And
Constance spoke no Spanish a
Spaniard could understand. Could
it be that there was an unwritten
law against strangers obtaining
Information about FL Cabrillo
Rancho? ail 81
And why did Pedro ride to the
home ranch at night, when he had
warned her the road was danger
Gus?
She put this question to Maria.
Dangerous by the automobile"
Maria explained, "but the horse
he run by sense. Pedro take the
back trail"
Maria contributed other items
OF interest. you 60 visit Senior
Taylor? He is broke in the leg. In
bed he is with pu1leys. Most time
he swear like" And Maria
rolled her eyes. "Meg, she is the
housekeep. She say She is in the
knees stiff from praying to keep
thees black Irishman out from
purgatory."
Constance laughed. slow did he
break his Lego"
Maria threw up her hands and
giggled. "All his life he is one
tough hombre. He break the out
laws. He ride everytheeng and he
win, til one month ago he ride
one bar of SOAP on the bathroom
floor and she throw him."
Constance laughed with Maria.
She felt no sympathy for the
tough old hombre. And if he were
tied TO his bed with pulleys, she
could talk to her hearts content.
Her departure from the outpost
was as noisily hearty as her well
come. The children and as many
dn.s5 followed the car toward the
hill with lusty sounds.
lCardoze, a desiccated old speci-
men, his face almost hidden by
an enormous hat. chung to the side
OF Minis Tins car as ii took the
first half Of the hill with a roar,
then abruptly changed its mind
and started backwards.
sit tight, grandpa" advised
Constance, wrestling with brakes,
accelerator and wheel. We'll
make it."
"Mddre de Dios," whispered
Cardoze, as they came out on the
summit right side up, and Con-
stance echoed his prayer of re-
lief.
And then she sighed with hap
piness, The sun lay warm on the
hills. The fog had broken into
wisps, scattering out far beyond
where the ocean lay blue and
sparkling.
Far to the north she could see
the deep indenture of a bay and
the smoke of the city arising, and
she prodded Cardoze with her
boarding school Spanish until he
advised her 1t was "Beachport."
And TO think she had stopped at
Fuller's Junction, but she couldn't
be too disgusted, for the road
which had seemed dangerous the
previous night was carving
brown path Of beauty, striped
with shadows of redwoods.
A creek accompanied the road
down the hill, pausing at pools
where herds of cattle stood knee
deep. lifting white faces and pa
tient eyes to the rafting car.
Musical Comedy
THEY don't look sad" Con-
Il stance thought, essentially.
"they look sleek and contented
;. who wouldn't be on a ranch
like thiss"
Reaching the highway. Con-
stance saw warning signs: Cat
tie guards three hundred feet
ahead" and discovered the Slated
bridges were the guards.
And then she reached FL Ca
naino Real which she had passed
the evening before, an hour be-
fore she turned of on the wrong
road. II was as she remembered.
a long avenue lined with Euca-
lyptus and cedar: a smooth avenue
raked clean of leaves which were
piled in heaps, brown-skinned
men standing guard over the fire
sTnouldering and curling in thin
smoke.
"Buenos dias. each one greeted.
with wide display Of teeth.
Good morning 10 YOU" Con-
stance sang out happily in return.
Before her now was the ranch
proper. II was real. 70 wasn't
some childish dream. The great
weeping willows threw yellowing
arms over the wings OF the house.
silhouetting the white walls with
fantastic patterns. Blazing ger.
aniurns bloomed in every Krilled
window and along the balcony.
AS The car pulled up before the
rnain entrance. the two wide doors
were thrown open and IN old man
stepped out.
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