The Project Gutenberg EBook of When Dreams Come True, by Ritter Brown
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: When Dreams Come True
Author: Ritter Brown
Illustrator: W. M. Berger
Release Date: April 23, 2009 [EBook #28593]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE ***
Produced by David Clarke, Linda Hamilton and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
[Illustration: SHE GLIDED AND WHIRLED IN THE MOONLIGHT, GRACEFUL AS A
WIND-BLOWN ROSE. _PAGE 284_]
WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE
BY
RITTER BROWN
AUTHOR OF "MAN'S BIRTHRIGHT"
ILLUSTRATED BY
W. M. BERGER
New York
Desmond FitzGerald, Inc.
Copyright, 1912
By Desmond FitzGerald, Inc.
TO
MY SON
ILLUSTRATIONS
"She glided and whirled in the moonlight, graceful
as a wind-blown rose" _Frontispiece_
FACING
PAGE
"The picture which she presented was one he carried
with him for many a day" 130
"Instinctively he raised the casket with both hands" 272
"'Madre! Madre _mia_!' she cried and flung herself
into Chiquita's arms" 292
"They were startled by a low moan and saw Blanch
sink slowly to the bench" 330
There is a tradition extant among the Indians of the Southwest,
extending from Arizona to the Isthmus of Panama, to the effect
that, Montezuma will one day return on the back of an eagle,
wearing a golden crown, and rule the land once more; typifying
the return of the Messiah and the rebirth and renewal of the race.
WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE
I
The beauty of midsummer lay upon the land--the mountains and plains of
Chihuahua. It was August, the month of melons and ripening corn. High
aloft in the pale blue vault of heaven, a solitary eagle soared in ever
widening circles in its flight toward the sun. Far out upon the plains
the lone wolf skulked among the sage and cactus in search of the rabbit
and antelope, or lay panting in the scanty shade of the yucca.
By most persons this little known land of the great Southwest is
regarded as the one which God forgot. But to those who are familiar with
its vast expanse of plain and horizon, its rugged sierras, its wild
desolate _mesas_ and solitary peaks of half-decayed mountains--its tawny
stretches of desert marked with the occasional skeletons of animal and
human remains--its golden wealth of sunshine and opalescent skies, and
have felt the brooding death-like silence which seems to hold as in a
spell all things living as well as dead, this land becomes one of
mystery and enchantment--a mute witness of some unknown or forgotten
past when the children of men were young, whose secrets it still
withholds, and with whose dust is mingled not only that of unnumbered
and unknown generations of men, but that of Montezuma and the hardy
daring _Conquistadores_ of old Spain.
But whatever may be the general consensus of opinion concerning this
land, such at least was the light in which it was viewed by Captain
Forest, as he and his Indian attendant, José, drew rein on the rim of a
broken, wind-swept _mesa_ in the heart of the Chihuahuan desert, a full
day's ride from Santa Fé whither they were bound, to witness the
_Fiesta_, the Feast of the Corn, which was celebrated annually at this
season.
The point where they halted commanded a sweeping view of the surrounding
country. Just opposite, some five leagues distant, on the farther side
of the valley which lay below them, towered the sharp ragged crest of
the Mexican Sierras; their sides and foothills clothed in a thin growth
of chaparral, pine and juniper and other low-growing bushes. Deep,
rugged _arroyos_, the work of the rain and mountain torrents, cut and
scarred the foothills which descended in precipitous slopes to the
valley and plains below. Solitary giant cactus dotted the landscape,
adding to the general desolation of the scene, relieved only by the
glitter of the silvery sage, white poppy and yucca, and yellow and
scarlet cactus bloom which glistened in the slanting rays of the
afternoon sun and the intense radiation of heat in which was mirrored
the distant mirage; transforming the desert into wonderful lakes of
limpid waters that faded in turn on the ever receding horizon.
Below them numerous Indian encampments of some half-wild hill tribe
straggled along the banks of the almost dry stream which wound through
the valley until lost in the thirsty sands of the desert beyond.
"'Tis the very spot, _Capitan_--the place of the skull!" ejaculated
José, the first to break the silence. "See--yonder it lies just as we
left it!" and he pointed toward the foot of the _mesa_ where a spring
trickled from the rock, a short distance from which lay a human skull
bleached white by long exposure to the sun.
Instinctively the Captain's thoughts reverted to the incidents of the
previous year when he lay in the desert sick unto death with fever and
his horse, Starlight, had stood over his prostrate body and fought the
wolves and vultures for a whole day and night until José returned with
help from the Indian _pueblo_, La Guna. Involuntarily his hand slipped
caressingly to the animal's neck, a chestnut with four white feet and a
white mane and tail that swept the ground and a forelock that hung to
his nostrils, concealing the star on his forehead; a magnificent animal,
lithe and graceful as a lady's silken scarf, untiring and enduring as a
Damascus blade. A horse that comes but once during twenty generations of
Spanish-Arabian stock, and then is rare, and which, through some trick
of nature or reversion, blossoms forth in all the beauty of an original
type, taking upon himself the color and markings of some shy, wild-eyed
dam, the pride of the Bedouin tribe and is known as the "Pearl of the
Desert." The type of horse that bore Alexander and Jenghis Khan and the
Prophet's War Chieftains to victory. As a colt he had escaped the
_rodeo_. No mark of the branding-irons scarred his shoulder or thin
transparent flanks. Again the Captain's thoughts traveled backward and
he beheld a band of wild horses driven past him in review by a troup of
Mexican _vaqueros_, and the beautiful chestnut stallion emerge from the
cloud of dust on their rim and tossing his great white mane in the
breeze, neigh loudly and defiantly as he swept by lithe and supple of
limb.
"Bring me that horse!" he had cried.
"That horse? _José y Maria, Capitan!_ He cannot be broken. Besides, it
will take ten men to tie him."
"Then let ten men tie him!" he had replied, flinging a handful of golden
eagles among them.
Many attempts had been made to steal the Arab since he had come into the
Captain's possession. It was a dangerous undertaking, for the horse had
the naïve habit of relegating man to his proper place, either by
ignoring his presence, or by quietly kicking him into eternity with the
same indifference that he would switch a fly with his tail. José might
feed and groom and saddle him, but not mount him. To one only would he
submit; to him to whom a common destiny had linked him--his master.
"_Sangre de Dios, Capitan!_" began José again, breaking in upon the
latter's musings. "Is it not better that we rest yonder by the spring
than sit here in this infernal sun, gazing at nothing? 'Tis hot as the
breath of hell where the Padres tell us all heretics will go after
death!" The grim expression of the Captain's face relaxed for a moment
and he turned toward him with a laugh.
"Aye, who knows," he replied, "we too, may go there some day," and
dismounting, he began to loosen his saddle girths.
"The gods forbid!" answered José, making the sign of the cross, as if to
ward off the influence of some evil spell. "I do not understand you
_Americanos_," he continued, also dismounting and untying a small pack
at the back of his saddle. "You are strange--you are ever gay when you
should be sober. You laugh at the gods and the saints and frown at the
_corridos_, and yet toss alms to the most worthless beggar."
The foregoing conversation was carried on in Spanish. Although José had
acquired a liberal smattering of English during his service with the
Captain, he nevertheless detested it; obstinately adhering to Spanish
which, though only his mother-tongue by adoption, was in his estimation
at least a language for _Caballeros_.
The two men were superb specimens of their respective races. Their
rugged appearance, height and breadth of shoulder would have attracted
attention anywhere. The Captain wore a gray felt hat and a rough gray
suit of tweed--his trousers tucked in his long riding boots. José was
clad in the typical _vaquero's_ costume--buff leggins and jacket of
goat-skin, slashed and ornamented with silver threads and buttons, and a
red worsted sash about his middle in which he carried a knife and
pistol. From beneath the broad brim of his _sombrero_ peeped the knot of
the yellow silken kerchief which he wore bound about his head and under
which lay coiled his long black hair.
Captain Forest was unusually tall and stalwart, deep chested and robust
in appearance, with not a superfluous ounce of flesh on his body,
hardened by the rigors of long months of camp-life. His head was large
and shapely, well poised and carried high on a full neck that sprang
from the great breadth of his shoulders. His face, smooth and sensitive,
and large and regular in feature with high cheek-bones and slightly
hollowed cheeks, was bronzed by long exposure to the sun and weather,
adding to the ruggedness of his appearance. The high arching forehead,
acquiline nose and firm set mouth and chin denoted alertness, action and
decision, while from his eyes, large and dark and piercing, shone that
strange light so characteristic of the dreamer and genius. And yet, in
spite of this alertness of mind and body and general appearance of
strength and power which his presence inspired, there lurked about him
an air of repose indicative of confidence in self and the full knowledge
of his powers. Sensitive to a degree, keen and alive at all times, the
strength of his personality, suggestive of his mastery over men,
impressed the most unobservant. Yet owing to his poise and self-control
those about him did not realize wholly his power until such moments when
justice was violated. Then the latent force within him asserted itself
and he became as inexorable as a law of nature in his demands. An
intense spirit of democracy oddly combined with fastidiousness made an
unusual and attractive personality in which the mundane and the
spiritual were strangely blended. Outwardly he was a man of the world,
yet inwardly he had advanced so far into the domain of sheer
spirituality he scarcely realized that others groped their way among the
most obvious material modes of expression.
Having removed their saddles and turned their horses loose to find what
scant cropping the desert afforded, the two sought the shelter of the
narrow strip of shade beside the spring at the foot of the _mesa_. Here
they would rest until the heat of the day had passed, resuming their
journey that evening. José unwound his _zerape_ from his shoulders and
spreading it on the ground between them, deposited two tin cups and a
package of sandwiches upon it which, with the addition of a flask of
_aguardiente_ which the Captain drew from his pocket, formed their meal.
Two years previous the Captain had rescued his companion from a street
mob in Hermosillo, the result of a feud that had broken out between her
citizens and the Yaqui Indians; José having been mistaken for one of the
latter. With his back against a wall and the blood streaming from his
wounds, he was making a desperate stand. Three citizens who had run upon
his knife, lay squirming at his feet; but the odds were too great. In
another moment all would have been over with him had it not been for the
Captain who chanced upon him in the nick of time. Snatching a club from
one of his assailants and accompanying each blow with a volley of
Spanish oaths, he rushed through the mob, scattering it in all
directions. Whether it was the oaths or the Captain's exhibition of his
fighting qualities that impressed José most it is difficult to say. Be
that as it may, from that hour he belonged to Captain Forest body and
soul. He was the grand señor, the _Hidalgo_, in comparison to whom
other men were as nothing.
The meal over, José with head and shoulders on one end of the _zerape_,
stretched himself at full length upon the ground and, as was his wont,
fell asleep almost immediately. Captain Forest swallowed a last draught
of liquor. Then leisurely rolling a cigarette he lit it, and with back
against the cliff and gaze fixed abstractedly on the mountains opposite,
smoked in silence.
II
Jack Forest's life was rich and full to overflowing with the things of
this world which are generally considered to make for happiness and
culture. Into the measure of his life, the comparatively short span of
thirty-five years, had been crowded a wealth of incident and experience
that seldom falls to the lot of the most fortunate men in this
commercialized era whose tendency is to pull nations like individuals
down to a common level of mediocrity, and seems bent upon extinguishing
even their few remaining national traits and characteristics.
Born in Washington and a graduate of Harvard, he had traveled to the
four corners of the earth, and hunted big game from the arctic circle to
the equator. During a winter's sojourn in Egypt he made the acquaintance
of Lord X----, then Consul-General of Egypt, upon whose advice he
entered the diplomatic service of his country. Five years were
subsequently spent as first Secretary of the American legations in
London and St. Petersburg. The enthusiasm with which he threw himself
into the work and the natural executive ability which he displayed soon
marked him as a coming man in diplomatic circles. But the speculations
of his friends concerning his future career were destined to be rudely
shattered by one of those inexplicable tricks of fate which, in the
twinkling of an eye, so often change the lives of individuals.
The spirit of adventure which had lain dormant within him ever since his
decision to adopt diplomacy as a profession was suddenly awakened by the
outbreak of hostilities between Spain and the United States. Through the
influence of his father, General Forest, a Civil War veteran, and that
of his uncle, Colonel Van Ashton, retired, he received the appointment
of Second Lieutenant of Volunteers and shipped with his regiment for
Cuba. He was wounded at the battle of Santiago, though not seriously. At
the close of the campaign in the West Indies his regiment was ordered to
the Philippines, where, at the end of a year, he was promoted to a
captaincy in the regular army. At this juncture in his career the sudden
death of his father necessitated his return to America on leave of
absence.
The estate to which he and his mother fell heirs was an unusually large
one, the administration of which demanded his immediate and entire
attention if they wished to keep their holdings intact. But as this was
clearly incompatible to the life of a soldier, he was forced to resign
from the army. He took this step without great reluctance, for brief
though his career as a soldier had been, it was a brilliant and
satisfactory one. It was not for the glory of the profession that he had
entered the army, but purely in the spirit of the patriot; and he had
fought his battles and returned with newly won laurels and a fund of
interesting experiences. Besides, campaigning in the Philippines had
convinced him that diplomacy, though perhaps not always so exciting,
was preferable to a life whose daily routine was enlivened only by
target practice, dress-parades and the occasional diversion of chasing
naked men about in the bush.
As soon as the estate was settled it was his intention to reënter the
diplomatic service for which he knew himself to be better fitted than
before his two years experience in the army.
The bulk of the fortune consisted of mines in Mexico, whither he was
called to superintend his interests. At the end of a year, however, he
received word from his uncle informing him that the Ministry to Greece
would be open to him if he chose to accept it. Jubilant over the
prospect of reëntering the world of Diplomacy so soon, he immediately
telegraphed his acceptance, and the following day addressed a letter to
the girl he had known from his youth, Blanch Lennox, whose character,
personal charm and ambition marked her as the one to share the future
with him. There was as little doubt in his mind that she would accept
him, as there was in hers that he would make the proposal; and when a
week later, he received a telegram confirming his conjecture, the answer
came as a matter of course.
The business at the mines was settled, but Mexico and her people were a
new experience. Its vast expanse of plains, virgin forests and wild
sierras lured him on; and in the company of a friend whose acquaintance
he had made at the mines, he passed the remaining time left at his
disposal traveling in the interior of the country, gathering data and
visiting the wild tribes who, though of the same blood, were in
characteristics a distinct people from the slavish _peon_ classes. A
people that have never actually submitted to the rule of the White man,
and have held tenaciously to the ancient beliefs and customs of their
forefathers.
He was impressed by the fact that, although living entirely independent
of the outside world, they were nevertheless self-supporting and in
certain instances had developed marked degrees of civilization.
He saw how they tended their flocks and fields, made their own clothes
and articles of use, and wrought gold and silver ornaments embellished
with native stones, and used the bow and arrow in the chase. They knew
nothing of modern civilization. Their daily lives were sufficient unto
them, and they were therefore happy. God seemed infinite and dwelt in
their midst, and spoke to them from the dust as well as from the stars.
But why was this? Why was life for them, in the natural course of
events, so easy and simple, and so difficult and complicated for the
civilized man?
His thoughts continually traveled back to the Eskimo of the frozen
North, and to Africa and her sun-parched deserts and star-strewn skies
with the roaming Bedouin in the background who regarded the earth as a
footstool to be used only as a means to an end and houses as habitations
fit only for slaves.
The picture he saw was not the ideal one--the emancipated man of whom
men of all times have dreamed and to whose advent some men are still
looking forward. But the care-free life of the primitive man set him
thinking--opened his eyes to certain truths which, until now, he had
failed to observe. Longings for the unattainable began to stir within
him and take hold of him in a manner entirely new. Hazy, fragmentary
glimpses of hitherto undreamed possibilities began to shape themselves
in his mind. The immensity and profundity of the universe and the
mysterious growth of its hidden life held and enthralled him.
The last word, he felt, had not yet been spoken. There was something
lacking in the so-called civilized man's economy--a lack which his
philosophy failed to account for, but which was not observable among
animals and primitive men. There, the economy of the infinite cosmic
mechanism which binds and holds all manifestations of life in one
harmonious whole was too apparent to even suggest the detachment of a
single form of life from this whole, but with the civilized man it was
different. He alone seemed to have detached himself from this harmonious
whole--his life stood out as a thing separate and apart from it. There
seemed to be no permanent place for him in the economy of nature.
But how had this estrangement taken place? Why was he, the
intellectually developed man, incapable of living in harmony with the
universal law of life when it was so easy for the primitive man to do
so? It was evident that he had lost his way somewhere along the path of
normal development. Everything pointed to this--its signs were apparent
to all who wished to see. Nature voiced it on every hand, in the forests
and plains and on the mountain tops, and during the silence of night as
he lay on the ground gazing at the stars overhead.
The wind that sighed among the ruined temples of the ancient races and
the mountains that looked down upon them seemed to speak to him in the
ever recurring refrain: "Behold the works and glories of men--we are
enduring! The same wind that sighs among them this day, sang to them
when their walls and pillars stood erect. The same mountains that
shadowed them in the past, will still stand guard over the valleys in
the days to come when the works of the present and future generations of
men have passed away forever!"
He knew that these questions had been asked during countless
generations, and that men were still asking them to-day. He knew also
that man's situation in the universe was taking on a new aspect, and yet
it was strange that such thoughts should absorb him, a man of the world,
of the fighting type, whose wide experience with men and things had
hitherto convinced him that the world, though not perfect, was
good--that present progress made for good, and the best western
civilization had thus far attained was probably about all men of the
future could look forward to so far as happiness was concerned. These
views, however, were no longer tenable if our arts, philosophies and
scientific attainments fail to civilize and refine us. Clearly, modern
man's conception of ethical progress was as deficient in certain
respects as that of the great historic civilizations. The secret of
right living had not yet been discovered. History proved this, and
unless the trend of modern materialistic tendencies was supplanted by
something higher, the same fate that overtook the Ancients must
inevitably overtake us.
But the date of their wedding had been set, and the time for their
departure for Athens was drawing nearer. Santa Fé lay a day's ride from
the railroad. Instead of performing the journey in a single ride, he
decided to pass the night at the _hacienda_ of a friend, Don Felix de
Tovar, some twelve miles distant from the old Spanish town. Thither he
would ride during the cool of the evening, completing the remainder of
the journey the following day. Between Santa Fé and Don Felix's
_hacienda_ lay the Indian _pueblo_, La Jara, situated some distance off
the main road. By following the trail that led past this village, José
explained, they would reduce the distance to Don Felix's _rancho_ by at
least two or three miles.
The country through which they traveled was broken and rugged. Twilight
had descended upon the land, and as the two, following the trail that
skirted the foothills, rode to the crest of the _mesa_ upon which the
village was situated, they came suddenly upon a woman riding at full
gallop. The soft, sandy formation of the soil was such that neither
heard the approach of the other, and all three reined in their horses
with a jerk; the woman throwing hers well back upon its haunches; a
high-strung, black, wiry animal whose foam-flecked mouth and breast told
that she had been riding hard.
How free and wild she looked! She was either a Spaniard or an Indian,
and rode astride. A bunch of red berries adorned her heavy black hair
which fell in masses about her shoulders, accentuating the curve of her
throat and well-formed, clear-cut features just discernible in the
waning light as she sat motionless and erect on her horse, gazing at
him in silence and evidently as much surprised as he was by their sudden
encounter. Then with a smile and a nod of the head by way of
acknowledgment, she lifted her reins and spurred past him; disappearing
in the gathering darkness on the trail below them. Her unexpected
appearance and grace and type of beauty, so different from that of the
woman who occupied his thoughts, thrilled him for the moment as he
listened to the soft, muffled hoof-beats of her horse which grew fainter
and fainter until all was silence, save for the sighing of the wind
among the _mesquit_ and _manzanita_ bushes that grew about them. All
trace of her was gone. She had vanished into the night as swiftly as she
had come.
Then a strange thing happened. Something suddenly gripped his heart;
that indefinable something after which he had been groping and which had
been knocking so persistently at the portals of his inmost being, but
which until now had eluded him. The sight of that strange woman had
shown him that, to be beautiful is to be free and natural. That the
world he knew and revered was purely an artificial world of man's
invention, transitory and a thing apart from the universal life in the
midst of which he had been placed and apart from which it was impossible
for him to develop naturally. That nature is more perfect than all the
artificialities of civilization and a more efficient environment for the
normal development of man. That man's happiness and true relationship to
the universe were attainable only through direct contact and communion
with this life whose creations are the only great and lasting
realities. Thus only was it possible for him to quicken and vitalize
his powers to their fullest. That when creation finished its task, peace
and harmony reigned in the midst of the terrestrial garden, rendering
man's pursuit of happiness through diverse acts and infinite forms of
diversion quite unnecessary.
He had discovered the wild man's secret--why the stars still sing to him
as of yore--why the winds and the waters, the animals and the rocks and
the trees still speak to him in harmonies long since forgotten by
civilized man. A great and secret joy, such as he had never before
experienced, filled his soul; uplifting, consuming and mastering him....
But what would Blanch Lennox say? She with whose inner life he felt in
perfect accord? She who was his ideal, the inspiration of his eager
youth and well-spring of his ambitions of later years? The woman who
always met his problems with quick sympathy and comprehending interest?
Could she understand him now, sympathize with his new views of life? He
knew a battle royal would ensue between them, but felt confident of his
power to convince her. He found, however, upon his return to Newport
where she awaited him, that he had reckoned without his host. She
attributed his enthusiasm and changed convictions to his ardent love of
nature and the roving spirit that animated him, but could not be
convinced that the world of society in which she moved and shone and for
whose adulation she lived, was the lesser world. She refused to
relinquish their present life so full of the things of this world, the
only realities which she knew or recognized, for some vague
uncertainty. Surely the _wanderlust_, the love of the primitive, had
gotten into his blood!
At first she laughed scornfully, then hysterically.
"Was he mad to suggest such folly--imagine that she could even dream of
participating in such a life? He might give up the ambition of a
lifetime, fling aside a brilliant career to follow the path of his mad
fancy if he chose, but she would not be a partner to his folly!"
Again he noted her set lips and the pallor that succeeded the flush on
her cheeks after her first furious outburst. Again he saw her as she
rose, pale and trembling, her eyes blazing.
"And you dare come to me with this after all the years I have waited for
you? Go back to your deserts--your wild woman and her land of savages!"
she had cried in a voice of suppressed indignation and contempt. After
all he could not blame her, knowing as he did the world in which she had
been reared. She was right. And yet, as he sat there in the desert with
his back to the cliff and smoked in silence, living over again the
poignant memories of the past, the bitterness he experienced at the
moment was even keener than on that memorable night when they had
parted.
Could he ever forget her? The memory of that night clung to him in spite
of every effort to banish it from his mind.
Above them shone the stars, golden as the apples of Hesperides. He heard
again the rhythmic sound of the sea and the plashing of the fountain
near at hand, and noted the rose petals which the breeze had shaken from
the bushes to the path where they stood; filling the soft night air
with their fragrance, and she, with the white moonlight in her face and
the pink rose in the golden wreath of her hair, fair as the woman of
Eden.
The vision passed before him in kaleidoscopic review, warm and living
and tempting and haunting, and then faded from his sight.
The shadows of evening began to lengthen. Close at hand a lizard that
had been sunning itself all day against the cliff raised its head for an
instant, then slipped noiselessly away with the shadows into a crevice
in the rock. The Indian camp-fires flickered in the valley below, their
slender, ghostlike columns of smoke, rising heavenward straight as the
flight of a flock of cranes, floated away in a pale, blue white cloud on
the evening. The soft, plaintive notes of the night-hawk and prairie-owl
mingled with the prolonged cry of the wolf in the distant foothills. The
night breeze sprang up, fanning the parched desert with its cool breath.
The stars came forth and the silver rim of the moon emerged above the
dark towering mass of the Sierra Madres, outlining their crests in
broken silvery lines as its full white disk swept into view; flooding
the valley and plains with strange ethereal light.
José's sleep seemed troubled. He moved uneasily and muttered
incoherently.
Where was she now--what was she doing? The woman he still loved in spite
of himself? And whither was he drifting--what was the real end in view?
What subtle, irresistible influence was it that impelled him to take the
step, sacrifice all that men prize and hold dear? During such moments
he questioned the seemingly blind destiny by which he felt himself
impelled. A thousand miles he had ridden in search of the realization of
his dreams, but had not found it. That which at first had lured him on,
now seemed to mock him. The vision that beckoned to him still maintained
a sphinx-like attitude toward his questioning.
Where was the new life he had promised himself? Was it only a vision he
had conjured up in his mind? Either he had overlooked something in his
calculations, or his logic was at fault.
Was this all? Had the human race attained its zenith--was there nothing
beyond, nothing to look forward to, and he merely the latest dreamer and
enthusiast who was pursuing the same will-o'-the-wisp that others had
sought through the ages? If so, then what fatality was it that
encompassed him and continually urged him on? Doubt counseled him to
return, but pride and confidence in self still cried forward. Come what
would, he either must go on to the end or accept the humiliation that
awaits him who turns back. But why was the realization withheld from one
so willing--from one who had dared face the world alone?
For the first time the loneliness and isolation of his life was borne in
upon him as he reviewed the past, step by step, and thought of the woman
he had chosen to share the future with him and whom it was impossible to
disassociate from his plans.
Fortune seemed to have deserted him. A sudden revulsion and sickening
sense of failure swept over him, crushing and overwhelming him. Would
the voices never break silence? Must he forever ride alone with the sun
in his face? Save for a cricket that chirped dreamily in a cleft of the
rock close at hand, and the distant, subdued sounds of voices and
barking of dogs in the Indian camps below him, there was no response to
his query.
Strange that he, Jack Forest, the possessor of twenty millions, the
associate of the great people of this world, and who was never referred
to by his family and friends as other than the Magnificent, the man who
did things, should find himself in the heart of the Mexican deserts
apparently as far from his goal as when he started. It was incredible,
but true, nevertheless. For was he not there in the midst of the
wilderness with the scent of the sage in his nostrils and the alkali
dust on his boots?
He closed his eyes and let his head sink forward on his breast, wearied
by the oft-repeated endeavor to solve that which was fast becoming a
riddle, a chimera to him, and he probably would have fallen asleep had
he not been startled suddenly into a consciousness of his surroundings
by a low whinny; soft and plaintive as a child's voice. Looking up, he
saw Starlight standing before him with ears erect and pointed forward,
gazing inquiringly into his face.
Again the Chestnut whinnied, and lowering his head, caressed his
shoulder affectionately with his nose. Then raising his head, he began
to paw the ground impatiently, indicating as plainly as words that it
was time to resume their journey.
The night wind sighed across the desert and there was a chill in the
air as the moon mounted higher in the heavens; an ideal night for
travel. José awoke with a start and sitting bolt upright on the ground,
gazed about him with a dazed, bewildered air, trying to collect his
scattered senses.
"_Capitan!_" he cried, regarding him intently. "I have just dreamt that
the shadow of a man came between you and a woman! I can't see their
faces, but they are there!"
"Bah!" returned the Captain, rising to his feet and stretching wide his
arms, preparatory to saddling his horse. "'Tis only the _aguardiente_,
José!"
"Ah! do not jest, _Capitan_! Three times have I dreamed this dream--the
shadow comes ever nearer!"
III
The _Fiesta_, the "Feast of the Corn," had been declared, and there was
dancing and feasting, and song and laughter on the lips of men as
Captain Forest and José rode into Santa Fé late the following morning
and turned their horses' heads in the direction of the _Posada de las
Estrellas_, the Inn of the Stars, which was situated just outside the
principal entrance to the town.
The low gray adobe walls of the houses fronting directly upon the narrow
winding streets leading to and from the plaza were gay with the blossoms
of the pink and scarlet geranium, honeysuckle, and gorgeous magenta of
the bougainvilléa and golden cups of the trumpet-vine.
Pigeons fluttered from the house-tops to the streets, or hovered about
the plaza and bosky _alamedas_ of poplar, pepper and eucalyptus trees in
search of stray grains of corn. Humming-birds and butterflies flashed
their wings and gorgeous plumage in the sunshine as they darted in and
out among the foliage in the _patios_ and gardens at the rear of the
houses, luxuriant with fruit and flowers as was attested by the orange
and lemon, pomegranate and fig trees, heavy with ripening fruit and the
delicately mingled perfume of orange and lemon blossoms, hyacinth,
jasmine and Castilian rose.
Through the center of the town, beneath the walls of the half-ruined
convent, flowed the little river, Santa Maria, at whose banks young
girls and women were wont to wash their linen and beat it out on the
large, smooth stones which lay strewn along the water's edge. The notes
of the wood-dove and oriole mingling with the silvery voice of the
river, fell in rhythmical cadences upon the ears of the inhabitants who
rested in the shady seclusion of their _patios_ and gardens during the
hour of the _siesta_; rolling and smoking _cigarillos_ as they leisurely
discussed the latest bit of news or gossip over their black coffee,
_mescal_ and _tequila_, or engaged in a game of _moles_.
There had been much rain that season, the best of reasons why the people
should give thanks to the heavens and the fields receive the blessing of
the Church as well as that of the gods of the _Indios_ at whose altars
the Red men still worship and upon which still is written "blood for
blood," as in the days when the White men first came from the South,
bearing the fire and thunderbolts of heaven with which they overthrew
them. This was in fulfillment of the curse which the people had brought
upon themselves. The fate which their ancient Sachems had foretold would
overtake them in those days when they should forget the commands of the
gods and neglect the land, and the hand of brother be lifted against
brother until the coming of a Fair Child with a face like the sun unto
whose words all men would hearken and their hearts be united in love.
According to custom, runners had been sent forth to the north, east,
south and west to proclaim the annual _Fiesta_. For this ceremony the
choicest ears were selected from the new harvest, and, after being
borne aloft in the procession that took place during the benediction of
the fields, were placed in the churches where they remained until the
following year. The golden ears represented the sunrise, the red, the
sunset, the blue, the sky, the white, the clouds, and all together,
their Mother, the Earth, from which they sprang.
As the season for rejoicing drew near, the _rancheros_ of the
neighboring _haciendas_, together with the Indians of the distant
_pueblos_ and half-wild hill tribes, chance strangers and adventurers,
streamed toward Santa Fé and swarmed within her walls; some eager for
trade and barter, but most of them bent upon pleasure. Her streets and
plazas became a surging mass of struggling humanity, bright with the gay
costumes of men and women. In her market-booths were displayed
innumerable commodities; animals, fruit, vegetables, fowl--flowers,
goldfish, caged finches, canaries--jewelry, rugs, stamped leathers and
drawn-linen work--bright cloths, blankets, baskets and pottery--wines,
laces, silks, satins, cigarettes and cigars.
Bidding was brisk and at times vehement, but always good humored.
Sellers of lottery-tickets, writers of love-letters, jugglers and
mountebanks plied their trades. The cries of the water-carrier and
vender of sweet-meats mingled with those of the inevitable beggar who
asked alms for the love of God; invoking blessings or curses upon the
head of him who gave or refused him a _centavo_. Babel reigned. Donkies
brayed, geese and turkeys hissed and gobbled, chickens cackled and
fighting-cocks, tethered by the leg, strutted and crowed, while brown
children of all sizes and ages laughed and screamed as they chased one
another in and out among the crowds or rolled in the dust beneath the
pedestrian's feet.
Old Santa Fé, christened by the early Franciscan Friars, "City of the
Blessed Faith," but in reality a fair wanton, a veritable Sodom and
Gomorrha of iniquity with her _corridos_, her cock-pits and dance and
gambling-halls, threw wide her gates and bade the stranger welcome; and
if he did not receive the worth of his gold in pleasure and substance,
surely it was no fault of Santa Fé's. Besides, it was only a step from a
gaming-table to a Father Confessor.
The soul of old Spain still lived in the land. The click of castanettes
was heard daily in her plazas and streets where the _fandango_ and
_jotta_ were gayly danced; while at night the soft sounds of guitars and
voices issued from out the deep shadow of her walls. Soft hands drew the
latches of casements, and slender figures stepped out upon moonlit
balconies or beneath purple black heavens studded with myriads of golden
stars, and passionate words and vows were exchanged under the cover of
night.
Having passed the day at the Inn of the Stars, where they had been
resting after the fatigues of the long night's ride, the Captain and
José again directed their steps toward the town in the cool of the
evening; José making for Pedro Romero's gambling-hall, the Captain for
Carlos Moreno's theater, the _Theatro Mexicano_.
Owing to the tardiness of his arrival, he found the house packed to the
doors. The performance, vaudeville in character, had already begun, and
it was only after much elbowing and crowding that he finally succeeded
in making his way to Carlos' private box where the latter awaited him.
A tall, dark woman had just ceased dancing, and as she paused before the
footlights amid a burst of musical accompaniment, the audience with one
impulse rose to its feet and gave vent to prolonged salvos of applause.
Showers of glittering gold and silver coins, bouquets and wreaths of
flowers were flung upon the stage, burying her feet in a wealth and
suffusion of color as she stood smiling and bowing before the audience,
vainly endeavoring to still the tumultuous applause which continued with
deafening uproar until she consented to repeat the performance.
"Delicious--divine--'tis the Chiquita, _amigo mio_!" cried Carlos;
pausing in the midst of his _vivas_ to greet the Captain.
"You shall know her and fall in love with her like all the rest of the
world--" but his speech was cut short by a fresh burst of applause from
the audience. The floral tributes that had been showered upon her were
hastily removed to one side of the stage and piled high against the
wings. The musicians struck up their accompaniment and the dance began
again.
It was evident that she was a favorite of the audience which perhaps
partially accounted for the remarkable demonstration with which her
performance was received. But be this as it may, Captain Forest felt
that he had never witnessed such a remarkable exhibition of subtle grace
and beauty and extraordinary execution and dash as she displayed in the
dance. He recalled the names of the famous dancers he had known, but
none of them had risen to such heights--succeeded in vitalizing and
inspiring their art with so much poetry and life.
To all appearance she was either Spanish or of Indian extraction, and
yet there was a foreign touch about her that seemed to set her apart
from the women of Santa Fé.
Who was she, this unknown genius, this master of the terpsichorean art,
living in this far away Mexican town? Such talent could not remain in
obscurity for long. Another great Spanish dancer was about to burst
unheralded upon the world. It only remained for her to dance into it--to
captivate and conquer it.
This then, was the surprise Carlos had promised him if he came to the
theater that evening. His curiosity was aroused, and he turned to him
for an explanation, but he was no longer by his side; he had rushed
behind the scenes to felicitate the dancer on her remarkable success.
The air was hot and stifling, and not caring to witness the remaining
numbers on the programme, he took advantage of the intermission that
followed the dance and left the theater.
Outside the air was deliciously cool. The moonlight and myriads of
artificial lights strung across the streets and on the façades of the
houses, together with the flaming torches in front of the many booths,
lent the appearance of day to night as he slowly made his way through
the surging crowds in the direction of Pedro Romero's gambling-hall
where Carlos had agreed to join him after the performance.
Pedro's establishment was the chief and only respectable place of its
kind of which the town could boast. It was the resort of the better
element of Santa Fé, and if one were looking for a friend or
acquaintance, he was usually to be found there. The hall was spacious
and well lighted with electricity and resplendent in gilt and mirrors.
The gay strains of a string band enlivened the scene as he entered.
Clouds of tobacco smoke hung over the throngs that crowded round the
gaming-tables to try their luck with the Goddess Chance.
José was playing roulette, and judging by the satisfied expression of
his face which the Captain noted in passing, he rightly conjectured that
luck was on his side.
Like Carlos, Pedro had taken a great fancy to the Captain, and had
generously placed his private stock of wines and cigars at the latter's
disposal. Many an evening had the three passed together smoking and
drinking and chatting; Pedro and Carlos listening with rapt attention to
the Captain's anecdotes and adventures of which he seemed to possess an
inexhaustible store. The hall was greatly overcrowded, rendering it
difficult to find an acquaintance, but as the Captain paused in the
midst of the tables in order to obtain a better view of the faces about
him, he felt a touch on the shoulder from behind and turning, saw Pedro,
the object of his search.
"_Por Dios!_ but I'm glad to see you again, _amigo_!" exclaimed the
proprietor, a dark little man with a kindly face pitted by the smallpox.
He grasped and shook the Captain warmly by the hand.
"How are you--when did you return?" he inquired; leading him to a table
in one corner of the hall around which were seated a number of his
friends who, on the appearance of the Captain, rose and greeted him
effusively.
"_Mozo--mozo!_" shouted Pedro to the waiter, "a glass for the Captain!"
The others also had been to the theater, and like him, had left during
the intermission following the dance. Naturally the dancer formed the
sole topic of conversation.
"Had the Señor _Capitan_ seen the Chiquita--had he ever seen such
dancing before--what did he think of her?" And by the time Carlos
appeared on the scene, all agreed that the latter's fortune was
made--that he would soon desert the sleepy old town for a tour of the
world with his newly found star of the footlights.
"A tour of the world--with the Chiquita?" echoed Carlos, a fat,
broad-shouldered little man of mixed blood, pausing and pulling back a
chair in the act of seating himself at the table.
"_Dios!_ if such a thing were possible," he exclaimed, pushing his hat
on the back of his head and surveying his companions with critical eyes,
"I would not exchange it for the richest gold mine in Mexico! But," he
added, seating himself at the table, "you don't know the Chiquita, _mis
amigos_. She is made of different stuff than that of the women who dance
for a living."
To this last remark the company agreed.
"_Caramba_--how she danced!" he continued, taking a sip of _pulque_.
"Had the house been as large as the plaza and the price of the seats
doubled, there would not have been standing room left to accommodate the
spectators."
"Aye!" broke in Miguel Torreno, a dark, wizened old Mexican with a face
resembling a monkey's, "they say a thousand people were turned away at
the doors."
"A thousand? Half the town, you mean!" returned Carlos, rolling a
_cigarillo_ between the tips of his stubby fingers.
"A pretty penny this dance of the Chiquita's must have cost you, Carlos
Moreno," continued Miguel, his head cocked knowingly on one side, while
he squinted over the rim of his glass between puffs of cigarette smoke.
"Three thousand _pesos d'oro_," answered Carlos. "But by the Virgin, it
was worth it!"
"Three thousand _pesos d'oro_!" ejaculated his auditors with one breath.
Old Miguel dropped his glass which fell with a crash, scattering its
contents and fragments over the floor.
"Three thousand _pesos d'oro_!" he gasped. "_Alma de mi vida!_ Soul of
my life! 'tis the salary of a Bishop! Are you mad, Carlos Moreno?"
"Perhaps. But only Carlos Moreno can afford to pay such salaries during
the _Fiesta_," he answered complacently, taking a fresh sip of
_pulque_.
"How did you ever persuade her to dance?" asked Pedro. "It's not the
first time you have made overtures to her."
"Ah, that's the mystery! I'd give something to know why she danced. You
know," he continued, "it's the first time she has ever appeared in
public."
"The first time?" interrupted the Captain in surprise. "Why--she
possesses the composure of a veteran of the footlights."
"Just so," rejoined Carlos. "Nothing is more characteristic of her;
she's at home everywhere. When I first saw her dance three years ago in
the garden of the old _Posada_ at the birthday fête of Señora Fernandez,
I knew instantly that she was either possessed of the devil or the
ancient muse of dance; also, why Don Felipe Ramirez went mad over her.
"_Dios!_ she's a strange woman--almost mysterious at times!" he added
reflectively, with a shrug of the shoulders and gesture of the hands. "I
thought, of course, that it was the money she wanted when she finally
consented to dance, but I'm not so sure of it now."
"What reason have you for supposing otherwise?" asked Pedro.
"Every reason. What do you think she did with the heap of gold and
silver that was showered upon her by the audience?"
"What?" excitedly demanded old Miguel, who by this time had fortified
himself with a fresh glass of _aguardiente_.
"Why, after it had been gathered up and handed to her, she, without so
much as looking at it, tossed it lightly into the center of the stage
and bade the musicians and stage-hands remember her when they drank to
their sweethearts to-night."
Captain Forest's interest began to be aroused.
"_Caramba_--'tis strange!" muttered old Miguel, eyeing his glass
meditatively; his head nodding slightly from the effects of too much
liquor. "But what will Padre Antonio say when he hears of it? How
fortunate he wasn't here to witness a sight that must have caused him
the deepest humiliation. Poor man," he continued, assuming a sympathetic
tone, "it is already the scandal of the town."
"Bah! what of that?" returned Carlos.
It was evident to all that the delights of the _Fiesta_ were beginning
to tell on the old man. Already it had been noted on previous occasions
that an overindulgence in _aguardiente_ usually invoked a religious
frame of mind in him, but which in Miguel's case resembled rather the
groping of a lost soul than the prophetic vision of the seer.
"What of that?" echoed Miguel, an ominous light flashing from his eyes.
"Those golden _pesos_ so lightly earned will just about pay for a
thousand masses in order to avert excommunication and enable the Church
to snatch the soul of the Chiquita from the fires of purgatory as a
punishment for conduct unbecoming the ward of a priest."
"Bah! you talk like an infant, Miguel! What a sad, weary world this
would be if there were only priests and churches in it and men did
nothing all day long but say aves and burn candles on altars," and
Carlos lightly blew a ring of smoke toward the ceiling.
"Ah, yes, perhaps--_quien sabe, amigo mio_?" answered the old man dryly.
"But the Church is the Church."
"Miguel, you are growing old," said Pedro, slapping him lightly on the
back. "Have another glass!"
"I'm not old. I'm no older than the rest of you, and neither will I have
another glass," retorted Miguel hotly, greatly irritated by the others'
laughter.
"Ah!" he continued, wagging his head, and in a tone of bravado and
offended dignity, "you think I can't get home alone, do you? I'll show
you that Miguel Torreno is still as young as the rest of you!" And
supporting himself with one hand on the table and the other on his
stick, he rose from his seat with great difficulty.
"Miguel Torreno old, is he? A thousand devils!" A chorus of laughter
greeted this last outburst as he turned unsteadily and swaying to and
fro, slowly made his way through the crowd toward the door.
Just then a man at the next table rose with an oath. It was Juan Ramon,
Major-domo of the Inn of the Stars. Juan Ramon, the handsome, the hawk,
the gambler--the greatest _vaquero_ in Chihuahua. The man who took
delight in riding horses that other men feared--the man in whose hand
the _riata_ became a magic wand, a hissing serpent, and who could
stretch a bull at full length upon the ground at a given spot within a
given time.
"Has the blessed _Fiesta_ brought you no luck, Juan?" inquired Carlos,
tilting himself back in his chair and smiling up in the other's face.
"Luck--blessed _Fiesta_? The devil take them both!" exclaimed Juan, the
look of disgust on his face gradually changing to one of
resignation--that serene expression of the born gambler whom experience
has taught that days of famine are certain to follow those of plenty.
"Look!" he repeated. "The cards are bewitched--not a _centavo_! My
pockets are empty as Lazarus' stomach! Only a month ago I picked out a
beautiful little _hacienda_ with the fairest acreage to which I intended
to retire and live like a _Caballero_--to-day I parted with my only
horse at a loss--to-morrow," and he shrugged his shoulders
indifferently, "if this sort of thing continues, I'll be forced to pawn
the buttons on my breeches.
"_Mercedes Dios_, blessed be the _Fiesta_!" And flinging the end of his
_zerape_ over one shoulder and across the lower half of his face, he
stalked toward the door; the laughter of his friends ringing in his
ears.
IV
Ten years previous to the events just related, Padre Antonio, his
parochial duties over for the day, was slowly retracing his steps
homeward.
It was a mild, serene summer evening, and he paused before the massive
iron gates set in the high adobe wall surrounding his garden for a last
look at the sunset before entering his house.
It had been a strenuous day for Padre Antonio. Early that morning,
Miguel Torreno while beating his mule, had been kicked half way across
his corral by that stubborn though sensible animal, breaking Miguel's
right arm and fracturing three of his ribs. But no sooner had it been
ascertained that old Miguel would not die as he obstinately insisted
that he would, calling frantically upon the Saints the while as the
vision of purgatorial fires which he knew awaited him loomed before his
distracted imagination, than the wives of Pedro Torlone and José
Alvarez, neighbors and friends, quarreled over a cheap blue and white
striped _ribosa_, embroiling their husbands who, without the Padre's
intercession, would have come to blows.
Then the last sacrament had been administered to Don Juan Otero, one of
Santa Fé's oldest and most respected citizens.
In a vain effort to banish the unpleasant recollections of the day from
his thoughts, Padre Antonio turned with a sigh from the glories of the
sunset which he had been contemplating, and was on the point of entering
the garden when his quick ear caught the sound of horse's hoofs on the
road, causing him to pause with his hand on the latch of the gate.
His house being situated in an unfrequented quarter of the town, he
decided to await the coming of the animal; the bearer perchance of some
friend or acquaintance. He had not long to wait. The sounds drew nearer
and nearer, and presently, greatly to his astonishment, a tall, gaunt,
half-starved gray horse with a _riata_ fastened to his lower jaw, and
upon whose back sat an equally gaunt and haggard Indian woman with
disheveled hair and clothes tattered and dust begrimed, came into view
around the sharp angle of the wall and stopped directly before him.
Never in all his long and varied experience had he witnessed such a
pitiable spectacle as the woman presented. The wild, hollow eyes and
wasted, emaciated form and features gave her more the appearance of some
wild beast than a human being. She did not appear to be conscious of his
presence; and before he had time to recover from his surprise or utter a
word, she stretched both arms out before her as if toward the sun, and
uttering a wild, harsh, inarticulate cry, dropped unconscious from the
horse's back into his arms.
Experience had taught Padre Antonio to act quickly in cases of
emergency, and with the assistance of his gardener and Manuela, his old
Indian housekeeper, he carried her into the house and laid her upon his
own bed. For days she lay in a delirium, the result of the terrible
privations she had evidently endured. She raved and talked incoherently
in a language which neither he nor Manuela understood.
The doctors whom he summoned at the outset, only shook their heads, and
after a lengthy consultation informed him with the stoicism
characteristic of the profession that, the patient would either die or
recover. But Padre Antonio did not despair. In his extremity he turned
to heaven, nor did his petition pass unheeded. At length, after many
days of anxious watching, the fever left her and she sank into a deep,
refreshing sleep from which she did not awaken for many hours.
It was toward the dawn of a Sabbath, and as the calm and peace of sleep
settled upon her, her wasted and emaciated features began gradually to
assume their normal outline. Nature asserted herself, and when the large
dark eyes finally opened once more, it was into the face of a beautiful
girl that Padre Antonio found himself gazing as he knelt by her bedside
in prayer.
"Be quiet, my daughter," he involuntarily murmured as her eyes rested
upon his, without considering whether she understood him. But the faint
semblance of a smile that lit up her countenance in response to his
words told him she comprehended. Then, during the long days of
convalescence that ensued, she imparted her history to him in broken
Spanish.
She was a Tewana; the daughter of their War Chief, the Whirlwind, who
had been killed recently in battle with another Indian tribe, the
Ispali. Just previous to this, her people who had long been at war with
the Government, had been defeated by the Mexican troops. After the
battle the entire tribe with the exception of the Whirlwind's band made
peace with the Government; the remnant of the latter with which she
remained, escaping into the mountains. But fate had doomed the little
fleeing band to extermination. It was surprised and annihilated by the
Ispali Chieftain, the White Wolf, and his followers whose territory they
had invaded; she being the only one spared--the White Wolf signifying
his intention of making her one of his wives. But that same night when
the Chieftain entered the lodge he had set apart for her and began to
make advances to her, she suddenly snatched a brand from the fire which
burned in the center of the lodge and struck him over the head, knocking
him senseless.
Then, stealing forth from the lodge, she mounted the Chieftain's horse
which stood tethered just outside the door and fled under cover of the
night. For days she fled across the deserts and mountains, concealing
herself during the daytime and traveling at night; subsisting as best
she could upon the wild roots and berries which she was able to find.
But the privations which she was forced to endure--the lack of food and
water, night vigils and exposure to the weather, began to tell on her.
She became delirious, and no longer able to guide her horse, was obliged
to let him choose his own course, and--Padre Antonio knew the rest.
Surely God had led this fair heathen child to his very door in order
that he, Padre Antonio, might snatch her soul from the flames of hell by
directing her in the way of the true faith. There could be no doubt of
it; God's handiwork was too apparent.
Padre Antonio was a liberal, broad-minded man. Having experienced most
things that fall to the lot of men, he did not believe in restraining
her against her will in order that her conversion might be accomplished
as many a zealous priest might have considered justifiable in her case.
But should she manifest a desire to remain with him, she would be reared
in the very lap of Mother Church. With this project in mind, it was with
the greatest solicitude that he watched her recovery, and when she was
informed that she would be permitted to return to her own people if she
so desired, he won her confidence completely.
The last vestige of that barrier of restraint and suspicion which the
strangeness of her position had reared between them was swept away.
From that moment the wild little nomad of the desert evinced the keenest
interest in her new surroundings. Her childish delight was unbounded on
beholding for the first time in her life the strange flowers and fruits
in the garden. They were all so new and wonderful to her, and she
wandered for hours among them; touching and plucking them and tasting
and inhaling their fragrance.
Whether it was the novelty of her position, or her sudden and passionate
attachment to Padre Antonio whom she regarded in the light of a
new-found father that caused her to forget for the time her former wild
life and consent to remain with him, is difficult to determine.
Padre Antonio who had lived many years among the wild tribes of the
country and knew them as few men did, their insatiable love of liberty
and intense dislike of the White man's civilization, looked upon her
conversion and decision to remain with him as another direct
intervention of Providence; for that which usually required years had
been accomplished in as many weeks in her case. It was little short of a
miracle, and he rejoiced exceedingly and began gradually to unfold his
plans to her concerning her future.
The curriculum of the Convent of Saint Claire in Santa Fé did not seem
adequate, and nothing would do, but that he should accompany her to the
City of Mexico, where he placed her in charge of the Sisters of Saint
Ursula. There she would have not only the educational, but the social
advantages which the city offered.
Before their departure he christened her, Chiquita Pia Maria Roxan
Concepcion Salvatore; a name which, out of gratitude and obedience to
her benefactor, she accepted without question concerning either its
origin or his reason for giving it to her.
Six years passed, during which she traveled for three summers in Europe
with friends of the Padre. Interminably long years they seemed to him.
Each year he had planned to visit her, but each time something
intervened to prevent his going. He was a busy man. His duties required
annual visits to the outlying _pueblos_ and distant Indian Missions,
consuming his entire time. However, he at length received word from the
Sisters of Saint Ursula that Chiquita had completed her course of
studies and had started on her return journey to Santa Fé.
It was evident from the reports which he had received at regular
intervals from the Sisters that she did not care for the Church as he
had fondly hoped she might. But after all, what did it really matter?
One so young and gay could not be expected to take life so seriously.
When one grew old, one became serious enough for this world; and he
smiled as he thought of his wild little Indian girl.
In his fond imagination, he saw her large, mischievous, dark eyes snap,
and heard the merry peals of her laughter as she flitted about the
garden in former years. Surely it was better thus--that she should
remain blithe and happy like the birds, as God had created her.
The years had begun to tell on the aged Manuela. She was beginning to
show signs of failing, and he decided that Chiquita, his ward, should
live with him and rule his household in Manuela's stead. His wants were
so few and simple that she would have little to do and old Manuela would
be able to sun herself in the garden during the remaining years of her
life; a reward for her long and faithful service. Nor was Manuela
adverse to this new arrangement which must eventually deprive her of all
authority in the household; a position she had guarded so jealously
through the years and which had raised her in the estimation of the
community. Although of a different people, the common racial blood bond
had drawn the two women together from the first; besides, she could
always assist in the lighter work of the household if she chose.
The Padre never tired of meditating upon this fond dream during his
leisure moments. What a perpetual source of joy and satisfaction the
presence and sunshine of this child of his own molding would be to him
in his old age! Besides he would always be near her to administer
spiritual council and guidance.
So, when the day of her arrival finally dawned, he and old Manuela rose
with the sun, and gathering the freshest and brightest flowers the
garden contained, they arranged them in the room she was to occupy;
transforming it into a veritable bower of fragrance and color.
The prospect of seeing his protegée so soon again, filled Padre Antonio
with the most conflicting emotions of longing and impatience.
He could think of nothing else--could neither sit nor stand, but fretted
and bustled about the house with the impatience of a child. Fearful lest
he should be too late, he hurried through his simple breakfast,
consisting of black coffee and a roll, without so much as glancing at
the local paper as was his wont; and then, quite forgetting to pull on
his black silk gloves which Manuela thrust into his hands together with
his hat and stick, he hastened to the station which he reached an hour
before the time scheduled for the arrival of the stage.
Of course she must have changed somewhat during the long interval of her
absence, he argued, more as a concession to reason than to desire or
sentiment. But in spite of this possibility, his mental picture of her
still remained that of the little Indian girl he had confided to the
care of the good Sisters of Saint Ursula six years before.
What if the stage were late, and could she make the long journey alone
and in safety, he asked himself a thousand times as he impatiently paced
up and down the platform of the station; the tap of his gold-headed cane
marking the time of his steps on the boards beneath him.
"Saints! but the stage was slow! A snail could crawl--" Suddenly he
stopped short. A flush of joy suffused his countenance--his heart began
to beat rapidly and his right hand with which he grasped his cane
trembled perceptibly as he gazed intently down the long dusty highroad.
"At last!" he cried. Another intense moment of suspense and the distant
cracking of a whip and sounds of wheels and hoof-beats on the road
announced the approach of the stage. Presently it hove in sight and a
few minutes later, as it drew up before the station and came to a full
stop, the door was hastily flung open and a tall, closely veiled woman
sprang lightly to the platform.
Her striking appearance would have commanded attention anywhere, but
without noticing her, he brushed hastily past her and gazed eagerly into
the interior of the coach. It was empty.
_Dios!_ what had happened? There must be some mistake! With a note of
keenest disappointment in his voice he turned sharply on the driver and
impatiently demanded what had become of the little Indian girl that had
been placed in his charge.
"Little Indian girl? _Caramba!_" A look of bewilderment accompanied by a
shrug of the shoulders and a "_no sabe_, Señor Padre," was the only
answer he received. Consternation seized Padre Antonio.
Merciful heaven! what had become of her--Chiquita, his little girl? His
voice choked, while tears of bitter disappointment welled to his eyes.
"Ah, yes, there had been a mistake--she would come by the next stage,"
he said, addressing the driver, and was on the point of turning away
when a silvery peal of laughter fell upon his ears. He felt a soft touch
on his shoulder and a voice close to him said:
"Padre Antonio, don't you know your little Chiquita?" The veil had
slipped from her face, displaying the features of a beautiful Spanish
woman. Confounded and speechless with amazement, Padre Antonio could
only gaze in silence upon the apparition before him.
Was it possible, or was he only dreaming? What a transformation! Was
this mature woman, this tall and supple and refined and graceful
creature his Chiquita, his wild little Indian girl of former years? He
rubbed his eyes in bewilderment and gazed again. Holy Maria! but she was
beautiful--fair as the starry jasmine blossoms which she wore at her
breast and in the dark folds of her hair.
In that hour the world suddenly became filled with exquisite harmony for
Padre Antonio, and he seemed to grow younger by many years.
The radiant beauty of her face with the poetry of sunshine and laughter
in her eyes and her grace and charm of personality affected him like
some wonderfully attuned chime of silver bells. Surely this was worth
waiting for. His prayers had been answered richly and abundantly, far
beyond anything his imagination had pictured during those long years of
waiting.
V
The _Posada de las Estrellas_ was situated on the western side of the
town within a stone's throw of Padre Antonio's house. It stood well back
from the highroad from which it was screened by a thick hedge-like
growth of cedar, manzanita, tamarisk and lilac bushes.
A short distance east of the _Posada_, the highroad entered the long
_Alameda_ which led to the plaza in the center of the town, overlooked
by the old _Precedio_ or Governor's palace.
The widespreading branches of two immense cottonwood trees, the trunk of
one of which was encircled by a rustic bench, cast an inviting shade in
front of the house and wide veranda which stretched its length along two
sides of the low, one storied adobe structure. Honeysuckle and white
clematis and pink and scarlet passion vines clambered up its slender
pillars and hung in fragrant flowering festoons from the low balustrades
above. The fresh green leaves of the nasturtium, bright with variegated
blossoms, ranging from deep scarlet to gold and pale yellow, trailed
along the ground at the foot of the veranda and skirted the narrow
pathway which led to the rear of the _Posada_ whose _patio_ looked out
upon a garden interspersed with innumerable flowers and shrubs, fruit
and cedar trees, and whose soft green lawn was intersected by narrow
gravel pathways. Just back of the garden lay the vegetable patches which
intervened between it and the stables and corrals, whence came the
cackling of hens and cooing of pigeons in the early morning.
Originally the _Posada_ had been one of the large _haciendas_ adjoining
Santa Fé, but its mistress, Señora Fernandez, had transformed it into an
Inn after the death of her husband who had been killed accidentally by
the fall of his horse. Finding herself in reduced circumstances incurred
by her husband's gambling propensities, she resolved upon the change.
His chief legacy consisting of debts, she was obliged to part with the
greater portion of the estate, but her natural executive ability stood
her in good stead.
The new enterprise prospered, and the Inn became widely known throughout
the country as a place at which to stop if only for a cup of chocolate
or a chat with the Señora who always knew the latest gossip.
In her youth she had been noted for her beauty, and even now, in spite
of middle-age and somewhat faded features, the latter the result of the
struggle she had undergone to reestablish herself in the world, she was
still considered buxom and fair to look upon by the majority of men. She
carried her head high and with a coquettish air which plainly showed she
had by no means relinquished her hold upon life.
On this particular morning she looked unusually well as she moved about
the _patio_ engaged with her women in assorting a huge basket of freshly
laundered household linen. Not a strand of silver was visible in her
jet black hair, adorned with a large tortoise-shell comb and a single
Castilian rose. Her gay, low-necked, short sleeved bodice, exposing her
shapely neck and arms, harmonized well with her short, black silken
_saya_ which rustled with every movement she made and from beneath which
protruded a small pair of high instepped feet encased in black slippers
ornamented with large quaint silver buckles.
It was the Señora's birthday. She had risen earlier than usual prepared
to receive the congratulations of her friends who, she knew, would be
sure to call during the day in honor of the occasion. A few of them
would be asked to remain and dine with her in the evening.
It was on a similar occasion that Chiquita had danced in the _patio_
before her guests.
The innate vanity of the woman might have led one to suppose that she
would let the years pass unnoticed, but not so. The old, time-honored
custom of the country must be observed lest her friends might say:
Señora Fernandez is already laying by for a ripe old age, the mere
suggestion of which on the part of the world would have been enough to
throw her into one of those uncontrollable fits of rage for which she
was noted.
Artful, shrewd and scheming though she was, her susceptibility to
flattery was her weak point, amounting almost to a mania. To be told
that she still looked as young and handsome as in the days when the
years justified the statement, was to win her immediate esteem. The lack
of this servile attitude and cringing civility on Chiquita's part,
together with the knowledge of her own superiority which she never
hesitated to show when occasion required, had drawn down the Señora's
enmity upon her. Whereas, an occasional soft word or smile of
acquiescence--she demanded so little--would have smoothed her ruffled
spirit and taken the edge off her tongue, the sharpest in Santa Fé.
It was not easy for the inveterate coquette and one time reigning belle
to resign the position she had held so long and undisputed, especially
to an alien--one whom the full blooded Spaniard inwardly despises,
regards as of an inferior race.
How she hated the dark woman, envied the glances and flatteries and
attentions which she always received wherever she went. It was said,
that on Chiquita's return from school, Señora Fernandez suddenly grew
cold and haughty toward the world, but finding that a proud exterior
availed her little, she sulked and pouted for a time like a spoiled
child, only to warm again to the world which she loved so passionately,
which she felt slipping from her and without whose adulation she could
not live.
_Dios de mi vida!_ but it was terrible to grow old! Not since the death
of her husband, Don Carlos, had she endured so bitter a pang. The fact
that she had never had any children accounted perhaps for a certain
harshness in her nature.
It was a busy day for the Señora. Besides the care of her guests, the
preparing of freshly killed fowl and baking of cakes and _tortillas_,
there was the garden which must be hung with lanterns where there would
be the usual dancing and merrymaking during the evening. All this and
much more the Señora must superintend, but she was equal to the task.
As she issued her orders to the retinue of servants that came and went,
she carried on a lively, though interrupted, conversation with her
sister, Señora Rosario Sanchez, and her niece, Dolores, who had come to
assist her in the preparations.
"It has come at last--I always said it would--I never trusted that
double nature of hers!" she exclaimed triumphantly, pausing for an
instant in her work of assorting the linen. The expression and gesture
of Señora Sanchez plainly bespoke the shock she also had experienced.
"To think of it," she gasped. "How Padre Antonio can overlook such a
breach of confidence and offense to the Church is more than I can
understand!"
"Ah! that shows the extent of her influence over him," answered Señora.
"She has bewitched him with her wild ways--he simply dotes on her!"
"It's scandalous!" broke in her sister.
"To my mind, it shows signs of the Padre's failing," rejoined the Señora
sharply.
"It does indeed--poor man!" sighed her sister. "And what's more--it
never did seem proper that so handsome a woman should live with a priest
even though she be his ward and he an old man."
"Handsome?" sneered the Señora, drawing herself together as though she
had received an electric shock; the pleased and animated expression of
her face changing suddenly to one of utmost frigidity. "I never could
understand why people considered that Indian good looking," and her
black eyes snapped as she turned to resume her work, plainly betraying
the jealousy aroused. Señora Sanchez, knowing her sister's temper only
too well, hastened to change the subject.
Strange to say, Padre Antonio did not share the public's sentiment, or
rather that of his own particular flock, concerning Chiquita's latest
escapade. Instead of being overwhelmed, broken in spirit and utterly
cast down by grief and shame as had been confidently predicted, he, much
to the disgust of his congregation, went calmly about his duties as
though nothing unusual had occurred, referring jocosely to this lark of
his madcap ward as he was pleased to term it.
Lark? Heavens! had the Padre lost his senses? Excommunication might be a
little too severe, but a year's solitary confinement in a convent as a
penance for her sin was the least penalty she could expect.
But Padre Antonio knew what the rest of the world did not. That his
charming, irrepressible protegée would have snapped her fingers lightly
at the mere suggestion of either. The days of mediæval suppression of
females had come to an end even in Mexico. Moreover, there existed a
perfect understanding between the two.
During his long years of missionary work he had learned that the heathen
often stood higher in the sight of Heaven than many a zealous devotee of
the Church. Besides, dancing was not only a national pastime of the
Spaniard, but among Indians, a part of their religion as well.
That Chiquita had some very good reason for dancing in public, he knew
well enough. They understood one another perfectly, and he did not ask
her her reason for dancing, knowing full well that some day she would
tell him of her own accord.
Although Chiquita had accommodated herself marvelously well to the new
conditions, imbibing the best civilization had to offer, she
nevertheless remained the freeborn woman--the descendant of a freeborn
race of men. The wild, free nomad whom experience and direct contact
with nature had early taught to recognize the simple underlying truths
and realities of life and their relations to one another, was not to be
measured by the conventions or limited standards of a tamer race of men
hedged about by superficial traditions and born and reared remote from
the heart of nature beneath the roofs of houses. It was the cold, hard
earth and equally cold and unrelenting stars that had nurtured Chiquita
from earliest childhood, and to apply the petty restraints and
conventions of modern society to her was like clipping the wings of an
eagle and then expecting it to fly.
Ordinarily, life is dull enough without civilized man's efforts to
reduce it to positive boredom, and although Chiquita's escapades had
acted like a slap in the face, they had nevertheless done much to arouse
the spirit of the otherwise sleepy old town. Her presence was fresh and
invigorating as the north wind. Moreover, the very ones who criticised
her most in secret, were usually the first to come to her for advice
when in trouble. For who was so wise as the strange, beautiful woman?
True, it cost something to be hated as cordially as one was admired,
nevertheless, Padre Antonio rightly conjectured that there was not a
woman in Santa Fé who would not willingly exchange places with his ward
were she able to. So, like the sensible man that he was, he only smiled
at idle gossip and continued to watch with increasing interest the
transformation of his protegée.
VI
Captain Forest had taken quarters at the _Posada_ for an indefinite
period; at least until he learned the whereabouts of his friend, Dick
Yankton, who had accompanied him on his former expeditions.
He had been aroused at an early hour by the cackling of affrighted fowl
and the voices and footsteps of _peons_ as they came and went in the
_patio_, their jests and laughter mingling with snatches of song. Not
being able to sleep, he arose, and after a hasty toilet, stepped out
upon the veranda, bright with the morning sunlight. Save for his
presence, the place was deserted; the empty chairs standing about just
as their occupants of the previous evening had left them, a proof that
he was the first of the guests to be abroad.
"I wonder where Dick is?" he soliloquized, leisurely descending the
veranda steps and turning into the pathway that led to the garden at the
rear of the house and thence to the corrals, whither he directed his
steps for a look at his horse to see whether he had been properly cared
for during the night. As he disappeared around the corner of the house,
a woman turned in from the highroad and paused before the Inn beneath
the great cottonwood encircled by the bench.
She was tall and slender and on one arm carried a basket of eggs
concealed beneath a layer of freshly cut roses; Padre Antonio's annual
birthday tribute to the Señora. Her heavy blue-black hair, loosely
caught up at the back of the neck and adorned with a bunch of pink
passion flowers nestled about her neck and shoulders, on one of which
was perched a small white dove that fluttered and cooed. From out the
midst of the passion flowers shone a faint glint of silver.
Her dull white shirt waist, low at the neck and with sleeves rolled back
to the elbows, exposed her long, slender neck and well rounded forearms
which, like her face, were a rich red bronze. A faded orange kerchief,
loosely knotted, encircled her neck; the ends thrust carelessly into her
breast. Her soft mauve _saya_, worn and patched and looped up at one
side, disclosing a faded blue petticoat underneath, fell to her ankles,
displaying a pair of small feet encased in dull blue stockings and low
black shoes.
Depositing the basket on the bench, she extended her right hand upon the
back of which the dove immediately hopped, cooing and fluttering as
before.
"_Cara mia!_" she murmured fondly, raising it to her lips, kissing it
and caressing it gently against her cheek.
"What wouldst thou--thou greedy little Jaquino? Knowest not thou hast
had one more berry than thy sweet little Jaquina?" But the dove only
continued to flutter and coo on her hand.
"Hearest thou not," she continued, "she already calls thee!" And
extending her lips, between which she had inserted a fresh berry, the
dove eagerly seized and devoured it.
"Ah, _querida mia_!" she murmured softly, kissing it again. "Now fly
away quickly like a good little Jaquino before some wicked señor comes
to catch thee for his breakfast!" And tossing the dove lightly into the
air with an "_á Dios_," it hovered over her head for an instant, then
flew straight away over the old _Posada_ back to Padre Antonio's garden
where its mate awaited it.
A sigh escaped her as she watched the flight of the bird. How free of
the cares and responsibilities of the world the winged creatures seemed.
She turned to the bench once more and was in the act of picking up her
basket, when her attention was suddenly arrested by the sound of
footsteps close at hand, and wheeling around, she came face to face with
Captain Forest.
The little cry of surprise that escaped her interrupted the Captain's
meditations who, with eyes cast on the ground, might otherwise have
walked straight into her.
"A thousand pardons, Señorita!" he exclaimed in Spanish, stopping
abruptly and raising his hat.
"I--" He paused as her full gaze met his which to his surprise was
almost on a level with his own. What a face! Could his sensations have
been analyzed, they might have coincided with those of Padre Antonio's
on beholding his protegée when she stepped from the stagecoach on her
return from the convent.
The broad sweep of her brow, her penetrating gaze, her straight nose,
high cheek bones and delicately molded lips and chin and grace of her
supple, sinuous body, together with the picturesqueness of her costume,
presented a picture of striking beauty.
"Why," he continued abruptly, "you are the woman that danced at Carlos
Moreno's! The Señorita Chiquita about whom the whole town is talking!"
"Ah! you saw me dance, Señor?" she asked, betraying a slight
embarrassment.
"I wouldn't have missed it for the world! Such a performance--I--" again
he paused, regarding her intently. "Do you know, Señorita, all the while
I watched you dance there seemed to be something familiar about you. It
seemed as though I had seen you somewhere before."
"Yes?" she queried, her dark eyes glowing and a faint flush mounting to
her cheeks.
"Yes," he answered. "Ever since then I have been trying to think where
it could have been. Ah!" he exclaimed, stepping backwards and eyeing her
critically. "Just turn your head that way again. There, that's it! I
knew I had seen you before! Do you remember the night we met a year ago
on the trail below La Jara?"
A smile parted her full rose-red lips, displaying her pearly teeth. "I
remember it well, Señor," she answered, casting down her eyes for an
instant. "I recognized you the instant I saw you."
"Strange," he muttered half to himself. Then, after a rather
embarrassing silence, he said: "That was a fine horse you rode. Do you
live here at the _Posada_, Señorita?"
"No. I live with Padre Antonio."
"Padre Antonio? Ah, yes!" he exclaimed, recalling the conversation at
Pedro Romero's gambling hall. "Tell me," he continued, "who is Padre
Antonio?"
"Ah! I see you have not been long in Santa Fé, Señor, else you must have
heard something about him. Everybody knows Padre Antonio--he is our
priest."
"Both you and he must have been absent when I was here before, otherwise
I must have met you," he answered.
At this moment the tall figure of a man, dressed in a suit of light gray
material with a soft felt hat to match, appeared in the doorway of the
Inn. His eyes, like his hair and mustache, were dark brown. His hands
were long and slender and delicate as a woman's, yet there was nothing
effeminate in his appearance. His strong, sensitive features and roving,
piercing eyes and alert carriage indicated courage and energy.
He paused as he caught sight of the two figures before him. Then, with
an exclamation of surprise, he stepped quickly out on to the veranda.
"Jack!" he exclaimed. "When did you get here?"
Turning swiftly, Captain Forest saw Dick Yankton standing before him.
"Dick!" he cried, and rushing up the veranda steps, seized him by both
hands. "I've been wondering where I would find you! You evidently didn't
get my letter?"
"No," replied his companion. "I only returned from the mountains late
last night. It's probably waiting for me here."
"The Señores know one another?" interrupted Chiquita, also ascending the
veranda.
"Know one another? Señorita, we are brothers," said Dick.
"Brothers?" she echoed, surprised and perplexed.
"Yes, Señorita, all but in name," interposed the Captain.
"Ah! I see. Brothers in fortune!"
"Exactly," replied Dick. "But what is all this I hear concerning your
doings, Señorita? I'd have given my best horse to have seen you dance,
but, as you see, I'm too late. A pretty nest of hornets you've stirred
up in the old place," he continued. "Why, last evening I met the Navaros
on the road on their way home and they wouldn't let me pass until they
had told me how wicked you were. Señora Navaro even crossed herself and
said an ave at the first mention of your name."
"Ah," she sighed, then laughed unconcernedly. "I'm afraid I've been very
naughty, Señor." Then suddenly recollecting her mission, she exclaimed:
"I almost forgot why I came here this morning. I'm the bearer of Padre
Antonio's gift and greetings to the Señora. It's her birthday, you
know."
"Her birthday? I wonder she still dares have them!" exclaimed Dick.
"She does, nevertheless," laughed Chiquita; and brushing back the roses
in her basket with a sweep of the hand, she disclosed the eggs beneath.
"Look," she continued. "Padre Antonio's gift! Are they not
beautiful--just fresh from the hens! You had better have some for your
breakfast, Señor," she added.
"By all the Saints in the calendar, they are pearls, every one of
them!" returned Dick enthusiastically, eyeing the contents of the
basket. "Thrice blessed be thy hens, Señorita! We'll have eggs with our
chocolate out here on the veranda!"
"I thought so!" came a sharp voice from the other side of the doorway
just behind them, "as usual, talking with the Señores!" and Señora
Fernandez, with flushed cheeks and a spiteful gleam in her eyes which
she took no pains to conceal, stepped from the door into the light.
"_Buenas dias_, Doña Fernandez!" said Chiquita, unabashed by the
Señora's sudden appearance and onslaught, "may the day bring you many
blessings! Look! Padre Antonio's greetings," and she held up the basket
for the Señora's benefit. Then, with a subtle sarcasm which she knew
would avenge her amply for the Señora's unprovoked attack, she said: "I
stopped to inquire what the Señores would have for their breakfast. They
say they will have eggs with their chocolate."
"Indeed! Eggs and chocolate--chocolate and eggs!" angrily retorted the
Señora, "just as though one didn't know what everybody takes for
breakfast!" But without waiting for her to finish, Chiquita vanished
through the doorway with her basket; her low laughter, followed by a
snatch of song just audible from within, serving to increase the
Señora's irritation.
"Holy God! I sometimes think the devil is inside of that girl!" she
exclaimed, vexed beyond measure.
"Ah, but what a sweet one!" laughed Dick. "I wouldn't mind being
possessed of the same myself."
"Bah, Señor! you talk like a fool!" she retorted. "I pray you, do not
think too poorly of us, Señor _Capitan_," she continued in an apologetic
tone, turning to Captain Forest. "I assure you, all the women in Santa
Fé are not so bold as the Señorita Chiquita."
"No, most of them are a tame lot!" broke in Dick, secretly enjoying the
Señora's discomfiture.
"_Caramba!_ your speech grows more foolish as you talk, Señor!" returned
the Señora in a tone of intense disgust. "I see, you too have fallen
under her spell. They say she has the evil-eye, Señor _Capitan_," she
went on, addressing the Captain again.
"Evil-eye--ha, ha! What next?" laughed Dick.
"Blood of the Saints! I'll no longer waste my time with you, Señor!" and
with an angry swish of her skirt, she turned and disappeared in the
house.
VII
"What does she mean by the evil-eye?" asked the Captain after the sounds
of the Señora's footsteps had died away in the corridor within the
house.
"Nothing--it's only jealousy. Chiquita being the acknowledged belle of
the town, most of the other women, especially those of pure Spanish
blood, are jealous as cats of her, and seldom miss an opportunity of
saying spiteful things about her. That's why her dancing has caused such
a row. And yet," he continued, seating himself on the veranda rail, his
back against one of its wooden pillars, "I can't see why. It's race
hatred of course, but there's really no reason for it because she's the
best educated woman between here and the City of Mexico. Padre Antonio
saw to it that she received the best Mexico had to give. Why, she speaks
French and English almost as well as she does Spanish. If she were a
_mestiza_ or half-caste, things would go hard with her, but being a
full-blood, she's easily a match for them all."
"She's certainly an unusual woman," said the Captain; "one you would
hardly expect to find in this out-of-the-way place."
"Oh, that's one of the many paradoxes in life," answered Dick. "I've met
many a remarkable personality in the most remote regions during my
wanderings. But," he continued, abruptly changing the topic of
conversation, "what brings you back here? I always felt you would come
back to this country again. Civilization isn't all it's cracked up to
be, is it?"
"It was a hard wrench just the same," returned the Captain, "especially
when one--"
"Did you hear that?" suddenly interrupted Dick, rising from his seat on
the veranda rail and gazing intently down the highroad. The sounds of a
vehicle and hoof-beats on the hard road, mingled with the shouts of a
driver, the crack of a whip and tinkle of bells, were distinctly heard,
and presently, a heavy lumbering stagecoach enveloped in a cloud of
white dust and drawn by four mules was seen coming down the road at full
gallop.
The sounds had also aroused the household. Señora Fernandez at the head
of a troop of _peons_ and women rushed out of the house, talking and
gesticulating excitedly as they swarmed over the veranda and down the
steps in front of the _Posada_, for all the world like a distracted
colony of ants.
"_Dios!_ what can have happened to the stage that it comes in the
morning instead of the evening?" she cried breathlessly, quite
forgetting her recent ill humor in the excitement.
"There's no stage at this hour," said Dick.
"But there it comes!" answered the Captain.
"It's not the regular stage," returned Dick; "a party of tourists, most
likely! I see a lot of women!" he added, as the occupants on the outside
of the stage came more clearly into view.
Suddenly Captain Forest started, gasped, and gripped one of the veranda
pillars with his right hand. "No--it can't be!" he muttered, passing his
free hand across his eyes as though to dispel an illusion.
"What's the matter, Jack?" asked Dick.
"God in heaven! what can have brought them here?" he cried, ignoring his
companion's question and leaning out over the veranda rail, his gaze
riveted on the stage.
"Friends of yours?" asked Dick again.
"Friends? It's the whole family!"
Dick gave a prolonged whistle.
The women and _peons_, clamoring vociferously, instantly surrounded the
stage as it drew up before the _Posada_ with a great clatter of wheels
and hoofs; assisting its occupants to alight and carrying the luggage
into the house.
On the box beside the driver sat Blanch Lennox, looking a trifle pale
the Captain thought, and Bessie Van Ashton, his cousin, a pretty blond
with large violet eyes and small hands and feet that matched her
slender, willowy figure.
"Is this the infernal place?" came a voice from the interior of the
coach that sounded more like a snarl of a wild beast than a human voice.
"If ever I pass another night in such a damned ark--" came the voice
again, as its possessor, Colonel Van Ashton, enveloped in a much
wrinkled traveling coat, stepped with difficulty from the coach to the
ground. "I'm so stiff I can hardly walk! Ough!" he cried, and his right
hand went to his back as a fresh spasm of pain seized him.
"It's just what I told you it would be like! The country's
beastly--beastly!" and Mrs. Forest, white with dust and completely
exhausted by the journey, followed the Colonel, supported on either side
by her maid and her brother's valet.
"Merciful God! they must be very grand people to talk so foolish!"
ejaculated the Señora who knew enough English to grasp the import of
Mrs. Forest's words. Although she had never devoted much time to the
study of the language, she had picked up a smattering of English from
the Americans and Englishmen who annually stopped at the _Posada_ on
their way to the mines in the interior of the country in which much
foreign capital was invested.
"Why, there's Jack!" cried Bessie, dropping lightly from the box into
the arms of two _peons_ who stood below to assist her to the ground.
"Hello, Jack!" she continued, advancing, "I'll wager you didn't expect
to see us this morning, did you?"
The Captain noted the ring of sarcasm in her voice as she concluded.
"I confess I did not, Cousin," he answered, descending the veranda to
meet them. "What in the world brought you here?" he asked, taking his
cousin's hand.
"Oh! we thought we'd like to see a little more of the world before we
became too old to enjoy traveling," she answered, with a peculiar little
laugh that was all her own and which usually conveyed a sense of
uneasiness to those toward whom it was directed.
"How much longer are you going to stand there asking idiotic questions?"
broke in Mrs. Forest with a furious glance at her son. "Can't you see,
I'm nearly dead?"
"Really, Mother, I'm very sorry," returned the Captain, "but it's all
your own fault, you know. Why did you come?"
"Our fault--why did we come? It's your fault--your fault, sir!" she
almost screamed, and ended by laughing hysterically.
Colonel Van Ashton who had been nursing his wrath all night long while
being bumped over a rough road in an old broken-down stagecoach,
required but the sight of his nephew to cause an explosion. He had not
closed his eyes during the entire night, and like his sister, Mrs.
Forest, was in a state of collapse. His usually florid complexion had
turned to a brilliant crimson, giving him the appearance of an
overheated furnace.
He regarded himself as a martyr, nay, worse--an innocent victim of fate
who, entirely against his will, had been cruelly dragged into the
present intolerable situation by the caprice of his accursed nephew.
He had suffered long and patiently all that mortal flesh and blood could
endure. But, thank God, there were compensations in this life after
all--the object of his wrath stood before him at last.
"So this, sir, is what you call returning to nature, is it?" he cried in
a hoarse roar, controlling his voice with difficulty and glaring
savagely at his nephew.
"It's evidently not to your liking, Uncle," replied the Captain quietly,
doing his best to keep from laughing in his face.
"Liking!"--roared the Colonel again, his voice raised to the breaking
pitch--"I never thought I'd get to hell so soon! Why, sir," he
continued, knocking a cloud of dust from his hat, "this isn't nature,
this is geology! I don't see how you ever discovered the damned country!
The wind-swept wastes of Dante's Inferno are verdant in comparison!
You're mad, there's no doubt of it!" he fumed, stamping up and down.
"Do you know," he went on, stopping abruptly before his nephew, "they
say that, before you left Newport, you ran your touring-car over the
cliff into the sea--a machine that must have cost you fifteen thousand
at least!"
"Well, what if I did? It served me right for deserting my horse for the
devil's toy. Thank God, I'm rid of the infernal machine!"
"Look here, Jack Forest--" but the Colonel's voice broke in a violent
fit of coughing.
It required but little discernment on the part of the Mexicans to
perceive that the meeting between Captain Forest and his family was not
what might be termed particularly felicitous. Even Señora Fernandez was
quick enough to perceive that things were going from bad to worse, and
in an effort to smooth matters, she stepped forward and in her best
English said: "Señor _Capitan_, why did you tell me not zat ze ladies
were coming? I might 'ave prepared been for zem."
"My good Señora," responded the Captain, regarding her with a look of
extreme compassion, "I never dreamt of such a misfortune."
"Just the sort of answer one might expect from you! Not a word of
welcome or sympathy! I always said you were the most selfish mortal
alive!" cried Mrs. Forest bitterly.
"Señoras, I pray for you, come into ze house at once!" spoke up the
Señora again, turning entreatingly to the ladies. "I you promess, zat
wen you an orange an' cup of coffee 'ave 'ad, you will yourselves better
feel."
"The Señora's right," broke in the Captain. "Come into the house and
when you've--" but his sentence was cut short by the sharp report of a
pistol, followed in quick succession by two other shots, and a moment
later a man, breathless and without coat or hat, and his shirt and
trousers in tatters, rushed among them.
"Hide me quick, somebody!" he cried. "For God's sake--the posse--" but
before he could finish, a troop of men, armed with six-shooters and
Winchester rifles, burst from the cover of bushes that lined the
highroad.
"There he is yonder, boys, behind that man!" cried their leader
excitedly, a small, thick-set, broad-shouldered man with sandy hair and
beard and florid complexion. The others, following the direction
indicated by him, seized the fugitive who had taken refuge behind
Captain Forest and dragged him hurriedly beneath one of the cottonwood
trees, over a lower branch of which they flung a rope. Their work was so
expeditious that, before the spectators could realize what was
happening, they had bound his hands behind his back and fastened one end
of the rope about his neck.
"Stand clear, everybody!" commanded the leader, his gaze sweeping the
throng. Then turning to his men, he said: "When I give the word, boys,
let him swing!"
"Don't, boys--don't!" cried the prisoner in a despairing, supplicating
voice, dropping on his knees. "For God's sake--give me a chance--" but a
jerk of the rope cut short his words which ended in an inarticulate
gurgle in his throat.
"They are going to hang him--it's murder!" gasped Mrs. Forest, clinging
to her trembling, terrified maid who was already on the verge of
fainting.
"Gentlemen," said the Colonel, stepping forward, "I object to such an
unheard-of proceeding! You have no right to hang a man without a trial."
"Say, old punk," cried the leader, turning savagely on the Colonel,
"who's a runnin' this show?" The well-delivered blow of a sledge-hammer
could not have been more crushing in its effect on the Colonel than were
the words of the leader; he was completely silenced. Greatly to his
credit, however, he stood his ground. He was no coward, for he had faced
death and been wounded more than once in his younger days on the field
of battle, and had he possessed a weapon at the moment, he would have
snuffed out the leader's life as deliberately as he would have blown out
the light of a candle, regardless of consequences. But recognizing the
carrion with which he had to deal, and the futility of further
interference, he quietly shrugged his shoulders, smiled and pulled the
end of his mustache. The hanging might proceed so far as he was
concerned.
"Gentlemen," spoke up the Captain, "what has this man done?"
"You'll learn that when we're through with him!" replied the leader.
Even were there no doubt of the prisoner's guilt and hanging a
well-deserved punishment, Captain Forest, nevertheless, liked fair play.
The blood surged to his face. His fighting instincts and spirit of
resentment were thoroughly aroused. He had seen men hanged and shot down
before in the most summary manner, some of them afterward proving to
have been victims of gross error and brute passion. He also knew how
futile it was to argue with men whose passions were roused to the
fighting pitch. The Colonel's interference was an instance of how little
such men could be influenced. It was absurd to look for moderation under
the circumstances. There was only one way to save the prisoner--the use
of the same means employed by the lynchers, namely, force. Whence could
such interference come? How could a man single-handed cope with a
well-armed body of men of their type? Only a miracle could save the
prisoner and the intervention of a miracle is always a slender prop upon
which to lean.
"Now, boys," continued the leader, turning to his men, "get ready--" but
his voice was drowned by a chorus of cries and screams from the women.
"Silence!" he roared. "Stop that damn noise!"
"I would like to know, sir, who gave you authority to shut our mouths?"
and Blanch Lennox planted herself squarely before him. So astonished was
he by her sudden appearance and outburst, that he fell back a pace. He
seemed to have lost his voice, and only after much hemming and hawing,
managed to stammer an awkward apology while vainly endeavoring to
conceal his embarrassment.
"Ladies," he finally began, removing his hat in an attempt at
politeness, "I'm powerful sorry to be obliged to perform this painful
duty contrary to your wishes, but the law must be obeyed. We've been a
chasin' this feller, who's the most notorious scoundrel in the country,
through the mountains for the last three weeks, and now we've got him, I
reckon we ain't a goin' ter let him get away. Is we, boys?" and he
turned confidently to his men.
"You bet we ain't!" they responded.
"No, ladies," echoed their leader in turn, "not if we know it. Besides,
we've got permission from the Mexican authorities to do with him as we
like. I guess," he added, "they'll be about as glad to be rid of him as
we are. And now, ladies," he continued, "if you don't want to witness as
pretty a hanging as ever took place in these parts, you'll take my
advice and retire into the house as soon as possible."
But no one stirred. The tall handsome woman still stood before him
unmoved, and he was beginning to realize that her gaze was becoming more
difficult to meet. Somewhat disconcerted, he began again in his most
persuasive tone.
"Ladies, please don't interrupt the course of the law by staying around
here any longer than's necessary--for hang he will!" he added.
Still no one showed the slightest sign of complying with his wishes. The
situation was becoming intolerable.
"Ladies," he began again, and this time rather peremptorily, "you'll
greatly oblige us by retiring at once."
"We'll not move a step until you take the rope from that man's neck,"
said Blanch firmly and unabashed, still holding her ground. Her words
acted like a challenge. His temper was thoroughly roused, it being a
question whether he or a lot of women should have their way. He, Jim
Blake, overpowered by a mob of sentimental, hysterical women--not while
he lived!
"Then, ladies," he answered curtly, placing his hat firmly on his head,
"if you won't go into the house, you'll have to see him swing, that's
all!" and quickly detailing half his men who lined up before the
spectators with cocked rifles, he shouted to the others behind them
holding the rope: "Boys, when I count three, do your work!" There was no
mistaking his words. The prisoner uttered a half-articulate groan.
"One--" slowly counted Blake.
The Mexicans crossed themselves and began to mutter prayers. Women
screamed.
"Two--three--" but simultaneously with the word three, was heard the
report of a pistol, and the men pulling on the rope rolled on the
ground, a hopelessly entangled mass of arms and legs. The rope had been
severed just above the prisoner's head, and when the smothered oaths of
the men mingled with the screams of the women had subsided, Dick Yankton
with pistol in hand was seen leaning out over the veranda rail.
"I reckon there won't be any hanging at the old _Posada_ this morning,
Jim Blake," he said, calmly covering the latter with his weapon.
"Well, darn my skin!" gasped Blake. "Where did you come from?"
"Oh, I just dropped around," replied Dick, unconcernedly.
"Now, gentlemen," he continued, addressing the men, "I've got the drop
on Blake, and if any one of you moves hand or foot I'll send him to a
warmer place than this in pretty quick time."
"Don't mind me, boys--turn loose on him!" cried Blake pluckily, but
nobody seemed inclined to obey.
"It won't do, Jim," spoke up one of his men. "We ain't a going to see
you killed before our eyes. Besides, it's Dick Yankton."
"Jack!" called out Dick, "free the prisoner and be quick about it!"
"You're interfering with the law!" roared Blake, as the Captain
proceeded to obey Dick's command.
"I know it," replied Dick; "it isn't the first time I've interfered with
it either. Besides, I don't see why I haven't got as good a right to it
as you or any other man." Blake sputtered and squirmed helplessly as he
faced Dick's weapon, not daring to lift a hand.
"What objection have you got to our ridding the earth of this damned
scoundrel, I'd like to know?" he asked, choking with rage.
"Oh, as to that, I've got several, Jim Blake, and one of them is--I
don't like to see a man hanged before breakfast. It sort of takes away
one's appetite, you know," he added, coolly eyeing his adversary over
the barrel of his pistol.
"Well, if you ain't the most impudent cuss I ever seen!" cried Blake, by
this time almost on the point of exploding.
"Perhaps I am," answered Dick, the faintest smile playing about the
corners of his mouth. "You're putting up a pretty big bluff, Jim, but I
happen to be holding the cards in this game and I rather think you'll
stay and see it out.
"Bob Carlton," he continued, addressing the prisoner whom the Captain
had freed, "there's a black horse in the corral back of the house; jump
on him just as he is and make tracks out of here as almighty fast as you
know how!"
"Thank you, Dick, I'll not forget you!" cried Carlton, starting in the
direction of the corral but, catching sight of Miss Van Ashton, he
stopped short. "I--I beg your pardon, Madame," he stammered, "but would
you mind telling me your name?"
"I can't see what business that is of yours!" replied Bessie curtly and
with a toss of the head, turning her back upon him.
"I meant no offense, Madame--I--"
"Van Ashton's her name," said the Captain.
"Van Ashton!" he exclaimed.
"You had better be moving, Carlton--you damn fool!" came Dick's angry
voice. "The next time you're in for a funeral I may not be around to
stop it!"
Carlton needed no further urging. The sound of a horse going at full
speed was presently heard on the road beyond the _Posada_.
"Don't any one move," said Dick quietly, as all listened in silence to
the sounds which grew fainter and fainter until they ceased altogether
in the distance.
"He's got a good mile start by this time," said Dick at length, coolly
lowering his pistol and returning it to his pocket. "Gentlemen," he
continued, leisurely descending the veranda, "you're at liberty to
follow him if you like."
"After him, boys!" yelled Blake, suddenly aroused to fresh action.
"It's no use, Jim," said one of his men, "our hosses is cleaned blowed."
"Damnation!" growled Blake, tugging nervously at his beard. "And now,
Dick Yankton," he continued, confronting him squarely with both feet
spread wide apart and his hands thrust to his elbows in his trouser
pockets, "the question is, what's to be done with you? I just guess
we'll make an example of you for interfering with the law."
"And I guess you won't do anything of the kind, Jim Blake, because there
isn't a white man in the country that will help you do it."
"The devil!" ejaculated Blake, completely taken aback by Dick's
coolness.
"I guess Dick's about right there, Jim," spoke up another of his men.
Blake was about to continue the argument, but realizing that the
sentiment of his men was not with him and that his position was growing
momentarily more ridiculous, he ceased abruptly. Rough though he was
and of the swash-buckler type, he was neither insensible to the humor of
the situation nor to the nerve it had taken on Dick's part to hold
twenty armed men at bay single-handed. It is usually a difficult matter
to pocket one's pride, especially if one sees ridicule lurking just
around the corner, but few men were capable of resisting the charm of
Dick's personality for long.
"Come, Jim, be reasonable," he said, laying his hand familiarly on
Blake's shoulder; "Bob Carlton saved my life once and now we're quits."
"He did? Well, that's the only good thing the sneakin' skunk ever done!
Why didn't you tell us that before?"
"Because you didn't give me time. You would have hung him first and then
listened to what I had to say afterwards."
"Hum!" ejaculated Blake, "I guess you're about right there."
"Boys," continued Dick, turning to the others, "I'm mighty sorry to have
spoiled your fun, but I'll see that you don't regret your visit to Santa
Fé. Come into the house and I'll tell how it happened. The cigars and
the drinks are on me!"
"Well, as I said before, Dick," exclaimed Blake, "you're the cussedest,
most contrariest feller I ever seen. You got the best of us this time,
but I guess we'll about get even with you on the drinks before we're
through--won't we, boys?" and amid a chorus of laughter and good-humored
exclamations, the men, followed by Dick and Blake, crowded into the
house.
"What a country!" gasped Mrs. Forest after the last of them had
disappeared. "Have people here nothing to do but murder one another?"
she asked in a despairing voice, sniffing vigorously at the bottle of
salts her maid handed her.
"Ze Saints be praised, zey do not!" cried the Señora who by this time
had regained her composure. "Such a zing 'as happened nevair before."
"They are a little more free-handed out here than we are," remarked the
Captain. "Where we come from, people allow a man to go free after
exhausting all the resources of the law, while here, they quietly hang a
scoundrel when they catch him without making any fuss about it. It's
much simpler, you know."
"Beautiful!" echoed the Colonel.
VIII
After much persuasion and further caustic remarks on the country and a
people whose chief occupation seemed to be that of shooting and hanging
one another, Mrs. Forest was finally induced to enter the house, leaving
Blanch and Bessie seated on the bench beneath the cottonwood tree where
they had collapsed, the result of the shock their nerves had sustained.
Their presence seemed as incongruous with their surroundings as that of
some delicate hot-house flower blooming in the midst of the desert.
"Could you have believed it if you hadn't seen it?" asked Bessie, the
first to break the silence. "Is it all real, or are we still dreaming? I
wish somebody would pinch me, my wits are so scattered," and she passed
her hand across her eyes as though to dispel some dreadful nightmare.
"I never imagined," replied her companion in a vague uncertain tone of
voice, like one laboring under the influence of a narcotic, "that such
people existed anywhere outside of books, and yet the samples to which
we have just been introduced make characters of fiction look tame in
comparison. Oh, dear!" she burst forth, "who could have imagined it?"
"What a transition--I can't understand it!" said Bessie. "I feel like
one who has just dropped from the sky to earth."
"No wonder! I, too, am still seeing stars. Jack certainly must be mad,
else how could he have ever picked out such a forsaken land whose
inhabitants seem to consist chiefly of ruffians and black women?"
"It's simply incomprehensible after all he's seen of the world," replied
Bessie. "Did you notice how he enjoyed our discomfiture? How it was all
he could do to keep from laughing in our faces?"
"The brute!" cried Blanch.
"If we had only realized to what we were coming--" Bessie began.
"Oh, it's too late to say that!" interrupted Blanch. "Now that I'm here,
I'm not going to turn back; I'm going to see this thing through. And
what's more," she added with unmistakable emphasis, "I'm going to see
that woman! Have you noticed any one that looks like her?" she asked
cautiously, lowering her voice and looking about suspiciously, as she
rose from her seat.
"Pshaw!" laughed Bessie, also rising and shaking the dust from her
skirt. "You've scarcely talked of anything else since we left home. Why,
I really believe you are beginning to be jealous of this creature of
your imagination. It's too absurd to suppose that Jack--"
"Is it any more impossible than the people and things we have just
encountered?"
"Nonsense! Jack in love with some half-breed--that dusky beauty in
breeches who rides astride, and whom he happened to mention to us? It's
preposterous!"
"My dear," resumed Blanch calmly, "don't deceive yourself. My woman's
intuition tells me that I'm right. Jack's notion of beginning a new life
is all nonsense--there's a deeper reason than that for this change in
him. Take my word for it, there's a woman at the bottom of it for what
possible attraction could this horrid country and its people have for a
civilized being?"
"I can't believe it," answered Bessie; "you know how fastidious Jack is.
Besides it was only a fleeting glance that he caught of the woman he
mentioned--and that in the twilight."
"A glance is quite enough for a fool to fall in love with a phantom,"
retorted Blanch warmly, thrusting the ground vigorously with the point
of her sunshade.
"They say," she went on, "that these dark beauties of the South possess
a peculiar fascination of their own--that they have a way of captivating
men before they realize what's happening. They sort of hypnotize them,
you know."
"But not a man of Jack's type!"
"Oh, I don't mean to infer that she's beautiful," continued Blanch.
"Attractive she may be, but how could anything so common be really
beautiful? It's not that which worries me--it's the state of his mind.
He has evidently reached a crisis. As long as I can keep him in sight
he's safe, but should he be left here alone with one of these women in
his present frame of mind, there's no knowing what might happen. Any
woman if fairly attractive and a schemer, can marry almost any man she
has a mind to. You know," she added, "he's not given to talking without
a purpose and usually acts even though he lives to repent of it
afterwards. Why, if he were left here, he might marry from _ennui_, who
knows? One hears of such things."
"Heavens!" ejaculated Bessie, "it makes one shudder to think of it!
Hush!" she added, nodding in the direction of the house where the
Captain appeared in the doorway and halted, regarding them with a mixed
expression of curiosity and amusement.
"Well," he said at length, descending to where they stood, "how do first
impressions of the place strike you? It's not so dull, after all, is
it?" he added, concealing his mirth with difficulty.
"It's charming," replied Blanch in her richest vein of sarcasm,
addressing him for the first time since her arrival. "What delightful
surroundings, and what congenial people one meets here!"
The Captain burst into an uproarious fit of laughter. The sight of
Blanch had sent a sudden thrill through him that told him plainly enough
how deeply rooted had been his love and that he had not yet succeeded in
eradicating it entirely from his heart as he had supposed.
The spark of the old love still smoldered within him, and would she
succeed again in fanning it into flame? He had not forgotten, however,
that he had suffered, and her presence acted like some wonderful balm to
his wounded soul. It was his turn now and he could afford to humor her.
Though there was nothing triumphant in his manner, he, nevertheless,
enjoyed that sneaking feeling of satisfaction which most of us
experience on beholding the discomfiture of those who have treated us
lightly. Moreover, he thoroughly realized what the coming of Blanch and
his family meant. They had come to laugh at him and his surroundings--to
ridicule his ideas. The great harlot world had come to pooh-pooh--to
scoff and laugh him out of his convictions, and no one knew better than
he did what the mighty power and influence of the great civilized guffaw
meant. For had he not, during his diplomatic career, seen the primitive
man laughed out of his cool, naked blessedness into a modern, cheap pair
of sweltering pantaloons? But things were now equal, and this promised
to be the most exciting diplomatic game in which he had yet engaged. The
defeat of Spain and the annexation of the Philippines were trifles in
comparison. And he decided then and there to make the most of it--that
come what might, all who entered this game would pay the price to the
last farthing. Time and circumstances would prove who was right--they or
he.
"Do you know," he said at length, "I don't pity you a bit; it serves you
right for coming."
"Pity?" retorted Bessie. "Do we look like a pair of beggars that have
come two thousand miles to crave pity at the feet of the high and mighty
Captain Forest? Your condescension, Cousin, is insufferable," she added.
"I was just thinking," he resumed, thoroughly enjoying his cousin's
wrath, "that you had better drop your silly affectations and spoiled
ways while here."
"Really!" burst out Bessie again, her face flushing with growing
indignation.
"I do," he returned placidly, "for somehow, the people about here don't
seem to appreciate such things."
"I can readily believe it," answered Blanch with a contemptuous laugh
and hauteur of manner that were almost insulting. "I don't wonder you
feel uneasy on our account considering that we have never enjoyed the
advantages their social standards offer. We trust, however, for the sake
of old friendship, that you will overlook our shortcomings. A lesson in
manners might not be lost on us," she added with a withering glance and
tone that would have reduced any other man to a sere and yellow leaf.
She paused, her delicately gloved hand resting lightly on the handle of
her sunshade on which she leaned, throwing the graceful outline of her
tall slender figure into clear relief against the green background of
trees and shrubs. A strange light came into her beautiful blue eyes,
softening the expression of her face; a face that had been the hope and
despair of many a man; a face that was not alone beautiful but alive and
interesting; a face into which all men longed to gaze and once seen
could never be forgotten.
Only one man had ever resisted the power and fascination of that face;
the man whom she had flung from her in an ungovernable fit of passion;
the man whom she either had come to claim as her own again, or to
humiliate as he had humiliated her. Who could guess the real motive that
prompted her to humble her pride so far as to follow him? Was it love or
hatred? Who could say? Her delicate, coral lips curled with just the
suggestion of a sneer as she raised her eyes to his again and said in a
tone of contempt: "So this is the place where your wild woman lives--"
but the words died on her lips. Her head came up with a jerk and her
figure suddenly straightened and stiffened as her gaze became riveted on
the face of Chiquita who stood just opposite on the veranda lightly
poised with one foot on the steps.
It would have been interesting to have read the thoughts of these two
women as they stood silently confronting one another, each taking the
measure of the other.
The contrast between the two could not have been more striking. The
soft, delicate, well-groomed figure of Blanch, the accomplished woman of
the world, with eyes intoxicating as wine and a glowing wealth of golden
hair, tempting and alluring as the luxuriance of old Rome at the height
of her triumphs before her decadence set in--the last fair breath of her
ancient glory--the best and fairest that modern civilization had
produced. She had no need of the artificial head-gear and upholstery
with which the modern society belle is wont to bolster up herself. There
was not the slightest trace of rouge on her lips or cheeks. She had
learned that simple food, fresh air and sleep and exercise were the only
preservatives for the form and complexion. Spoiled though she was, she
was genuine to the core.
On the other hand, what the symmetrical well-rounded lines of Chiquita's
figure lost by the unfair comparison of her worn and faded dress with
that of the latest Parisian creation, was more than compensated for by
the heavy luxuriant masses of blue-black hair, straight nose, large,
dark piercing eyes that shone from beneath delicately penciled, broad
arching brows, and the mysterious hawk-like wildness of her gaze and
appearance and general air of strength and power, baffling and
inscrutable as the origin of her race; a face and figure which
exemplified the perfect type of a race that carried one back to the
forgotten days of ancient Egypt and India.
Truly, twice blessed or cursed by the gods was he to be loved by two
such women; the one fashion's, the other nature's child.
The look of embarrassment on Captain Forest's face, together with the
ludicrousness of the situation, caused Bessie to burst into a sudden fit
of laughter into which Blanch, in spite of herself, was irresistibly
drawn. Fortunately for the Captain, he did not entirely lose his
presence of mind as one is apt to do who unexpectedly finds himself
between two tigers about to spring. He did the only sensible thing a man
could do under the circumstances. He retired precipitately, leaving the
field to whomsoever wished it most.
"The Señoritas laugh," said Chiquita at length, the first to speak.
There was a strange light in her eyes as she slowly descended the
veranda and came toward them. The sound of her full, rich, musical
voice, colored with a soft accent that was pleasing to the ear,
instantly brought Blanch and Bessie to themselves.
"Perhaps," she began again calmly, "it is because I am poor?"
"Oh, no, Señorita, how could you imagine--" exclaimed Blanch, recovering
her breath.
"Then perhaps it is because I am an Indian and red, not white like
yourselves?"
"Are you an Indian, Señorita?" asked Blanch. "I thought you were a
Mexican."
"And if I were, I would not be ashamed of it!"
"What a strange creature!" thought Bessie.
"But why did the Señoritas laugh when they saw me?" persisted Chiquita,
her expression softening a bit, a faint smile illumining her face.
"Believe me, Señorita," replied Blanch, "we were not laughing at you at
all. We were laughing at Captain Forest."
"Ah, the Señor!" ejaculated Chiquita.
"Yes," continued Blanch, "we had already heard of you through Captain
Forest, and--I--" she hesitated, "I really can't explain because you
wouldn't understand, you know."
"But I do understand, Señorita," answered Chiquita quietly. "You do not
deceive me, and since you refuse to tell me why you laughed, I shall be
obliged to tell you. I think I can guess the truth."
"Really, I'm curious!" and Blanch smiled compassionately.
"Ah, you think I can't read your face," and Chiquita smiled in turn.
"Señorita," she continued with sudden emphasis, "you love the Señor!"
Blanch started, the attack was so sudden, her face coloring in spite of
her endeavor to conceal her confusion.
"Yes, Señorita, you love him."
"How do you know I love him?" laughed Blanch lightly in turn, by this
time thoroughly mistress of herself. "Why, you have only met me for the
first time!"
"How do I know? Because I am a woman. I saw you as you spoke to him.
Your whole manner betrayed you--your voice, your eyes. Yes, Señorita,"
she added with growing passion, fixing her dark piercing eyes on those
of Blanch, "you laughed because a poor girl like me of a different race
and color, a race despised by you white people, should have imagined
that Captain Forest might possibly cast his eyes upon her--"
"Señorita!" cried Blanch protestingly.
"It is the truth," continued Chiquita passionately, "and what is more, I
will tell you frankly that I--I, too, love the Señor!"
"I thought so!" exclaimed Blanch.
"Yes, I love him--love him as you do--love him as you can never love
him, Señorita!"
"What makes you think so?" asked Blanch, endeavoring to stifle the
emotion Chiquita's passionate words aroused within her.
"I know it," she answered quietly; "something tells me so. And should he
not love me as I love him, my life will go out of me swiftly and
silently like the waters of the streams in summer when the rains cease;
my soul will become barren and parched like the desert, and I shall
wither and die."
"Die?" echoed Blanch. "Nobody dies of love nowadays, Señorita," and she
laughed lightly.
"Perhaps not among your people, but with Indians it is different. When
we love it is terrible--our passion becomes our life, our whole
existence! Such a confession sounds absurd perhaps, but you assumed an
air of superiority--racial superiority, I mean--a thing which I know to
be as false as it is presumptuous. I might assume the airs and attitude
of one of your race if I chose, but you laughed, and the race-pride in
me cries out that I should be to you what I really am--an Indian, not
that which I have learned and borrowed from the white race."
"How extraordinary!" thought Blanch. Surely such passion was short lived
and a weak admission on the part of her rival. She was a true character
of melodrama--one which she had seen a hundred times on the stage. The
battle was hers already--she would win. She heaved a sigh of relief, and
drawing herself up to her full height, assumed an attitude of ease, an
air of patronage and condescension that only Blanch Lennox could adopt.
She could afford to be generous to a child, treat with lenience this
clever _ingenue_ who in this age could die, or at least imagine herself
dying of love.
"Perhaps," resumed Chiquita, with an air of naïveté that seemed
perfectly natural to her, "you women do not love as passionately as your
darker sisters?"
"Oh, I don't know about that, Señorita," answered Blanch with warmth.
"At any rate, you in all probability will have an opportunity to judge
that for yourself."
Chiquita gave a little laugh, then said: "Señorita, you love Captain
Forest and so do I. Let it, therefore, be a fair fight between us, and
in order that you may know you can trust me, I give you this," and
drawing a small silver-mounted dagger from out her hair, she handed it
to Blanch who took it wonderingly.
"It is often safer," she added, "for a man to go unarmed in this land
than for a woman. But as I said, I shall henceforth be to you what I
am--an Indian. It is what a woman of my people would do were she to
meet you in my country under similar circumstances; what I would have
done had I met you before I came here. The knife signifies that, with it
goes the sharp edge of my tongue--that I shall take no unfair advantage
of you."
Blanch toyed musingly with the pretty two-edged knife, admiring its
richly carved silver handle. Surely she was right after all. Chiquita
was a true child of the South whose passions subsided as quickly as they
burst into flame. And as for the knife, it would make an excellent
paper-cutter.
"Oh, dear, this is too absurd!" she exclaimed. And no longer able to
control herself, she burst into a peal of laughter in which was easily
detected the scorn, good humor and pity she felt for her would-be rival.
Perhaps Chiquita was as much puzzled by Blanch's behavior as the latter
was by hers, for all the while Blanch laughed, she also regarded her
with an expression of mingled curiosity and amusement.
"Señorita," said Blanch at length, heaving a sigh, "who are you?"
The latter did not reply immediately. Her face took on an earnest
expression and for some moments she stood silent, gazing straight out
before her as though oblivious to her surroundings. Then, suddenly
recollecting herself, she said:
"I am a Tewana, and am called the Chiquita. My father was the Whirlwind,
the War Chief of my people."
"The Whirlwind?" echoed Blanch. "What an appropriate name for a
savage!"
"Ah, but you should have seen him! He was the tallest man of the tribe."
"Do you know," said Blanch musingly, "I fancy you must be something like
him, Señorita."
"In spirit perhaps, but only a little," she answered. "I often wish that
I were more like him, for although he was a child in many things, he was
a man nevertheless--civilization had not spoilt him."
Again that dreamy, far-away look came into her eyes and again she seemed
to forget for the moment the presence of the two girls as her thoughts
reverted to the past.
"Señorita," she said at last, "when one like me stands on the threshold
midway between savagery and civilization and compares the crudities and
at times barbarities of the one with the luxuries and vices of the
other, he often asks himself which is preferable, civilization and its
few virtues, or the simple life of the savage. Which, I ask, is the
greater--the man who tells the time by the sun and the stars or he who
gauges it with the watch? I have listened to your music and gazed upon
your art and read your books, but what harmonies compare to
nature's--what book contains her truths and hidden mysteries? When I
came here I was taught to revere your civilization and I did for a time
until the disillusionment came, when I was introduced to the great world
of men and discovered how shallow and inadequate it was. Your mechanical
devices are wonderful, but as regards your philosophies, the least said
of them the better. Spiritually, you stand just where you began
centuries ago, and I found that I should be obliged to deny the
existence of God if I continued to revere your institutions.
"Believe me, Señorita, for I speak as one who knows both worlds
intimately, nature's and man's, that the great symphony of nature, the
throb of our Mother Earth, the song of the forest, the voices of the
winds and the waters, the mountains and plains, and the glory of the
stars and the daily life of man in the fields, are grander by far, and
more satisfying and enduring than all the foolish fancies and artificial
harmonies ever created by civilized man."
Her words struck home. For the first time Blanch became thoroughly alive
to the danger of the situation. This passionate child of the South had
changed suddenly to a mature woman, and a chill seized Blanch's heart as
she began to realize her depth and power. Again she was all at sea, and
in a vain effort to say something, she stammered:
"Señorita, you are certainly the strangest person I ever met!"
"Not strange, only different," laughed Chiquita, throwing back her head
and meeting Blanch's full gaze. "Señorita," she continued, "you are
beautiful--more beautiful than any woman I have ever beheld. My heart
stands still with fear and admiration when I look at you, for men are
often foolish enough to love the beautiful women best. I fear this is
going to be a bitter struggle, but let us bear one another no malice in
order that we may both know that she who triumphs is the better woman."
Frank though her words were, they caused Blanch to wince, while a flood
of passion which she could ill conceal dyed her cheeks a deep crimson.
"Life's usually as tragic as it is comic," laughed Chiquita lightly,
slowly moving in the direction of the highroad. "It's strange, isn't
it," she exclaimed, pausing and looking back, "that a queen and a beggar
should dispute the affections of the same man? Such things occur in the
fairy-tales one reads in the books in the old Mission, but seldom in
real life," and she was gone.
IX
Considering an all-night ride over a rough road in a lumbering old
Spanish stagecoach, and the thrilling, harrowing events that succeeded
their arrival at the _Posada_, it is little wonder that Mrs. Forest took
to her bed early in the day on the verge of a nervous collapse, or that
Colonel Van Ashton, contrary to his habit, retired early in the evening
firmly convinced that his nephew was suffering from an acute attack of
lunacy which took the form of a mania for everything that was wild and
bizarre; everything in fact that was contrary to the Colonel's views of
life.
How unfortunate that his nephew had not shown signs of madness earlier!
It would have been so easy with the assistance of the family physician
and lawyer to have confined him in a private sanitarium. And the Colonel
fondly pictured his nephew wandering distractedly through a long suite
of padded cells--but, alas! the bird had flown. Such things were always
expedited with such felicitous despatch in those parts of the earth
inhabited by civilized men, but here where everybody was equally mad,
where chaos reigned, and nobody either recognized or respected beings of
a superior order, what could be done to check the headlong career of his
nephew who with twenty millions was rushing straight to destruction?
No wonder God had long since abandoned this land to his majesty, the
devil who, as in the days of Scripture, roamed and roared at will. No
one having passed twenty-four hours in the country could possibly doubt
that his cup of joy was running over. Where his nephew had concealed his
fortune was also a source of mystery to him. He certainly had displayed
the diabolical cunning that is characteristic of the mentally deranged.
Possibly he had concealed it in Mexico, but to combat the institutions
of that land was like attempting to stem the tides.
The thought of those twenty millions tortured the Colonel's mind almost
beyond endurance, and he groaned aloud as his imagination pictured them
rolling in a bright, glittering stream of gold and silver coins into the
gutter for the swine that waited to devour them.
Such were the Colonel's reflections as he sat on the edge of his bed in
his shirt sleeves and wearily removed his tight fitting, dust-begrimed,
patent-leather shoes with the assistance of his valet.
How his feet and back ached! He wanted sympathy, but got none, the
others being too much occupied with their own woes to think of his
comfort. On the walls of the room were hung numerous cheap biblical
prints--the very things he abominated most. Among them, just over the
foot of the bed, on the very spot where first his gaze would alight on
opening his eyes in the morning, hung a small colored print of the
Madonna. No wonder the people of this land spent so much time crossing
themselves and calling upon her for protection--they certainly had cause
to. The room, in his opinion, was a veritable rat-hole; the place
little better than what one might expect to find in a suburb of hell.
The exertions of the last two days had been more than mortal could
endure. Never had he felt so completely fagged, and it was with no
little concern that he contemplated the reflection of his face in the
small oval mirror which hung on the rough gray plaster wall opposite,
just over the small, cheap, brown-stained wooden bureau. The sight of
his countenance, as is the case with most of us who have not yet entered
the limbo of senile decrepitude and still dare look ourselves in the
face, was always a source of extreme satisfaction to him. He held it in
the highest esteem as though it were the head of some beautiful antique
Apollo, and in his, the Colonel's estimation, was the handsomest face on
earth.
Indeed it was a handsome face, and like many others both in and outside
of his particular set, he devoted hours to its preservation.
What was John, his valet, for? To press his clothes and run errands? Not
at all. He was there to massage that precious face and drive away all
harassing signs of care and age by means of a liberal use of cold cream
and enamel. In the present instance, barring a sun-scorched nose, his
delicately rouged cheeks like his exquisitely manicured finger tips
blushed with rose of vermilion like those of the daughters of Judea of
old, contrasting favorably with his dark eyes, wavy white hair, and
mustache and eyebrows dyed a jet black. His regular features, long
slender white hands, and tall erect figure betokened the born aristocrat
of the spoiled, luxurious type.
In spite of his determination not to sleep a wink, this overindulged
child and arch hypocrite, fell asleep almost the instant his tired head
touched the pillow, and would have slept to a comparatively late hour
had it not been for the ceaseless crowing of a cock in the barnyard,
awakening him at daybreak.
What a land, where people were not even permitted to sleep! Vague
apprehensions for the future went flitting through his mind, and, as he
lay in bed moodily contemplating through the window the first sunrise he
had witnessed in years, he cursed fate and his nephew, and secretly
vowed that he would wring that infernal bird's neck at the first
opportunity.
Mrs. Forest's mental attitude resembled that of her brother's, but with
Blanch and Bessie it was different. The strangeness and novelty of the
situation so different from anything they had hitherto experienced,
began to interest them in spite of their previous determination to be
bored. That evening they had visited the plaza with the Captain and Dick
Yankton and had witnessed the dances beneath the great _alamos_ or
poplar trees that surrounded the square, braving the risk of
contamination which Mrs. Forest had vainly protested would be sure to
ensue should they mingle with the populace--the Mexican-Indian rabble of
which it was composed--a distinction which only she and the Colonel
seemed able to divine, for had it been a garlic-tainted Egyptian or
Neapolitan mob, little objection would have been raised to their going.
The sights amused and interested them, and after an hour's mild
dissipation, they returned to the _Posada_ in time to meet a few of the
Señora's guests in the garden, among whom was Padre Antonio. The quaint,
inborn courtesy of the well-bred Spaniard was a revelation to them;
something they imagined did not exist outside of Spain.
The charm of the Padre's simple manner and ways proved no less
irresistible to them than to the rest of the world, and they marveled
that he spoke English so well. His intimate knowledge of the people and
the customs of the country threw a new light on them, reconciling the
girls to many things that had seemed incomprehensible.
The Señora, out of consideration for the ladies, by whose presence she
was greatly honored, had relinquished her rooms to them; the best and
most comfortably furnished which the _Posada_ afforded.
It was a late hour before the girls retired for the night. There was so
much to talk over, and when they did finally lay themselves down to
rest, it was with the conviction that Captain Forest was not quite so
mad as they had supposed. He was at least a harmless lunatic and in no
danger of running amuck.
As for Bessie, the gentle hand of sleep soon closed her eyes, and she
slept the sleep of a tired child. With Blanch it was otherwise.
How could she sleep with the face of Chiquita constantly before her and
the pangs of jealousy gnawing at her heart? How stupid to have imagined
her to be one of those bovine women with large liquid eyes who,
figuratively speaking, pass the major portion of their lives standing
knee-deep in a pond, gazing stolidly out upon the world; a fat brown
wench upon whose hip a man might confidently expect to hang his hat by
the time she has attained the age of forty.
Nothing could have been farther from the mark. She might have known that
Jack could not have been caught with so thin a bait. All night long she
tossed on her pillow, or silently rose to gaze at the stars from the
window.
"Oh, if she only were not so beautiful!" she moaned as the first pale
streaks of light in the east told her that day had finally dawned, and
she crept stealthily back to bed again. Of course Jack, the wretch, was
sleeping peacefully--that was the irony of fate! What did he know of
suffering? But he would pay for this!
Their rooms overlooked the _patio_, and from behind an angle of a screen
she could look straight across it into the garden beyond as she lay in
bed. The bright shafts of the morning sun sifted down through the
branches of the trees and lay in patches of gold on the grass and
flowers beneath and flooded the _patio_ with light. Above the tops of
the trees and one corner of the low roof, the clear, pale blue skyline
was just visible. Butterflies and humming-birds darted in and out among
the fragrant white clematis and honeysuckle and passion vines that hung
from the arcades surrounding the court, or hovered over the fountain and
basin of gold fish in its center, edged with grasses and ferns. The
notes of the golden oriole and cooing of pigeons and wood-doves mingling
with the silvery jingle of an occasional _vaquero's_ spurs, came from
the garden beyond.
How peaceful it was! After all, why was the place so unusual, so
different from the rest of the world? But forget where one was, and the
scene might have been one in Algiers or Egypt, or in a town in Spain or
Northern Italy. And why, she asked herself, as her thoughts reverted to
Chiquita, was this Indian woman so very different from themselves?
Dress her as they were dressed, and place her in the proper
surroundings, and she would easily pass for a Gypsy or a Spaniard. Was
there any reason to believe that the queens of Sheba and Semiramis with
their tawny skins were any less fair than she, Blanch Lennox, with her
rosy, soft white complexion? Or Chiquita a shade darker than Cleopatra,
the witch of the Nile, whose beauty caused the downfall of Antony and
with it the waning power and splendor of ancient Egypt?
Was her lineage superior to Chiquita's, the descendant of a long line of
rulers whose ancestry stretched back into the dim, remote past as
ancient as the hills, the record of whose lives and deeds stood
inscribed on the ruined temples and palaces scattered throughout the
land where they once dwelt at a time when her European ancestors roamed
the wilderness half naked and clad in the skins of wild beasts?
White men of eminence had married Indians and their descendants were
proud of their lineage. True, Chiquita was an exception just as she
towered above most women of her race. And who were they, that they
should criticize--vaunt their superiority in the face of the universal
scheme of things? Were they really any better? The same passions,
longings and aspirations that swayed them, swayed the Red man as well.
Their daily lives were different--their aspirations were directed in
different channels, that was all. What was true civilization and
culture, any way? Who had ever succeeded in defining them? The so-called
civilized world might prattle of culture. Its ideas compared with those
of mankind as a whole were purely relative and of a local origin and
color, and could not be gauged by a uniform standard of ethics. What
pleases the one fails to attract the other. The man in power who talks
of culture may be taken seriously by those of his own race who stand by
and applaud his words, but remove him from his home surroundings and
place him on a footing of equality with those of a different race and
environment and his arguments fail to convince.
Did the harangues of Louis the Sixteenth's tormentors convince him of
the ethical standards of universal justice, or John Brown's sacrifice
the representatives of a slave-holding population?
Which is the most convincing--the example set by the early Spartans, or
that of the man who surrounds himself with every luxury and convenience
of modern life; the man who reads books and lives in a house and travels
by train and automobile, or he who dwells in a tent, who is ignorant of
letters, and prefers the slower locomotion of horse and foot? Who is the
arbiter of fashion? The sun shines alike on the just and the unjust, the
great world still continues to laugh and goes on its way in spite of
men's philosophies, but tear up the map, as the French say, and where
are our standards and codes?
Prove it if you can, that the wild flower in the meadow is less
beautiful than the one reared beneath the hand of the gardener. Argue
and theorize as we will, our sophistries count for little when we are
brought face to face with the realities of life. The law of compensation
and certainty of facts still hold the balance when the bed-rock of human
existence is reached. One might as well expect the mountains to slip
into the sea, or the stars to pause in their courses to hearken to the
voice of a modern Joshua as a man in love with a vision of beauty, to
listen to ethics.
It was quite evident that somebody had lied. In fact, all men of her
race had been lying from the beginning of time, for what, after all, did
civilization amount to if it were not convincing? Did it ever soothe a
wounded heart, stifle the pangs of jealousy, or was it ample
compensation for the loss of the great prize of life--happiness?
Civilization and blindness were fast becoming synonymous terms, and
there were even moments when one almost fancied one heard the laughter
of the gods. Let the dull brute civilized herd sweep by, all its
moralizing and sophistries could not arouse so much as a single
heart-beat where sentiment was concerned.
The truth of these convictions surged in upon her with overwhelming
force. Had Jack also noted them, she asked herself.
Possibly, but not, perhaps, with the keener intuition of the woman. She
breathed hard. Hot tears of rage, jealousy and disappointment surged to
her eyes. She could endure it no longer--she felt as though she would
stifle. Suddenly she sat bolt upright in bed and then sprang to the
floor, noticing for the first time the pretty little Mexican girl,
Rosita, who at Bessie's summons, had entered and deposited a tray
containing oranges, chocolate and _tortillas_ on the table in the center
of the room.
The dark circles beneath Blanch's eyes and her general appearance of a
disheveled Eve told Bessie how little she had slept.
"I knew you were thinking of her," she said, throwing herself back in
the pillows and stretching her arms. Her eyelids drooped for a moment
over her great violet eyes and she laughed lightly with the contentment
of one whose heart is free.
"Of course I am," returned Blanch, coloring and biting her lip. "What
else should I be thinking of?"
"Do you know, I rather like her," continued Bessie, raising on one elbow
and stretching herself again with the delicious satisfaction of one who
has slept soundly and well.
"And I hate her!" cried Blanch. And seizing Chiquita's dagger which lay
on the table beside the tray, she plunged it viciously into an orange.
X
Things began to assume a more favorable aspect. Even Mrs. Forest had
plucked up enough courage to venture beyond the confines of the
_Posada's_ garden.
Late one afternoon as she with Blanch and Bessie descended the veranda
steps, preparatory to a stroll through the town, a horseman, dressed in
the height of Mexican fashion, shot suddenly round the curve in the road
at full gallop and drew rein before them, tossing the dust raised by his
animal's hoofs into their faces.
Dust and a horse's nose thrust suddenly into Mrs. Forest's face could
hardly improve a temper already strained to the breaking point.
"Are people beasts--mere cattle of the fields to be trampled upon by a
horse?" she gasped, as soon as she had recovered sufficiently from her
surprise.
"A thousand pardons--I did not see you!" replied the horseman, his
English colored with a slight accent.
"What are people's eyes for?" returned Mrs. Forest, making no attempt to
conceal her irritation.
"Mrs. Forest, I see you do not recognize me," answered the horseman,
smiling and raising his broad-brimmed _sombrero_ which partially
concealed his features.
"Don Felipe Ramirez!" cried Blanch and Bessie in the same breath.
"How," exclaimed Blanch, "could you expect us to recognize you in that
costume? Why are you masquerading in such a disguise?" Don Felipe
laughed as he swung himself lightly from the saddle.
"It's the costume of our people," he answered, shaking them cordially by
the hand. "It's the one they prefer, without which one cannot always
command their respect. They detest modern innovations and cling to the
customs of their ancestors. It's a bit of old Mexico, that's all. But
what brings you here?" he asked, changing the topic of conversation.
"Did you drop from the clouds? I would as soon have thought of finding
oranges growing on the cactus as seeing you here."
"Only a pleasure trip combined with a little exploration on our own
account," answered Blanch indifferently. "We hope," she continued, "to
emulate the example of the old Spanish _Conquistadores_--some of your
ancestors perhaps?"
"Then may your wanderings lead you southward. My _hacienda_ lies but
twenty miles from here, and from this moment, it is placed at your
disposition. Not in the polite terms of the proverbial Spanish etiquette
which presents the visitor with everything and yet nothing at all, but
actually. Indeed, I shall expect to see you there soon. The life will
interest you, I know."
"We certainly shall avail ourselves of the rare privilege, Don Felipe,"
said Bessie. "Do you intend stopping here?" she asked.
"For a few days, yes. A room is always waiting for me here."
"How delightful!" exclaimed Blanch. "We shall expect to see a great deal
of you. In the meantime, we shall visit the town and shall see you this
evening. Until then, _á Dios_, as you Spaniards say. You observe, we are
making rapid progress in the language," she added, smiling and glancing
back at him over her shoulder as they moved away in the direction of the
highroad.
"What a strange costume for a man like Don Felipe to wear! It's as gay
and extravagant as a woman's!" said Bessie as soon as they were out of
hearing.
"It's becoming though," answered Blanch. "This is truly the land of
surprises. I wonder what will happen next?"
"What can have brought them here, to this out-of-the-way place?" mused
Don Felipe, throwing one arm lightly over the neck of his horse as he
leaned gently against the animal.
Don Felipe Ramirez was young and handsome--the handsomest and wealthiest
man in all Chihuahua. One who measured his lands not by acres, but by
hundreds of square miles, over which roamed vast herds of horses, cattle
and sheep, and of which Chiquita might have been mistress had she so
chosen. Within this vast domain were situated numerous villages of
Mexican and Indian populations, subject in a measure to his command. His
word, where it did not conflict with the central Government, was law;
but Don Felipe, selfish and unprincipled though he was by nature, was
too easy going ever to think of making unscrupulous use of such power.
So long as things went smoothly, he was the last man to exercise his
almost unlimited authority for the mere pleasure of dominating others as
many men might were they placed in his position.
His leniency in governing, his lavish manner of living, and a way he had
of fraternizing with his people on occasions--the latter prompted not
from motives of generosity, but purely from those of vanity and a love
of popularity--made him fairly popular among his subjects. It was when
Don Felipe wanted something in particular that he became dangerous,
especially if that something lay within his jurisdiction. Then indeed,
was he one to be feared.
His appearance was striking; a swarthy complexion, thick, shiny, black
curly hair and mustache, lustrous black eyes and delicate features, and
a lithe sinewy body, every movement of which was cat-like and expressive
of treachery.
His high-crowned, broad-brimmed _sombrero_ of gray felt was richly
embroidered with gold and silver. A slender, pale yellow satin tie
adorned his soft white, heavily frilled shirt front. His soft gray
jacket and leggins of goat skin, also ornamented with gold and silver
buttons and embroidery, were slashed at the sleeves below the elbow and
knee and interlaced with filmy gold cords from beneath which shone a
pale yellow satin facing embroidered with tiny red flowers. A gay
scarlet silken _banda_ from beneath which peeped the silver hilt of a
knife, encircled his slender waist, while his feet were encased in
russet tanned boots adorned with spurs inlaid with gold and silver and
which tinkled like fairy bells with every step he took. The trappings of
his horse were also heavily inlaid with silver. Theatrical though his
costume was, it became him well and harmonized perfectly with his
surroundings, completing the picture of a Spanish Don, the
representative of a past era. A costume that was only to be seen in the
remoter parts of the country--one which was becoming rarer each day.
Four years had elapsed since he had last looked upon the familiar scenes
about him. Nothing appeared to have changed during that time as his gaze
wandered from the old _Posada_ to the garden beyond. He sighed, and a
momentary expression of pain and weariness passed across his countenance
as he silently surveyed the scene which recalled memories whose
bitterness was enough to overwhelm a man of maturer character and years.
In the Indian _pueblo_, La Jara, had lived the beautiful _mestiza_ girl,
Pepita Delaguerra, with whom he had fallen in love in early youth.
The gentle, confiding nature of Pepita was ill suited to that of the
passionate, impulsive Felipe, and proved her undoing. For, when old Don
Juan, Felipe's father, heard of his son's infatuation, he immediately
packed him off to the City of Mexico with the injunction not to return
under a year. An obscure half-caste for a daughter-in-law! Holy Maria!
the thought was enough to cause his hair to stand on end. No, the old
Don had other plans for his son. Maria Dolores, Felipe's cousin, was the
woman he had picked out for his wife, and marry her he should if he
wished to inherit his father's vast estates. In case he disregarded the
latter's wish and married Pepita, the estates were to go to the Church,
so it was stipulated in Don Juan's will. But neither the Church nor old
Don Juan, as it afterwards proved, were a match for the clever Felipe.
The handsome scapegrace had already secretly married Pepita.
The strangest of all things is perhaps the irony of fate. Before the
year was up during which Felipe was charged to remain in the City of
Mexico, both his father, Don Juan, and the priest who had performed the
marriage ceremony for Felipe and Pepita, died. During his absence from
home, the observant and quick-witted Felipe had learned not only many
new things, but had made the acquaintance of other women as well. At its
best, the love of the passionate, hot-blooded Felipe and the gentle
Pepita could have endured only for a time. The attractions and
fascinations of the Capitol opened his eyes to many things which he had
hitherto overlooked, especially, that there are many beautiful women in
the world, and always one who is just a little more beautiful than the
others if one took the trouble to look for her. And so it happened that
he forgot not only his honor, but his obligations to Pepita, and
destroying the record of their marriage which he managed to secure with
the assistance of a confederate, he turned a deaf ear to her pleadings
and went his way.
What had he, Don Felipe Ramirez, who lived and ruled like a prince on
his vast estates, to fear from a pretty little half-caste Indian girl?
But Don Felipe was young and still had much to learn in the world. The
avenging angel that inevitably awaits us all at some turn or other in
the lane, stood nearer to him than he realized, and the vengeance which
followed was swift and complete.
Pepita took poison and died, but she died not alone--she died in the
arms of Chiquita who had but recently returned from the convent.
The latter frequently accompanied Padre Antonio on his charitable
missions and thus it chanced that she made Pepita's acquaintance and
learned her story. Time passed and all went well with Felipe until the
day he chanced to meet Chiquita.
We may deaden our souls to the voice of conscience, disavow a belief in
destiny and shut our eyes to those forces of the Invisible which, in
spite of ourselves, we know to exist, but how is it, that no man ever
succeeds in escaping his fate?
When Don Felipe Ramirez looked for the first time into the two dark
lustrous worlds of Chiquita's eyes, he beheld the height and depth of
his existence. From that moment he fell at her feet and worshiped her
with a passion that consumed and mastered him. Waking and dreaming she
was ever in his thoughts--he could not live without her. But not until
he was mad, ravished with desire, did she consent to become his wife. A
smile, or a gentle pressure of the hand were the only caresses she
deigned to bestow upon him; not until they were married would he be
permitted to embrace and kiss her, give rein to his passion. A strange
attitude for one of her nature to assume, and, as he looked back upon
it, he wondered how he had endured it--that he had not suspected
something.
At length the day set for the wedding arrived, and Chiquita with Señora
Fernandez drove in state to the old Mission church where Padre Antonio
awaited them to perform the marriage ceremony.
Don Felipe, in a state of exultation that lifted his soul to the clouds,
stood waiting for her on the steps of the church as had been agreed
between them; but as the two advanced, Chiquita suddenly paused before
the door, and turning, tore the bridal-veil and wreath of orange
blossoms from her brow and flung them into his face, crying: "Pepita
Delaguerra is avenged!" Then turning, she deliberately descended the
church steps and reëntering her carriage, drove home, leaving Don Felipe
dazed and speechless before the crowd of spectators that had gathered to
witness the passing of the bride and groom.
Later she confessed the reason for her motives to Padre Antonio, but one
circumstance she withheld even from him, the nature of which Don Felipe
did not suspect, but which he would have given worlds to know.
Chiquita's conduct became the scandal of the country for miles around,
and as is invariably the case, the majority of the women sided with
Felipe. In more refined circles of society, her act would have been
considered highly reprehensible and Felipe overwhelmed with sympathy.
His base ingratitude would have been lightly censured in the familiar,
sugared terms of the most approved fashion. He would have been forgiven,
and petted, and even lauded as a martyr--and then, the world would have
forgotten. With the Indian woman, however, it was different.
On the altars of her people was still written, "blood for blood," the
same as in the ancient days.
Crushed, humiliated, his pride humbled to the dust, Don Felipe left the
country and for four years sought to forget his shame and the taunts of
his enemies in the distractions of the world. He traveled everywhere,
was presented at the different Courts of Europe, and it was in
Washington where his uncle was the Mexican Minister to the United
States, that he met Blanch and Mrs. Forest and her niece. In vain did he
try to forget. In vain did he search for another woman to supplant his
love for Chiquita. He plunged into the wildest dissipation, but to no
effect. The beautiful face of the dark woman followed him everywhere,
stood between him and the world, lured him, fascinated him still as
nothing else could, tortured him day and night and he knew no rest.
A thousand times he resolved to return and kill her, and a thousand
times he relented, for he loved her as madly as ever and could not carry
out his resolve. A prey to alternate fits of remorse and hatred, and
tortured constantly by the knowledge of an unrequited love, the soul of
Don Felipe Ramirez suffered the torments of the damned. His
unconquerable love for Chiquita devoured him, gnawed constantly at his
heart, and he cursed her--cursed her as only one of his temperament who
had suffered as he suffered, could curse.
What could he do? Anguish succeeded anguish until he was at length
drawn back again as irresistibly as the magnet is drawn to the north, to
the woman he both loved and hated. He would throw himself at her feet.
He, the proud, arrogant Don Felipe of former years, and bowed in the
dust, implore forgiveness. Nothing was too hard. Any sacrifice she might
demand of him, he would make. Surely, when she saw his remorse, his
contrite humbled spirit, understood his suffering and realized that he
could not forget her, could not live without her, that he loved her
still through all the years of suffering, that his life was irrevocably
linked to hers, she would relent, forgive him--become his wife.
His wife! The thought electrified, elated his being to an extent that it
was lifted for the moment from out the black depths of his despondency.
If not, well then, there would be time for the fulfillment of that which
must inevitably follow--either his death or hers.
XI
"Holy Mother! but I am glad to see you again, Don Felipe Ramirez! What
blessed chance has brought you back to us again?" Don Felipe started
like one in a dream, and turning in the direction whence came the sound
of the voice, he beheld Señora Fernandez standing on the veranda
regarding him intently.
"Doña Fernandez!" he exclaimed with genuine pleasure, advancing to meet
her, and extending his hand which she eagerly seized and held between
both her own.
"_Muchacho--muchacho!_" she cried, clapping her hands as she released
her hold on Don Felipe's. "Carlos, the _Caballero's_ horse!" she
continued, addressing the _vaquero_ that appeared in the doorway of the
Inn at her summons and who advancing, took possession of Don Felipe's
horse and led him away to the stables.
"Let me look at you, Don Felipe," she continued, regarding him closely.
"Why, you have not changed a hair! It might have been but yesterday that
you left us."
"And you, Doña Fernandez are still the charming, handsome mistress of
the _Posada de las Estrellas_ to whom all men are irresistibly drawn."
"Flatterer!" retorted Señora, laughing gayly and blushing like a girl
of sixteen. How sweet it was to hear such words from a handsome
_Caballero_ like Don Felipe! It reminded her of the old days when all
men thought her beautiful and went out of their way to tell her so.
"It was unkind of you to remain away so long, Don Felipe. Your friends
have missed you sadly and have prayed for the day of your return."
"Friends?" echoed Felipe with a sneer.
"Aye, friends. You will find that you have more friends now than when
you left us."
"I can scarcely believe it. And yet," he added, "I wish it might be so."
"You shall learn shortly for yourself," returned Señora.
"How long," interrupted Felipe, eager to change the drift of the
conversation, "have the American ladies been here?"
"Ah, you have seen them?"
"Yes, they were just going out for a walk when I arrived. It was a
pleasant surprise to see them here. They are friends of mine."
"You know them?"
"Yes. I met them a year ago in Washington."
"_Dios!_ to think of it!" she exclaimed.
"But what are they doing here?" he asked.
"Ah! that is just what I would like to know myself," replied Señora.
"_Caramba!_ but they are grand ladies! They say," she went on, "that
they are traveling for pleasure, but what pleasure can such delicate,
refined ladies possibly find in the desert, I should like to know?
Judging from their talk and actions they can not have seen very much of
the world. _Dios!_ you should have witnessed the scene they created the
day they arrived. And yet," she continued, "I like them and am glad they
are here. They have brought new life into the place. God knows it is no
longer what it used to be in the old days when Don Carlos, my husband,
was alive," she added with a sigh.
Don Felipe smiled at the Señora's provincialism. What a great world lay
outside that of her own, of which she was entirely ignorant.
A trip to the City of Mexico during her honeymoon was the only journey
she had ever taken beyond the confines of Chihuahua.
"And then there is Mrs. Forest's brother, Col-on-el Van Ash-ton," she
continued, pronouncing the latter's name slowly and with difficulty.
"Holy Maria! but he has caused us trouble! Nothing seems to suit him."
"Colonel Van Ashton?" repeated Felipe. "Ah, yes, I remember him."
"But that is not all," interrupted Señora. "There is also Captain
Forest, Mrs. Forest's son. He came here before the others and seemed
very much surprised and put out by their unexpected appearance."
"Captain Forest?" repeated Don Felipe slowly, as if trying to recall a
chance meeting. "I have never met him. What is he like?"
"Ah, he's a grand Señor," answered Señora with enthusiasm. "A
_Caballero_ every inch, and rides a horse that's the devil himself. Why,
only yesterday the brute kicked out the side of the corral, and after
chasing the men off the place who had been teasing him, calmly walked
into the garden and rolled in my choicest flower-bed."
"He must be a thoroughbred at any rate," laughed Felipe.
"Thoroughbred? He's the devil, I say! Captain Forest and his man, José,
are the only ones that dare go near him." Don Felipe drew a gold
cigarette-case thickly studded with diamonds and rubies from the inner
pocket of his jacket, and lighted a cigarette.
"As I was saying," Señora went on, "Captain Forest is a fine gentleman.
He's a great friend of Señor Yankton, and--" she stopped abruptly.
"And what?" asked Felipe suspiciously, closely scanning her face as he
tossed away the burnt end of the match.
"Oh, nothing," answered Señora evasively. "Only much has transpired
during your absence, Don Felipe." She hesitated as though uncertain how
to proceed, then said: "I might speak of certain things, but perhaps I
had better not. They would not interest you, anyway."
"Ah!" he said at length, endeavoring to conceal the emotion her words
aroused. "I--I think I understand. You--you refer to her, I suppose?"
There was a slight tremor in his voice and his hand trembled as he
raised his cigarette to his lips for a fresh puff.
"Yes," she answered quietly. "I--I was about to say that she appears to
be interested in this Captain Forest. But of course, that's nothing to
you," she added hastily, watching him narrowly the while. Her words
acted like fire to tinder.
"Interested in him?" he cried, starting violently and letting his
cigarette fall to the ground. His face grew ashen pale and his right
hand involuntarily went to the knife in his sash. "No, no, it cannot
be!" he muttered excitedly. "Are you sure of what you say, Doña
Fernandez? Tell me that it is not true--that it is a lie!" he almost
hissed, his eyes glowing with the fires of passion and jealousy.
"Why, what has come over you, Don Felipe Ramirez?" cried Señora in
alarm. "Surely you cannot--she can be nothing to you any more?"
"Nothing to me? Why do you suppose I am here?" he answered.
"_Madre de Dios!_" muttered Señora.
"Doña Fernandez," he began after a pause, his voice trembling in spite
of himself, "God knows I have tried to forget her, but I--I cannot!" and
his voice broke.
"What?" cried Señora excitedly. "You don't really mean to say that you
still--love her?"
"I do," answered Felipe fiercely, driving his heel furiously into the
ground. For some moments neither spoke. Then a flush of anger mounted to
Señora's brow and she cried:
"Fie! Don Felipe! Have you forgotten your self-respect? The handsomest,
richest man in all Chihuahua running after an Indian--the woman who
treated you so shamefully--an ingrate who is unworthy of a love like
yours? If I could have had my way, she would have been whipped
publicly! What would Don Juan, your father, peace be to his soul, say if
he were alive? Love her!" she cried in a frenzy of hatred and jealousy.
"How can you possibly love her, Don Felipe Ramirez?"
"How can I love her?" retorted Felipe fiercely. "Why does the grass
grow? Why do the birds sing? Why do the streams run to the ocean? Why do
the flowers turn to the sun? Tell me that, Doña Fernandez," he cried in
agony and bitterness, "and I will tell you why I love her in spite of
myself, in spite of what she did, in spite of every effort I have made
to resist her fascination! God!" and he struck his breast with his
clenched hand, "I wonder I did not kill her then and there, but I could
not, I could not; I loved her so!"
"_Dios_, but this is strange!" gasped Señora, raising both hands for an
instant and then crossing herself devoutly as if to avert the power of
some evil--the spell which seemed to cling to Don Felipe and bind him as
with hoops of steel. She did not realize that Chiquita belonged to that
rare type of beings who seem immortal; that it was impossible to imagine
her other than young, that the years could work no change within her,
and although Felipe had not yet seen her, his soul must flame up at the
sight of her as of yore.
Felipe was silent, his eyes cast on the ground. His face wore a
malignant expression of pain and hatred, and he trembled in every limb.
The revelation of his anguish startled her. She stepped close up to him
and laying her hand gently on his shoulder, said in a voice full of
compassion, almost of pity: "I understand, Don Felipe! You still see her
as she was when you last knew her--it is but natural. Of course you
could not know, but she has changed since then. In the opinion of every
one, she has fallen, degraded herself."
"Degraded herself? What do you mean?" asked Felipe, turning his
searching gaze upon her.
"Only a fortnight ago," answered Señora, "on the great day of the
_Fiesta_, she danced publicly in Carlos Moreno's theater."
"Chiquita danced in Carlos Moreno's hall? Impossible!"
"Don Felipe," replied Señora with just the suggestion of a smile, "all
things are possible with a woman."
"But why did she dance?" he asked.
"I don't know; neither does any one else. They say she received three
thousand _pesos_ in gold."
"Three thousand _pesos_?" echoed Felipe. "What did she do with them?"
"Ah! that's the mystery! What did she do with them?" answered Señora.
"It was not so much her dancing that scandalized the community, for we
all know what a wonderful dancer she is. Nobody ever danced as she does,
and we are willing to give her credit for it, but what did she do with
the money? That's the scandal of it! I have noticed no change in her
dress," she continued, "nor is it known that she has spent a single
_peso_ as yet."
"Strange," he murmured. "I cannot understand it."
"No more can I nor any one else," answered Señora. "But I have been
forgetting my duty; I must prepare a room for you, Don Felipe. In the
meantime," she added, ascending the veranda and pausing for an instant,
"be assured of the hearty welcome of your friends when they learn of
your return."
"Chiquita danced in public? I can't understand it!" he said aloud after
Señora Fernandez had disappeared in the house. "And she interested in
this Captain Forest?" His face grew livid and then black with hatred as
a fresh wave of rage and jealousy swept over him.
"No, no; it cannot be!" he gasped, his left hand resting over his heart
as though in pain. For some time he remained motionless as a statue,
lost in thought with his eyes fixed on the ground. Suddenly he raised
his head with a quick jerk. His face no longer wore an expression of
pain and anguish, but one of settled, calm determination.
"I have come just in time," he said quietly. He smiled, and drawing
forth his cigarette-case once more, he opened it and lit a fresh
cigarette.
XII
Doña Fernandez could not sleep. All night long she tossed on her bed,
repeating her conversation with Don Felipe and revolving what course to
pursue. She instinctively felt that a great tragedy of some kind was
imminent. Unless some plan of concerted action were immediately adopted,
nothing could prevent it.
She knew her people too well. A reckless, hot-blooded man like Don
Felipe in his present mood could not be trusted for long, but must
sooner or later provoke a quarrel with Captain Forest, who she knew,
would be equally dangerous if aroused. Since her conversation with
Felipe she had noted the attitude of Blanch toward the Captain and her
woman's instinct had half guessed the truth. But beautiful and
irresistible though Blanch appeared, there was Chiquita, more beautiful
and attractive than when Felipe had last seen her, and also quite as
dangerous.
She knew that Felipe's passion was hopeless--that Chiquita would not
hesitate to show her dislike and contempt for him anew--that should
Captain Forest be attracted to her also, she would act like a fire-brand
between the two men. If only one of them might be persuaded to leave the
place, the clash which must inevitably occur, might be averted for a
time at least, but this was clearly impossible. There was only one
thing to be done for the present--advise Chiquita of Felipe's return and
warn her of the danger that threatened them all if she provoked him
unnecessarily.
Hopeless though this plan seemed, Chiquita might for the Captain's sake,
if she really cared for him, act more discreetly than was her wont. But
what could be expected from a woman in love? Who could tell how she
would act? Besides, she argued, all men are fools. They seem to be born
only to become the playthings of women, the majority of whom are
invariably deceived by them in the end.
How she hated her! To think of Don Felipe running after her, eating out
his heart, throwing away his young life for one like her! A love like
his going begging! Merciful God! was there no justice in this world? And
for the moment, she was quite carried away by a paroxysm of fury.
Ah, if only she, Doña Fernandez, were but ten years younger! But the
chosen birds of Venus, the white doves of matrimony, were not destined
to hover over her head a second time. Tears of longing and vexation
dimmed her eyes as she thought of the golden, halcyon days of youth that
would never return. At any rate, Felipe and Chiquita must not meet until
after she had warned the latter. Blanch must be used as a foil as long
as possible.
And so it happened that, when breakfast was over, Señora adroitly
arranged that Felipe should conduct the two girls for a morning's ramble
to the pretty little cañon of the river which lay but a mile distant
from the town where the foothills began; a plan that suited Blanch
perfectly. She, too, had been doing some thinking over night and had
recognized the possibility of using Don Felipe as a foil against Jack;
he was certainly handsome and clever enough to serve the purpose
admirably.
Captain Forest had gone for a ride an hour before for the purpose of
giving his horse a short run to the foothills and back. So, when Señora
had seen the others safely off, she slipped quietly away in the
direction of Padre Antonio's house.
It lacked a quarter of eleven when she left the house. She knew that
Chiquita would have long since returned from the market and would be at
home. So occupied was she with her thoughts as she hurried forward
intent upon her mission, she did not look up until she turned into the
road leading directly past Padre Antonio's gate, when she suddenly
stopped short. Before her she beheld Captain Forest standing in front of
the gate holding his horse, and Chiquita handing him a red rose. Another
instant, and Chiquita vanished through the gate into the garden and
Captain Forest, remounting his horse, came riding leisurely down the
road at a walk, inhaling the rose with evident pleasure. She drew back
into the shadow of the old wall and pressed close into the thick bushy
mass of white clematis vine which hung over it from above and waited
until he passed.
It is the unexpected that always happens. The meeting between Chiquita
and the Captain was purely accidental. While returning from his ride, he
had been attracted by the beauty and luxuriance of Padre Antonio's
garden as he rode by. He wheeled his horse about and drew rein before
the open iron grating of the gate in order to obtain a better view of
it. Its flowers consisted chiefly of roses of different varieties and
colors. The air was spicy with their perfume and, as he inhaled their
fragrance in deep breaths, his attention was presently attracted by the
figure of Chiquita who appeared in the pathway before him, pausing
beside a luxuriant bush of blood-red blossoms and apparently quite
unconscious of his presence. The picture which she presented was one he
carried with him for many a day afterward.
[Illustration: "The picture which she presented was one he carried with
him for many a day."]
A small white dove strutted and cooed on the ground before her, while
another flew down from the house-top and after circling above her head,
also settled down beside its mate in the pathway.
She was dressed in a short pale green skirt and bodice, the latter cut
low at the neck before and behind. The sleeves were short, reaching to
the elbow and terminating in a narrow frill of deep saffron, their sides
open and interlaced with silvery cords. Two richly embroidered silken
shawls of a pale red color with long fringe and worn in Spanish style,
adorned her dress. The one, pinned at the waist at the back and
following the outline of the bodice, passed up over her left shoulder
and down in front to her breast where it was fastened with a golden
brooch, the end falling in a graceful length of fringe. The other, also
fastened at the back of her waist, passed around her right hip and
diagonally down across the front of her skirt. Golden poppies adorned
the heavy masses of her lustrous black hair, worn high and held in place
by a silver comb. A saffron lace mantilla of the same deep shade as that
of the frill on her sleeves, fell in graceful folds from the comb to her
shoulders, while her feet were clothed in silk stockings of the same
shade and soft brown beaded slippers of undressed leather.
To complete this costume which only a Gypsy or one of Chiquita's tawny
complexion would have dared essay to wear, a small pale red silken fan
ornamented with gold and silver spangles, hung suspended from her wrist
by a satin ribbon of deep orange which flashed in the sunlight like a
splash of gold on a humming-bird's throat.
It was not by some happy chance that the Captain found her arrayed in
such finery, as is so often the case with heroines of romance, but the
result of much premeditation and studied effect. Ever since her meeting
with Blanch she had dressed herself daily with terrible deliberation and
nicety of precision, the same as every woman of flesh and blood would
have done under the circumstances, on the chance of Captain Forest
finding her at home when he came to pay his respects to the Padre as he
had intimated he would do.
The thought of the innumerable dresses possessed by her rival, and the
scantiness of her own wardrobe, composed though it was of the richest
laces, silks and satins in the style of a past era, was something
appalling; enough to turn a stouter heart than hers. And had she been
anything else than an Indian, she would have sat down on the floor of
her room in the midst of her finery and wept copious and bitter tears
like the daughters of Babylon of old. The thought of the old dress which
she had worn on the day of their meeting was not alone mortifying--it
was excruciating. One of those things which we hasten to forget.
_Dios!_ how she must have looked to him in the regal presence of Blanch,
gowned in her stylish traveling costume!
Don Felipe Ramirez would have kissed the dust from off the hem of such
an old garment, but would Captain Forest do the same? She could not
afford to take any more risks with a rival like Blanch in the field.
There is no knowing how long Captain Forest would have remained a silent
spectator of the charming picture she presented, had not her attention
been attracted by the sound of Starlight's hoofs as he began to paw the
ground impatiently. She raised her head from the bush over which she was
bending and turned her gaze in the direction of the gate.
"Oh!" she cried with a little start, silently regarding the Captain for
some moments. Then a smile slowly wreathed her lips and she broke into a
light laugh. Her right hand involuntarily sought her fan which slowly
opened across the lower half of her face and she shot a glance at him
over its rim with an ease and grace which only Spanish women have ever
succeeded in mastering. The effect of this deft bit of coquetry, simple
and natural as were all her actions, was not lost upon the Captain.
"I don't know whether I love you or not," it said plainly as words,
"but henceforth you shall be my slave."
"How long have you been there?" she asked at length, slowly lowering her
fan.
"Only an instant, Señorita," he replied, raising his hat. "I was
wondering," he continued, "whether it would be too much to ask you for
one of those roses? One would not be missed among so many."
"Ah, but they are precious, Señor _Capitan_--these especially; they are
my favorites," and she swept her hand caressingly over the bush beside
which she was standing.
"For that reason I shall prize it all the more, Señorita."
"Ah! you men have a way of using flattery to women whenever you want
anything of them. And yet," she continued with just the suggestion of a
frown, "a woman would be hard hearted to refuse--" Her eyes dropped for
an instant, then looking up again, she said hesitatingly: "I wonder if I
can trust you?"
"Try me," he pleaded.
"I know it's foolish, but rather than have you think me less generous
than the women you have known, I shall give you one little one, Captain
Forest, that is, on condition you never ask me for another," and
breaking off one of the largest half-blown blossoms, she held it in her
hand as though loath to part with it.
"I promise," said the Captain solemnly, dismounting and holding his
horse by the rein. "I dare not leave my horse, Señorita," he added in a
tone of embarrassment, "he is unaccustomed to a town and feels strange,
and should he take it into his head to bolt, he might do the first
person he met an injury."
"Indeed? I have often thought of your horse and wondered where you got
him. But," she continued reluctantly, "since you cannot come to me, I
suppose I must come to you," and passing through the gate, she stood
before him, rose in hand.
"A truly magnificent animal," she said, running her hand gently along
Starlight's neck. "I've been accustomed to horses from childhood and
can't help admiring a good one when I see it."
Much to the Captain's surprise, the Chestnut did not resent her touch,
but whinnied softly instead and laid his nose on her shoulder. Any one
else but José and himself he would have seized with his teeth. Perhaps
it was her way of approaching and handling him, or was it the subtle
influence of that mysterious kinship which exists between the wild
things--strange and inexplicable to all but themselves?
"I thought I possessed the only pure Arab in Mexico," she continued.
"He's a small black horse with a white star in his forehead, and has
never been beaten. You should look at the Raven some time--he would
interest you," she added.
"I should like to. Arabs are rare on this side of the Atlantic. Where
did you get him?"
"He was a present from Count Don Louis de Ortega, of the City of
Mexico."
"Count Louis de Ortega?"
"Yes. He is the most charming old gentleman I know. He is Padre
Antonio's great friend."
"Ah!" ejaculated the Captain as though relieved.
"I once spent a summer traveling in Europe with the Ortega family. But
here is your rose, Captain Forest. I almost believe you forgot it.
Horses are so much more interesting than flowers," and handing him the
rose, she was back again in the garden before he could thank her.
"_Á Dios, Capitan_ Forest," she continued with the softest accent
imaginable, lingering unconsciously on his name as she paused on the
other side of the gate. Again the little fan opened, and looking back
over it with a bewitching smile and arched eyebrows and her head held
coquettishly on one side, she said as if to herself: "I wonder how long
he will keep it?"
His heart gave a great throb as he gazed upon that subtle, bewitching
vision before him, "Forever, Señorita!" he was about to reply, but she
was gone.
It might be argued that a woman of Chiquita's metal would not have shown
her hand thus lightly. Let his infernal beast bolt and trample the whole
town in the dust and himself in the bargain. If he wanted the rose, let
him come and get it; not a step would she move! Possibly, but let it not
be forgotten that she was in love--desperately in love; that the time
for quibbling had passed, that another woman equally fair would have
unhesitatingly waded through a river to deliver that rose to the Captain
had he asked for it. Destiny had placed Captain Forest in the saddle,
just as it had decreed that Don Felipe Ramirez should pass the remainder
of his days pursuing an illusive vision. If nature and convention now
swarmed at the Captain's saddle-bow, surely it was no fault of his. Had
he not burnt his last bridge, snapped his fingers in the face of the
world, and turned his back upon it and ridden forth in search of the
lost kingdom of Earth?
XIII
"The jade--coquetting openly on the highroad!" cried the Señora
furiously, stepping out from the shadow of the wall after the Captain
had disappeared down the road.
"Will she stop at nothing? It's true, she loves him! What would Don
Felipe do had he witnessed what she had just seen?" and she shuddered as
she paused breathlessly before the high iron gate, her cheeks aglow and
her eyes flashing with indignation. Cautiously pushing open the gate
which stood ajar, she paused for an instant on the inside, casting her
eyes nervously about her in search of Chiquita, but seeing no one, she
advanced slowly along the walk leading in the direction of the house.
She had not far to go before she came upon the object of her quest,
seated on a rough stone bench in the shade of a thick cluster of
tamarisk bushes which grew close to the wall.
The surprise Chiquita felt on seeing the Señora standing before her so
unexpectedly, caused her to let fall the book which she was vainly
endeavoring to read--an action which the Señora regarded as an admission
of her guilt; and she exulted in her evident embarrassment.
The episode of the rose had caused her to quite forget her mission for
the moment. From her general air of excitement, flushed face and
flashing eyes, Chiquita rightly conjectured that something unusual had
happened and that an outburst of some sort or other was imminent. It
came like an explosion.
"Holy Virgin!" she cried, eyeing Chiquita critically. "What is the
meaning of this; dressed in your very best? Is this the Sabbath, or one
of the blessed Saints' days, or perhaps a Palm-Sunday that you should
array yourself thus? Mother of God! when has it become the fashion for
young ladies to disport themselves in their best clothes on common,
ordinary week days? Why, 'tis not even a Fish-Friday! Merciful Heaven!
to what are we coming?" she gasped between breaths, clasping her hands
and glancing heavenward. "Do such dresses grow upon bushes that they are
so easily obtained? Doubtless," she concluded with withering sarcasm,
"when they are worn threadbare as they soon will be owing to such
constant usage, you will purchase others with those golden _pesos_ which
you earned so recently."
Chiquita, accustomed to the Señora's outbursts, did not deign an
immediate reply, but sat quietly fanning herself, a faint smile
wreathing her lips; she was thoroughly enjoying the Señora's discomfort.
What would not the latter give to know something concerning those
_pesos_? Chiquita's composure under the fire of her words only tended to
increase her irritation.
"Oh, I know why you have thus suddenly turned the peacock! You do not
deceive me! You have arrayed yourself thus for the grand
Señor--_Capitan_ Forest."
"Bah!" ejaculated Chiquita composedly, as though nothing unusual were
taking place. "Is that all you have to say Doña Fernandez?"
"All! Is that not enough? Holy God!" she cried with increasing vexation.
"You are in love--in love, I say!" A ripple of laughter bubbled over the
two rosy petals of Chiquita's lips, revealing the pearly whiteness of
her teeth. Now that she realized the real cause of the Señora's anger,
it was impossible to become angry herself. The Señora, however, was by
no means abashed by Chiquita's indifference, and vigorously renewed the
attack.
"So our little ring-dove is in love, is she?" she continued mockingly,
strutting back and forth before her. "You think _Capitan_ Forest will
notice you in that finery--that he will fall in love with you and will
marry you, and that you will become a grand lady like the Señorita
Lennox and ride in a fine carriage for the rest of your days. _Mercedes
Dios!_ and all because you have succeeded in turning the heads of a few
country bumpkins that hang about the place casting sheep's-eyes at you.
Ha, ha, ha!" she laughed derisively. "Believe me, when _Capitan_ Forest
makes up his mind to marry, he will not stoop so low to pick up so
little."
"Doña Fernandez!" said Chiquita sharply rising from the bench with an
ominous look in her eyes.
"Foolish child," Señora went on without heeding her, "to imagine that
some day your hands will be white like a lady's! I suppose you have
nothing further to do to-day but to pick flowers?" she added, pausing
for breath.
"I have never worried about my color, Doña Fernandez," replied Chiquita
indignantly. "Indeed, I sometimes think it holds its own better than
that of some persons I might mention."
"Holy Mother! how your tongue runs on! Am I not to be allowed to say
anything? Oh, you do not deceive me! I saw you give him the rose as I
came here. If he's sensible, he'll throw it away."
Chiquita laughed derisively. "Perhaps it is well for the world that all
people are not so sensible as you are, Doña Fernandez," and her fan
closed with a sudden snap. "So this is the advice you came to give me,
Doña Fernandez? How very considerate of you!"
Her words recalled the Señora to the purpose of her coming. For some
time she paced up and down before Chiquita without replying. Then
stopping and facing her, and watching closely for the effect her words
would have upon her, she said: "I came to tell you--that Don Felipe
Ramirez has returned."
Chiquita started. "Don Felipe here?"
"Aye. He's stopping at my house, and I came to warn you that perhaps it
would be well to be cautious and exercise a little more self-control
than is your wont when in his and _Capitan_ Forest's presence."
The Señora was satisfied with her morning's work; her words had had
their effect. Besides, had she not had her say--unburdened her soul of
many things which she had long been dying to give utterance to? All
things considered she had scored.
"_Á Dios_, Señorita," she added sarcastically, her black eyes gleaming
with malicious satisfaction as with mock courtesy she bowed and turned,
leaving Chiquita silent and motionless, her eyes cast on the ground and
lost in thought.
XIV
"Don Felipe here? The coward, the cur! How dare he return?" she cried
with a sudden outburst, her words ringing with indignation and
resentment. She impatiently tapped the palm of her hand with her fan as
she began to realize what his return might mean to her.
She knew that Señora had come to warn her not on her own account, but
solely on Don Felipe's. Knowing as she did the reckless character of the
man, she thoroughly realized the danger, and knew that she must be on
her guard, not only for her own sake, but for Captain Forest's as well.
Like the bird of ill omen that he was, his presence boded no good to
her. Already she felt his baleful shadow fall across her path.
The unusual attention which Chiquita had begun to pay to her personal
appearance did not escape the observant eye of Padre Antonio. Knowing
the nature of woman as few men did, he was wise enough not to question
her, experience having taught him that the majority of women can only
keep a secret for a certain length of time. He smiled and admired, or
twitted her with the simple remark: "For whom are we dressing this
morning, Chiquita _mia_?" But she only laughed in reply, or shaking her
finger at him with a mysterious air, would say: "What woman would not
dress for Padre Antonio?" But Padre Antonio was not so innocent as he
tried to appear. Instinct, reënforced by long experience, told him that
these were the first real symptoms of love which his wild little Indian
girl, as he chose to call her, had shown.
He had always suspected that she never really cared for Don Felipe, and
had done his best to break off the engagement before the catastrophe had
overtaken the latter; but this was different. That of which he was loath
to think, yet which he knew must inevitably happen, had come to pass.
His knowledge of human nature told him that she had at last met the man
worthy of her love, but, he asked himself, would Captain Forest, of a
different race and reared under totally different conditions,
reciprocate that love? He could not endure the thought that his little
girl might be made unhappy should the Captain fail to respond to her
love.
He, too, had seen Chiquita give him the rose from his study window which
overlooked the garden. So, when the sermon upon which he was engaged was
completed, he quietly descended to the garden with the intention of
administering to her a gentle admonition as well as giving her a little
wholesome advice. Chiquita, hearing the sound of his measured tread on
the gravel as he approached along the pathway, reseated herself on the
bench and began to fan herself unconcernedly.
What a picture she made against the pale plumy branches of the tamarisk,
thought Padre Antonio.
"I thought I heard voices," he said, seating himself beside her. "Has
any one been here?"
"Doña Fernandez has just gone," replied Chiquita absently. "She has been
giving me some of her advice."
"Advice?" echoed Padre Antonio, realizing the moment of his arrival to
be most opportune. "That's just what I have come to give you, my
child--advice!"
"What! You, too, Padre?" she exclaimed petulantly, looking at him
inquiringly. "_Dios!_ what have I done that everybody comes to give me
advice when I have so many other things to think of?"
"Chiquita," slowly began Padre Antonio, laying his hand gently on her
own, "I have always known you to be wiser than most women, the result no
doubt, of your early life and training in the wilds where people must
live by their wits for self-preservation if for nothing else." He paused
that he might the better collect his thoughts. She guessed what was
coming and began toying with her fan, an arch smile playing about her
delicate, sensitive mouth as she regarded him out of the corners of her
large dark eyes.
"Chiquita," he continued, "I do not like your extravagance. Have a care,
child, lest you become addicted to vanity."
"Again, just what the Señora said! Am I so vain as all that, Padre
_mio_, that you should be obliged to remind me of it?"
"Then why this continual display?" he asked pointedly. "You never used
to show such consideration for your admirers." She felt that it would
be not only foolish, but worse than useless to attempt to fence about
the truth with him.
"Ah, Padre _mio_," she sighed softly, blushing and laying her hand
lightly on his shoulder and looking up into his face with deep lustrous
eyes that softened with her words, "you--you forget--that I have never
been in love before."
"In love!" echoed Padre Antonio in turn. "Ah! I knew it was that," and
into his eyes there came an expression of tenderness and a far-away look
as though the word recalled memories of other days. Memories which music
or the glories of the sunset, or the cooing of the wood-dove at eventide
might awaken within the soul. The sunlight played along the path at
their feet. The breeze wafted the fragrance of the roses about them and
a linnet, perched on the swaying branch of a tree overhead, gave voice
to his song, singing of the joy of life. Again he sighed, and Chiquita
looking up quickly, saw in his eyes that which she had never suspected.
"Padre _mio_," she said at length, lowering her eyes and slowly opening
and shutting her fan, "have--have you ever been in love?"
"My child!" he cried with a start, suddenly recollecting where he was.
"You forget what I am! What are you thinking of?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing!" she returned quietly. "Only it's so--so sweet to
be in love, Padre _mio_. And yet so--"
"So what, my child?" he interrupted hurriedly, as if to get through
with the subject as quickly as possible.
"So terrible," she answered.
"So terrible?"
"Yes, terrible, Padre _mio_, for I never knew before how ugly I am."
"My poor child, you have quite lost your head!" he answered
sympathetically.
"Ah, no," she said rising and facing him, "you do not understand; I have
a most dangerous rival. To win the Señor I am compelled to use every
means and strategy within my power. Can you not see?" she continued
passionately; "she has everything; I have nothing. She is not only
beautiful, but rich, and Blessed Virgin, what dresses she has, and
jewels enough to cover an altar-cloth!"
"My child!" he cried. "You are merely jealous of the Señorita's beauty.
For shame, that you should set such store upon worldly things!"
"Padre _mio_, you would not have your little Chiquita unhappy, would
you?" she went on without heeding his words, a beseeching tone in her
voice. "Should I fail to win Captain Forest's love, my heart will
break!" She stood with downcast eyes before him, an expression of pain
on her face.
"Ah, yes, my child, I understand," he answered compassionately, also
rising from the bench. "Your temptation is great. Beware of pride and
the vanities of this world, for he that exalteth himself shall be
humbled.
"Chiquita," he continued earnestly, "my greatest care in bringing you up
has ever been to keep you the pure and simple being that you were when
you came to me. Do not forget--God demandeth that the souls which he
gave into our keeping should be returned unto him again in the same pure
unblemished state that we received them. Therefore, take heed, my child,
for although God has endowed you with great beauty of both mind and
body, do not foolishly imagine that, by arraying yourself in the
vanities of this world, you can add an atom to the natural beauty He has
bestowed upon you already. Be but pleasing in God's sight and it must
follow that you will please all men as well."
"Oh! you really do think me beautiful, Padre?" she cried, a radiant look
on her face.
"My child, my child, you do not listen to what I have to say!" he
groaned despairingly.
"Oh, yes, I do, Padre _mio_! But you forget that, when God endowed woman
with a soul, he gave her a heart as well. Willingly we render our souls
unto God, but our hearts belong to men." The logic of her argument was
too much for Padre Antonio, and he laughed as she had never seen him
laugh before.
"Verily," he said at length, wiping the tears from his eyes and
reseating himself on the bench, "the spirit and flesh must ever contend
for the mastery of the soul on earth; it is our fate--the good Lord
intended that it should be so."
"Ah, yes," she returned. "It's not always the good that seems to please
us most in this world."
"Aye, verily!" he rejoined, relapsing into silence. Again the linnet
gave voice to his song, and the cooling breeze sighed among the tamarisk
plumes that waved about their heads.
"Do you remember when you first came to me, Chiquita _mia_?" he asked at
last.
"That was ten years ago, Padre."
"I then thought," he went on, "that the good Lord had sent you to me to
make a little angel out of you, but--"
"Ah, Padre _mio_," she interrupted, "it's too bad! I'm afraid I'm still
the little devil that I was!" and laughing, she rose from her seat and
passing around to his end of the bench, stood beside him and began to
pull the leaves from a rose-bush.
"Padre _mio_," she said softly, looking down at him with mischievous
lights dancing in her eyes, "you don't really regret that I have
remained what I am, do you?"
"Oh, I didn't mean to infer that, my child!" he answered with a note of
reproach in his voice, looking up into her shadowy, downcast face. She
gave a little laugh, and tapping him gently on one shoulder with her
fan, said: "Do you know what you are, Padre _mio_?"
"What, my child?" he asked innocently, his face brightening at the
question.
"You're the dearest old goose that ever lived!" and bending over him,
she kissed him lightly on the crown of his head before he could prevent
it.
"Chiquita, my child--you're too impulsive! Have I not repeatedly forbade
you--" but the sound of her laughter and retreating footsteps on the
pathway leading to the house was the only response his words invoked.
"_Dios!_" he exclaimed, recovering his breath. "I sometimes think that
God created man, but woman--the devil! They never listen to anything one
has to tell them!"
Chiquita went quietly to her room, walked straight to her bureau and
opening the lower drawer, took out a small pistol which lay concealed
beneath a chemise in one corner. Examining it carefully with the
practiced eye and hand of one who has been accustomed to the use of
firearms all her life, she loaded it and then placed it inside her
breast. She knew Don Felipe as no one else did, and thoroughly realized
the danger that threatened her. From that hour, waking or sleeping, the
weapon must never leave her.
XV
Who was Richard Yankton? Many had asked that question, foremost of whom
was Dick himself; but years of unremitting search had failed to reveal
his origin.
In the spring of 1870 Colonel Yankton, who with his regiment of cavalry
was stationed in Arizona, came one day upon the smoldering remains of an
immigrant train--the work of the Apache Indians.
The scalped and mutilated remains of men, women and children lay
scattered over the plain where they had fallen. It was a melancholy
sight; one with which the Colonel had long become familiar during years
of campaigning against the Red man. His scouts had picked up the trail
and just as he was about to start in pursuit of the depredators, he
fancied he heard a cry, causing him to pause and listen.
Presently the cry was repeated, and riding in the direction whence the
sound proceeded, he came upon a little child of about two and a half
years of age sitting on the ground among the sage-brush; the sole
survivor of the disaster. It was a pretty, rosy-cheeked, dark-eyed
baby--a boy. He was frightened at being left alone so long and was
crying bitterly. But when he saw the Colonel looking down at him from
the back of his horse, the little fellow brightened up. He forgot his
troubles, and ceasing to cry, began to laugh and stretch out his tiny
hands, and in his incoherent baby way, began to babble.
"Horsie, horsie, widie!" he cried, in the most beseeching, irresistible
manner, just as he must have been accustomed to ask the men of the camp
for a ride whenever they appeared with a horse. In an instant the
Colonel was on the ground and had the little fellow in his arms. As no
clew to the child's parents or relatives was ever found, the Colonel
adopted him, giving him his own name.
Dick received an excellent schooling up to his sixteenth year and
probably would have entered West Point had not his benefactor suddenly
died. Strange to say, the life of a soldier with which he had become
familiar during the years spent at the different posts assigned to the
Colonel, did not appeal to him. The restraint and routine of the life
appeared irksome, and a year later the then great undeveloped West
numbered him among her sons.
Indeed, as subsequent events proved, it was fortunate that he had
renounced the life of a soldier. The success which later attended his
efforts in the search for wealth far overshadowed that which he probably
would have attained in the army, especially as his heart was not in the
life.
Dick was a born miner and prospector, and passed successively through
New Mexico, Arizona and California in his search for the precious
metals, finally drifting into old Mexico where he met with his first
important success.
It seemed as though he were directed by an invisible power. For weeks
and months at a time he would idle--read and smoke and ride or travel.
Then suddenly the spirit would move him, and without saying a word to
any one, he would quietly slip away into the mountains by himself in
whichever direction he seemed most impelled to go. Where other men
paused and lingered in the hope of finding gold, he passed on and
discovered the metal where others least expected to find it.
Perhaps one of the chief reasons for his success lay in the fact that he
did not assert his own will by planning a systematic search for the
metal, but allowed himself to be drawn by that mysterious, attractive
affinity that existed between him and the precious metals. Dick became
aware of the existence of this strange affinity early in his career and
acted upon it. Already at the age of thirty he possessed two of the
greatest gold and silver mines in the world and began to find it
difficult to know what to do with his income.
The fact that he cared nothing for money beyond the simple comforts of
life which it afforded, was perhaps another inscrutable reason why he
was permitted during the course of the next eight years to add two more
rich mines to his possessions.
At thirty-eight he owned four mines, the possession of any one of which
would have caused the average man to see visions. For example, Dick
would have regarded Colonel Van Ashton's fortune, handsome though it
was, as mere loose change in his pocket.
But this modern young Croesus was not unworthy of the fortune that
had been showered upon him so bountifully as the majority of men who
acquire great wealth invariably become. He not only constantly strove to
improve his mind, but maintained a pension-roll and list of public
charities and beneficiaries that would have done credit to a small
European Principality. In short, he thoroughly realized what the
responsibility of great wealth entailed.
True to his supersensitive nature and fastidious taste, he always
dressed in the height of fashion. This was the only extravagance he
allowed himself which, considering his fortune, was reasonable enough.
Experience had taught him that the majority of men and women were fakirs
pure and simple, whose chief motives were prompted solely by
self-interest; and any suggestion to reform the world he invariably
greeted with laughter. In fact, the world in his opinion, was not worth
reforming; yet, in spite of this melancholy truth, he had remained human
to the core, and took a live interest in that world of men which he knew
to be nothing more nor less than a great gamble. And therein lay the
chief distinction between him and Captain Forest, for they were
otherwise strangely alike. Dick was still more or less interested in
molding the clay--the Captain had done with it. Possibly because the
latter had fallen heir to that which Dick had acquired through effort
and, therefore, set less store upon it.
There were few countries which he had not visited. After making his
first rich strike, he attempted to settle in New York, but was unable to
do so. To use his own words, "he was only able to sit down, but there
wasn't room enough for him to stretch his arms and legs."
During his travels he had collected numerous works of art; tapestries,
paintings, marbles and bronzes by the best modern masters, which he
placed in a beautiful Spanish _hacienda_ especially designed by one of
the foremost architects of the day. The house occupied the site of an
old Spanish _rancho_ situated in a beautiful valley about ten miles from
Santa Fé and was generally conceded to be the most attractive estate in
Chihuahua, though not the largest and most valuable; Don Felipe Ramirez
possessed that. Both house and garden were a living monument to Dick's
natural refinement and good taste. There were no jarring notes or
lavish, tawdry display, the pitfalls into which the parvenue and petit
bourgeois invariably fall. This was his only hobby, and just why he
indulged it, he himself would have found it difficult to answer, for in
reality, he cared but little for it.
He regarded it chiefly as a precaution against old age. He would
continue to improve and beautify the place until the day arrived when he
would retire from the world to pass the few remaining years of life amid
the quiet and seclusion which the country afforded. And he often
pictured himself when alone and musing over his cigar, as a lonely,
white-haired patriarch, without offspring to perpetuate his name, seated
in the center of his _patio_, smiling benignly upon the frolicsome
little brown children of his Indian retainers as they laughed and
disported themselves about him.
"Ah!" cries the world. "Mr. Yankton has a history!" Of course. What man
or woman has not, even though they dare not admit it? Had he loved too
much or too little? There were even some who attributed that exquisite
vein of melancholy in his nature to the shadow of a married woman. Was
he haunted by the fear that some fair, false one might marry him for his
fortune, not for himself? Or, was his aversion to marriage due solely to
the fact that the right woman had not yet arrived?
These and many other questions had been asked and thoroughly discussed
by the matrons and daughters of Santa Fé, especially by the latter, to
all of whom he had made love and sent flowers and serenaded in turn
until, out of sheer desperation, they called alternately upon God and
the devil to keep or punish this gay Lothario who loved all and yet
none, and who gave such exquisite _fiestas_ in his beautiful _hacienda_.
Now it so chanced that, at the same hour Don Felipe was conducting
Blanch and Bessie to the cañon, Dick was returning to Santa Fé on
horseback from his _hacienda_ where he had passed the night. As there
was no particular reason why he should reach the _Posada_ before noon,
he decided to indulge his fancy by lingering in the cooling shade of the
cañon close to the river's edge, where he might listen to the voices of
the waters as they went singing by him on their way to the old town and
thence to the sea.
He accordingly dismounted, and after lighting a fresh cigar, stretched
himself at full length upon the grass which grew on the river's bank,
allowing his horse to graze at will. Just behind him rose the abrupt
wall of the cañon some thirty or forty feet in height which, at this
hour of the morning, cast a deep shadow over the spot where he lay and
halfway across the river in front of him. It was just the sort of place
for an Indian or one of Dick's nature to linger in and dream and muse.
The tips of the tall grass and reeds which grew close to the water's
edge, swayed gently in the fresh morning breeze. The song of the finch
and linnet issued from the thick, low willow copse growing along the
river's banks.
How peaceful it was, and how sweetly the waters sang! No wonder the
Indian prized the peace and beauty of nature above all else. What was
his _hacienda_ to this? He was never really happy when the roof of a
house intervened between himself and the sky.
Suddenly his attention was attracted by a noise overhead, and glancing
upward, he sprang to his feet just in time to avoid a mass of earth and
stones that came rolling down over the face of the cliff and fell on the
very spot where he had been lying. The next instant, before he had time
to realize what was happening, a soft, fluffy mass dropped into his arms
with an impact that nearly brought him to his knees. For some seconds
Dick looked hard at the object in his arms in order to assure himself
that he really was awake and not still dreaming in the grass by the side
of the river.
There was no doubt about it; the woman had arrived.
Miss Van Ashton lay quite still in his arms; she had fainted. For the
first time in his life, a panic seized him.
"Miss Van Ashton!" he cried excitedly, bending over her. She seemed like
nothing, as light as a feather as she lay so still and pale in his
strong arms. It seemed as though he could have held her thus forever,
and he was almost beginning to wish that he might as he watched the
pallor of her face slowly give way to its natural pink and white glow,
delicate as the lining of a conch-shell. Strange that he had not noted
this peculiarly piquant and attractive face before.
"Miss Van Ashton!" he cried once more. But again there was no response.
He lowered her gently on one knee in order that she might breathe more
freely. As he did so, one of her hands came into sudden contact with his
own. Instinctively his hand closed over it and held it captive; it was
so soft and warm, just like a little bird. His soul was sorely tempted,
and sad to relate, he raised it to his lips and held it there, at which
juncture Bessie Van Ashton slowly opened her eyes.
With a cry, she was on her feet--flushed and furious.
"Don't be alarmed, Miss Van Ashton!" he exclaimed, quite unconscious of
the cause of her sudden fright. "You're not hurt a bit; you didn't touch
the ground. You only fainted."
"How dare you hold me in your arms?" she cried.
"I couldn't help it, Miss Van Ashton; you dropped right into them."
"How dare you kiss me, sir?"
"I couldn't help that either," stammered Dick, covered with confusion
and blushing like a school-boy.
"Insolence!" cried Bessie with increased vehemence, stamping her small
foot furiously on the ground.
"Miss Van Ashton," stammered Dick again, "I apologize! I--I beg your
pardon--"
"For taking advantage of a helpless woman while in an unconscious
state!" she interrupted. "A most gentlemanly act!" she added
contemptuously. Her words cut him like the lash of a whip, causing him
to wince, his face turning a deep red.
"I'm sorry--" he began.
"You know you're not sorry at all!" she broke in again with unabated
fury.
"Miss Van Ashton," he said again, with increasing embarrassment, "when
you fell into my arms I was so surprised and frightened--"
"Frightened?" She laughed in his face. "A man who single handed held a
furious crowd of men at bay as you did--frightened? You mean that you
were so overcome with weakness and the joy at finding a helpless woman
in your power you could think of nothing better to do than to kiss her,"
she answered with all the sarcasm she could command.
A twinkle came into Dick's dark eyes as he regarded her for some time in
silence.
"Miss Van Ashton," he said, "if you only knew it, you are far more
dangerous than a tame mob of boys."
"Pshaw!" she exclaimed, turning her back upon him, and tapping the
ground nervously with her daintily shod foot. Dick regarded her narrowly
during the pause that ensued. She seemed taller than he at first had
thought her, and was as slender as a birch. The sun, which by this time
had begun to peep over the top of the cañon wall, cast a golden aureole
about her head. Again he heard the waters sing and the notes of the
birds issuing from the willow copse.
"Well! how much longer are you going to stand there? Why don't you say
something?" she snapped, still keeping her back turned toward him. Her
words inspired him with fresh confidence. He recognized in them a faint
glimmer of interest which even her fierce spirit of resentment had not
entirely succeeded in overcoming.
"Miss Van Ashton, ignore me, trample me in the dust if you like, but do
you know, if it had been any other woman than yourself, I should have
laid her quietly down upon the ground and left her to regain
consciousness as best she could!" She wheeled around abruptly, looking
him straight in the eyes. There was no mistaking the sincerity of his
words, or the look that accompanied them. And she instinctively felt
that an impulsive, passionate nature like his could not have helped
doing what he did.
"I don't believe a word you say," she said, softening somewhat, a faint
smile lurking about the corners of her mouth. Then, as the ludicrousness
of the situation came over her, she burst into fit after fit of laughter
until the tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh, dear!" she sighed at length.
"You do forgive me!" he pleaded, picking up her dainty straw hat which
lay on the ground close by and handing it to her.
"No, I don't forgive you. I don't think I ever shall," she answered in
the severest tone she could command. "It was foolish of me to wander
away from the others," she continued. "I might have known that something
would happen, because something is always happening in this country.
It's perfectly marvelous!" Then, after a pause, during which she placed
her hat rakishly on one side of her head, she added: "As a punishment,
Mr. Yankton, I'll allow you to accompany me back to the _Posada_." Her
words caused his heart to jump.
"I don't deserve it," he answered, assuming an air and tone of humility.
"I'm glad you realize that," she returned. "I suppose I'm indebted to
you for saving my life," she went on. "And I don't want you to think me
ungrateful. Perhaps it would have been better though--" She broke off
abruptly, and then laughed a strange little laugh that puzzled him
greatly. She had at least grown communicative again, and he heaved a
sigh of relief. He had gotten off so much easier than he expected.
"One moment, Miss Van Ashton," he said, as she was about to take the
lead. He turned and gave a shrill whistle. His horse which had been
feeding quietly the while on the grass a short distance from them,
raised his head at the sound, and giving a low whinny, came trotting up
to them.
"Won't you ride?" he asked, turning to her. "He's quite gentle."
"No," she answered rather curtly, "I prefer to walk."
"Just as you say," he answered in a tone of complete submission, taking
his place quietly by her side.
"No--not that way!" she said. "We'll keep the horse's head between us."
XVI
There had been no more shooting or attempts at murder. The mail began to
arrive from home, and Colonel Van Ashton and Mrs. Forest began to
breathe easier.
Life at the old _Posada_ had settled down once more to its accustomed
calm and routine. The sun shone benignly and the birds sang daily in the
garden where the guests were wont to pass the greater part of the day.
The gay little songsters were a veritable revelation to them--especially
to the Colonel. How could such gentle creatures go on singing with such
indifference to the future in a land where life was held so cheap and
all things so uncertain?
Blanch had turned a deaf ear to the others' entreaties to return home at
once. The more they talked, the firmer she became, and finally, taking
matters into her own hands, settled the question by telegraphing home
for the twenty trunks of clothes she left there on her departure.
"Can't you see," she said by way of explanation, "how disastrous it
would be to leave Jack alone in this country with that--"
"Don't mention her!" interrupted Mrs. Forest.
"I don't see how we can help it," replied Blanch, "since fate has thrust
her unbidden into our lives. We might as well recognize facts first as
last since we are no longer in a position to choose either our
surroundings or the persons with whom we are to associate. There is only
one way to avert the catastrophe threatening us, and that is--by my
marrying Jack."
Chiquita's beauty filled Mrs. Forest with a vague and nameless terror.
But a glimpse of that dark siren was enough to apprise her of her son's
peril, and she unhesitatingly implored Blanch not to let him out of her
sight--to go off with him alone as often as possible and flirt with him
to any length; a tremendous concession on Mrs. Forest's part--nothing
less than a complete surrender, she being one of those proud but insipid
mortals whose temperature could be easily gauged by the inclination of
her long, slender, slightly upturned nose which seemed to be forever
pointing toward a better world. For her, it was not enough that one's
appearance and innate refinement marked one as a lady or a gentleman,
but it must be proven by a long deduction beginning with some obscure
ancestor of whom the world has never heard and whose shortcomings have
been happily buried in the oblivion of time. Could she have had her way,
the world would have been long since wrapped in pink tissue paper, tied
with blue ribbon and labeled safe. How she ever came by her dauntless
son remains a mystery; it certainly was no fault of hers.
Somebody of a pessimistic turn of mind once remarked that, if the human
race were suddenly stripped naked, it would be impossible to distinguish
the refined from the vulgar. A truly inspired utterance. For as Captain
Forest viewed his family from his plane of vantage, especially after
the leveling process had set in, they strangely reminded him of a flock
of tame geese rioting in a pond. They made a great noise and stir, but
convinced nobody.
Everybody having reached his level and been shorn of airs and
affectations, it no longer remained a question of what one was, but what
one could do. Consequently, it became daily more and more difficult to
distinguish between personalities. It is true there were occasional
flashes suggestive of submerged, latent faculties, but only flashes;
stupidity and the commonplace were the dominating notes.
It was a wonderful study in human nature, and hopeless though the
general outlook appeared, the future was not entirely without its
promise. The souls of Blanch and Chiquita shone like radiant twin stars
from out the gloomy, abysmal depths of the Egyptian darkness that had
settled over the world.
Perhaps the most remarkable and amusing feature of it all was that, with
the exception of Blanch, the others still seemed able to take themselves
seriously. They regarded the Captain's new outlook upon life as a
complete reversion to the primitive type, but luckily for them, he had
not yet lost his sense of compassion.
Recognizing the deplorable mental state to which his uncle was fast
sinking, he kept him supplied with wines and cigars, obtained from his
friend, Pedro Romero, the gambler. No man can partake of excellent wines
and cigars for any length of time without feeling his oats, as the
saying goes; and the Colonel proved no exception to the rule.
He had just finished a bottle of Burgundy and, as he sat in the garden
with his sister, sipping his _demitasse_ and inhaling the fragrant aroma
of a Havana, he began to feel the return of his nerve. In fact, had he
been approached on the subject, he would have admitted that he felt like
a fighting-cock, in just the proper condition to quarrel with his
nephew. Happily for the Colonel, the subject of his thoughts came
sauntering into view at this juncture, and he squared himself, assuming
an aggressive attitude preparatory to the encounter which he intended to
precipitate with all possible dispatch.
The disgusting complacency with which his nephew had taken to wearing
long trousers over his riding-boots in place of those precious balloon
breeches originally designed for lackeys but since adopted as a becoming
apparel for a gentleman, affected the Colonel's tender susceptibilities
to an extent almost inducing nausea. He quite forgot that he had been
guilty of a similar offense during his campaigning in the Civil War, and
naïvely imagined that his nephew had acquired this vulgar habit from his
friend, Mr. Yankton; a person whose lack of etiquette and easy-going
ways were enough to set his teeth on edge.
The Captain was looking for Blanch whom he had seen entering the garden
with his mother and the Colonel, but whose return to the house he had
not noticed, and he, therefore, walked unsuspectingly into the arms of
his uncle.
"I wish you would get rid of that infernal horse of yours," began the
Colonel by way of a preliminary to the skirmish, while his nephew
seated himself unconcernedly in a chair opposite him, tilting it
backwards and leisurely crossing his legs. "He positively threatened to
devour me bodily as I passed the corral this morning."
"I suppose it's because he has not yet learned that you are my uncle,"
replied the Captain, suppressing a smile. "It's strange what dislikes he
takes to certain persons when one considers that he's as gentle as a
kitten when children are around; but I'll try to teach him to
distinguish members of the family in the future."
"Look here, Jack! I've had enough of this beating about the bush. It's
time we came to an understanding."
"There's nothing to prevent it that I can see," answered the Captain
with maddening coolness. "I was merely apologizing for an ill-mannered
horse."
"Damn your horse, sir!" cried the Colonel with increasing choler.
"Any time you are ready, dear Uncle," replied the Captain calmly, taking
a cigarette from his case and lighting it. The Colonel ground his teeth
in silence. His first encounter with his nephew could hardly be called
satisfactory and he did not wish a repetition of it. He had come to
argue his nephew out of his folly through sheer force of logic and it
behooved him to remain as calm as possible during the interview, for his
nephew had a most surprising way of answering back and turning the
argument against one.
"Tell me," he began, "what possible attraction this country can have for
you?"
"It would be quite as impossible to explain that satisfactorily to you
as to make my reasons clear for being here at all. But since you again
ask me for those reasons, I can only answer as I did before. I have
exhausted that felicitous state called civilization. I want to be free."
"Rot!" cried the Colonel, literally snorting and bounding into the air.
"You've no right to be free! Only savages and criminals want to be free!
If that's all you have to say--" but his voice choked and he resumed his
seat in silence.
"I've never heard anything quite so silly!" exclaimed Mrs. Forest who up
to this point had maintained a discreet silence.
"It's true nevertheless," continued the Captain composedly, blowing a
ring of blue smoke into the air. "Civilization, you know, is practically
the same the world over. I have seen and heard everything, read
everything, and met everybody that's worth meeting, and I'm tired of
seeing and hearing them over and over again, year in and year out, with
always the dead certainty of their return to look forward to. Our lives
have become too stilted, too artificial--we lack poise, we live in
grooves. Everything is overdone--there is nothing left for us to
enjoy--our finer sensibilities have become dulled--the simplicity and
refinements of life have been swallowed up by luxury, tawdry display and
prudism."
"Bosh!" cried the Colonel.
"Everybody," the Captain went on, "knows exactly what his neighbor
thinks and is going to say, and should anybody by any chance begin to
think differently and seriously on life, society instantly brands that
person as stupid, if not a little queer. We have lost our independence."
"Nonsense!" said Mrs. Forest.
"Granted for the sake of argument," broke in the Colonel, flipping the
ash from off his cigar. "But what about art, science and literature, the
real things which stand for civilization?"
"Oh! as to them, they are all right in themselves. It is fortunate that
man has an outlet through these manifold channels of expression.
"They are the best part of our lives so far as they go, but all art and
science and no nature, and what becomes of man? Have they made the world
happy, and is there any immediate prospect of their ever doing so? Did
the Greeks, who attained the supreme heights in art, find happiness in
their art? Their history is the record of one long struggle; and so it
was with the renaissance of the Middle Ages, and so it is with us; our
sciences and arts can never change the complicated conditions in which
we live. They have never developed the sympathy and brotherly love which
should exist between man and man; we are still barbarians.
"The most miserable wretches that ever lived were the very ones that
passed their lives creating and theorizing. They all forgot and are
still forgetting like the rest of the world to-day that, these things,
no matter how great, amuse and interest for a time only; that once they
are absorbed, their original charm and novelty are gone forever. They
become worn and threadbare like all of man's inventions, and humanity is
ever left searching for the great panacea of life.
"The God-inspired sing and talk of the great life, but they do not live
it themselves, and that is why they never really succeed in delivering
their messages. And they may continue to write books and compose music,
to paint pictures and build temples and hew statues so long as this
planet is habitable, but these things are merely an imitation of the
reality--a reflection of the ideal in man. The delivered man must stand
above his art and science. He must recognize that he himself is the
well-spring, the source of his inspiration and is greater than his
emotional expressions. The true message can never be delivered to the
world until the life for which these things stand is actually lived out,
becomes a part of man's daily life."
"And you intend to deliver that message, I suppose?" observed the
Colonel sarcastically, smiling compassionately and twirling the end of
his mustache.
"In my own humble way, yes, but I ask no man to follow me!" A chorus of
laughter, in which were mingled the voices of Blanch and Bessie who had
just joined the group, greeted this confession.
"Did you ever hear the like of the conceit?" exclaimed Mrs. Forest as
the laughter subsided.
"Excuse my frankness, Jack, but you're an ass," said the Colonel tartly.
"You set an example to the world? Why, you're as spoiled as the rest of
us!" cried Bessie.
"Quite true, Cousin, but with this difference, I realize that fact and
the rest of you do not."
"What a charming pedestal you have placed yourself upon, Jack," said
Blanch, seating herself beside Mrs. Forest.
"Perhaps," returned the Captain dryly, "but of one thing I am certain.
Few people are better prepared to speak on this matter than I am."
"What an interesting lot we women must be in your eyes," broke in
Bessie, digressing from the subject. Captain Forest smiled.
"Don't misunderstand me," he went on. "You are trumps, every one of you,
if you only knew it, but unfortunately you do not. You are the most
attractive women in the world, but you are spoiled--utterly spoiled. You
are the well-groomed, lovely curled and pampered darlings of society,
but alas! utterly superficial, just like those brilliant women of the
great French revolutionary period."
"I admire your frankness, Jack; but what do you really intend doing?
What sort of a life do you intend to lead?" asked Blanch.
"Cease chasing will-o'-the-wisps about in the vain pursuit of happiness,
and live as man was intended to live by substituting nature's realities
for man's creations; those things which we prize most--which please for
a time, but which in the end leave us as empty handed as the day we
first started in quest of the _golden fleece_. Live as close as possible
to nature; cultivate the soil, watch the fruit and the flowers and the
grain grow, and roam throughout the length and breadth of the land when
the longing seizes me."
"What!" cried the Colonel, unable to contain himself any longer. "Is
this the inane, prosaic existence for which you have given up one of the
most brilliant careers the world had to offer a man? It's bad enough to
have wrecked that, but for one possessing the wealth you do to waste his
life after such fashion; it's simply disgusting! Think of what you might
do in the financial world!"
"That's just the sort of answer one might expect from you," replied the
Captain, taking a fresh pull at his cigarette. "You talk like a
stockbroker. That phase of labor brings no real happiness to any one.
Besides, it would be absurd for one possessing the money I do to spend
his days earning more. Of course as things are constituted to-day, it is
difficult to get along without money, but in reality I don't consider it
has anything to do with happiness. Lasting pleasure and peace can only
be found in the verities of nature; her beauties and realities are the
only satisfying and enduring things.
"What can you who pass your days amid the noise and dirt of cities,
breathing their tainted atmosphere, and your intellects nourished upon
artificialities and the creations of men's minds, know of nature? How
many of you have ever gazed long enough at the stars to appreciate their
beauty and mystery, or listened to the sound of the wind and tried to
guess its meaning?"
"Bah! you are as sentimental as a school-girl!" ejaculated the Colonel.
"You talk like one who has just taken a short course in Thoreau or
Rousseau."
The Captain only laughed in return. He rose from his seat and began
striding up and down before them with his hands clasped behind his back
and his gaze fixed on the ground.
"Who are you," he continued passionately, stopping abruptly before them,
"to assume that others should live according to your lackadaisical,
sensuous sentimentality--your divan, boudoir conceptions of life?
Thoreau and Rousseau and Emerson and Ruskin were great men, but had they
talked less and actually lived out the life they preached, the world
might possibly have been aroused to a consciousness of something higher
by this time; but they were too small for the task. It requires a man
cast in a bigger mold to perform the work--it is only in men like me
that the future hope of the race lies. I must _live_ the life they
preached. Do you understand? Why, I could crush you and the world you
represent in the hollow of my hand! You seek happiness in the evanescent
wine and laughter of the illusive, superficial life. I, too, sought it
there, but like you, I did not find it."
His words sank deep into the soul of Blanch. She admired his strength
and yet hated him for it. Why, she asked herself again, as she did on
the day he first imparted his new views of life to her, was she not
moved? Why was she still unable to thrill at the sound of his words?
She could not understand it. There seemed to be something lacking either
in him or in her.
"What assurance have you," she asked, "that you will find happiness in
this new life which you propose to lead?"
"The consciousness which tells me I exist, voices the fulfillment of
that promise. There can be no doubt of it. The traditions that have come
down to us from the past from all nations that once men were free, is no
myth. The true poetry of life, I repeat, is not found in the epics men
have created, but in the sources that inspired them. In the glories of
the earth and the air, in the stars and mountains and forests and fields
and streams, in man, in the birds and animals, in the turning of the
soil with the plow and the spade, and in the growing corn. These are the
things which, before all else, add to the spiritual growth of man and
inspire him to pray and hope, to sing and to love, and draw him close to
the invisible world because they are a part of the life of man, not
imitations of life. The instant man realizes this he will be free.
"I know you cannot understand this," he continued with a shade of
impatience in his voice, "for what can a lot of slaves like you, the
brick and mortar type of man, know of freedom, all that is best and
noble in life? You are so bound to the world of your own creating that
it has become as meaningless as a fancy to you. Your souls run on the
dead level; the great song of life sweeps by you unheeded, and is gone
forever."
XVII
Señora Fernandez erred in her judgment of Don Felipe, which was but
natural. She still regarded him as the impetuous, hot-headed youth of
former days, not what he really was--the mature man, sobered by years of
experience and suffering which had taught him the value of self-control.
He understood the nature, knew as never before the mettle of the woman
with whom he had to deal, and on no account would he foolishly
precipitate a quarrel with the Captain. He would bide his time and
strike only when the moment seemed propitious. The vague rumors which
were current concerning Chiquita must have some foundation, else why the
continual gossip on every tongue? He would investigate the matter for
himself, in his own time and way; meanwhile he would reinstate himself
in the good graces of the community by making himself as agreeable and
popular as possible, a thing not difficult for one of his wealth and
accomplishments.
He had doffed his Mexican costume for the more prosaic attire of the
modern man which became him equally well and which was more to his
liking. To the cosmopolitan that he had become, the place and the people
had shrunk terribly during his absence, and there seemed to be little
left in common between him and them. The presence of the Americans was
a godsend to him, while he in turn was like a fresh breeze from the
outer world to them.
He instinctively recognized a confederate in Blanch. They possessed a
common interest and spent much time together. Strange that the same fate
which had overtaken him was now threatening her! Those who deny a fixed
destiny and can therefore afford to ignore the laughter of the gods, may
answer with some assurance that the lives of most people, especially the
marked ones, are tragic--perhaps. But why had Colonel Van Ashton, the
bon-vivant and habitué of clubs, the adored of pretty young women and
confidant of duennas, taken the one road which led to the wilderness
when it is well known that all roads lead to Rome, especially when the
Colonel had about as much interest in his present surroundings as a
polar bear might reasonably expect to find on the equator? Possibly it
was for the same reason that the Colonel also watched with increasing
alarm the sudden and growing interest which his daughter began to take
in the man he detested most on earth.
Reveal the cause, the hidden well-spring of destiny, and the effect may
be predicted with comparative accuracy. Can the lamb lie down with the
lion? Were there ever substantial grounds for the assertion, or was it
only metaphor--mere poetical allusion? The world has been on the _qui
vive_ for the fulfillment of prophecy ever since the expulsion of our
common ancestry from Eden. The actual motives and reasons which underlie
the workings of destiny are usually about as clear as those which bereft
Samson of his locks or left the lone figure of Marius seated amid the
ruins of Carthage. And yet, even in the face of time-worn contradictions
apparent to the most superficial and credulously minded, pretty,
distracting Bessie Van Ashton had begun to cast her eyes in the
direction of Dick Yankton, the handsome, open-handed, devil-may-care son
of nature who regarded the world of fashion to which she belonged with
about as much concern as he did the dust on his boots.
Possibly _ennui_ prompted this willful bit of womanhood to make a
plaything of that picturesque child of nature, just as loneliness caused
him to open his eyes to the existence of that, which in the logical and
ordinary course of events, he would have entirely overlooked. But since
life is made up almost entirely of contraries, it is not so much with
reasons that we have to deal as with facts--things as they are. Clothe
human nature in whatever garb you like, at heart it remains the same.
Time and place and condition make little difference; the real man within
is sure to assert himself at some time or other by throwing off the
disguise.
Was Bessie, the spoilt, pampered child of fashion with her soft, white
body, any more fit for a life lived close to nature than Blanch who was
naturally strong, sinuous and supple, though so softened by luxury and
the overrefinements of civilization? To all appearances, no. And yet,
the very things which seemed to pass by Blanch unheeded, began
imperceptibly to impress themselves upon Bessie. Possibly because Blanch
was so strong and individualized that, having once given herself up
wholly to the present life, she was enslaved irrevocably by it--held
fast by it with a power that had grown with her strength day by day--so
that while a weaker woman might slip through the meshes and escape, she
was held irresistibly bound through her own force and strength of
character.
The spell and magic of the land seemed to hold like an unseen hand all
things as in the grip of a vice, and were no less potent in the present
than they were in the past. The plaintive notes of the wood-dove found a
response within Bessie's soul. The winds seemed laden with new voices
and unconsciously interrupted the train of her thoughts and caused her
to pause and listen and wonder. The wild, forbidding landscape from
which her stronger companion involuntarily shrank, for some unknown
reason attracted her. The broad expanse of heaven and earth, the far
horizon, the hazy, mysterious silhouetted peaks of distant mountains
aroused vague longings within her--emotions which she did not understand
and concerning which she failed in her attempts to analyze.
Had she been at home, she would have regarded these new sensations as
sentimental enthusiasm and laughed at them, denying them a permanent
place in her nature. But here, it was different. They seemed to have a
hold upon one and were as irresistible as those vague longings that come
with the awakening of spring. There was music everywhere in the world
about her. Flowers of the imagination sprang from the desert on every
hand. Voices and hands called and beckoned to her from out the unseen.
The quickening and awakening within her gave promise of a new life, and
her feet became light as sunbeams. The fact of being alive and the
increasing desire to live filled her with a new joy and vigor that
darted through her soul like tongues of flame, causing her blood to
surge and tingle as never before since the days of childhood.
A genuine interest in the new life and the lives of those about her,
took the place of the apathy and indifference with which she regarded
the sated pleasures of that jaded world from which she had departed so
recently. She had come to be bored--fully resigned for Blanch's sake to
endure the _ennui_ of mere vegetation until the prodigal Jack had been
safely gathered within the fold once more. After the rude shock of first
impressions had passed and she had found time to pause and breathe, she
began to cast her eyes about her for something more real and tangible
than the memories of the world she had left behind her, but had failed
to find anything of interest until the occurrence of that unfortunate
episode with Dick.
His arms still clung to her in spite of the persistent efforts she made
to shake them off. And stranger still, no amount of scrubbing seemed to
remove the sting of those burning kisses he had impressed upon her hand.
That unpardonable piece of impudence was unprecedented. Men had made
love to her, adored her, and completely lost their heads over her; and
one man in particular, as she well knew, was scouring the ends of the
earth in an effort to obtain news of her present whereabouts. Much to
her astonishment, however, and contrary to her preconceived notions
concerning men, she found that she had suddenly lost interest in this
particular man for another.
But why? What was the cause of this newly awakened interest in Dick? Was
it because he was so different from the men she had known, or was it
that strong touch of the feminine in him which certain sensitive
masculine natures possess; that rare, distinguishing characteristic
which is so attractive to men and women alike? Did any real affinity
exist between them? How could it, considering the different conditions
and environment in which they had been reared and the width of the gulf
that divided them? What then was the cause of this attraction which in
spite of her efforts to check it, was beginning to become a source of
vexation to a woman of the world who had always prided herself on being
able to keep herself well in hand?
That it might be love, or even the dawning of love, she refused to
admit. She shuddered at the mere thought of such a catastrophe. The
thing, however, was becoming annoying. Like any thought which we hold
too long in our minds, it was bound to absorb all others in time, and
she resolved to make an end of it. She would play with him. One could
not maintain a serious interest in that which one treated as a
jest--held up to ridicule. She would play with him like an expert angler
plays with a fish, and when landed, would walk over him
rough-shod--trample him back into the dust of that coarser clay from
which he sprang.
Ah, yes, the country was not so dull after all! It would be a royal
lark; a holiday long to be remembered. They were so far from the great
world that, when it was all over, not even the slightest rumor or
breath of scandal would remain to remind her of the flirtation upon
which she had decided to embark.
With these thoughts running through her mind, the fascinating,
violet-eyed daughter of Colonel Van Ashton lightly dipped the tips of
her dainty fingers into a rouge-pot, glanced into the mirror and drew
them across her lips, and then deliberately attired herself in one of
her smartest gowns preparatory to flinging the first bones of
condescension to the rustic Yankton; the preliminaries of a series of
expectations and hopes deferred that were intended to reduce him to a
state of submission suitable to receive the final kick which was to
leave Mr. Yankton a wiser but a sadder man.
XVIII
Blanch stood before a long mirror that adorned one of the walls of her
room, trying the effect of a new tea-gown.
The mirror was an ancient piece of furniture consisting of a faded gilt
frame and six separate rows of large, unevenly fitting squares of glass;
the style that was in vogue two centuries ago. As she regarded herself
in it, she saw herself reflected in sections, probably with much the
same effect as Marie Antoinette saw her reflection at Versailles.
"Coronada must have brought this mirror with him on his first
expedition," she remarked to Bessie who lounged on the sofa on the
opposite side of the room amid a heap of florid cushions. "I feel as
though I had a personal grudge against that man," she continued, vainly
endeavoring to catch an unbroken outline of herself in the glass.
"It's stunning, Blanch!" broke in Bessie from the sofa. "What is it--a
Worth?"
"No--a Doucet. Isn't it absurd that I should array myself in these
gorgeous gowns to compete with that Indian in her few flimsy calicoes
and silks? The contrast is out of all proportion. It's the sublime and
the ridiculous. And yet she looks well in anything! Dress her in rags
and she is picturesque; robe her in silks and she is fascinating."
"That's just what I can't understand," said Bessie. "We couldn't wear
her clothes, but she can wear ours. Why is it?"
"It's quite simple. We have been handicapped from the start because we
have been forced to compete with them on their own ground. They are
perfectly natural; they have nothing and aspire to nothing, while we are
wholly artificial--have everything and aspire to more."
"Why, to hear you, one would think that Jack was talking!" exclaimed
Bessie in genuine surprise.
"Oh! I don't pretend to agree with his views, but as regards us, he's
about right. I was never able to see ourselves as some others see us
until we came here. And I have come to the conclusion that our views of
life are about as distorted as the cracked reflection of myself in the
mirror yonder. We have unconsciously lived a life antagonistic to nature
and consequently find ourselves ridiculous in our simplest endeavors to
be natural. Of course," she added, "they would appear the same if things
were reversed and we had them on our ground.
"With us," she went on, "marriage is more a game of intrigue than love;
here it is purely one of sentiment. Aside from my intrinsic value, what
weapon have I to employ against this Indian woman? The things which
count for so much with us, fall flat here.
"Why, I'm not even in a position to make Jack jealous! If I were at
home, I would have a dozen men at my feet and as many more as I wished
to play off against him, not to mention the thousand opportunities for
neglect. In fact, all the weapons which we women are so fond of
employing against men. Whereas, here I am at the feet of my Lord
Jack--his indifference is insufferable! Oh! I'll pay him back for this!"
she cried, pale with anger.
"Men are brutes--all of them!" remarked Bessie laconically, rising to a
sitting posture on the sofa.
"I hate him--hate him!" continued Blanch in a fresh paroxysm of passion.
"To think that he of all men should have been the one chosen to show me
myself--the only one of us who was strong enough to break away! Why was
I not able to hold him? Why am I not able to come to him now? There is
something wrong somewhere. We seem to have lost our grip on things. I
can't understand it!" Just then the old, gilt French clock on the white
marble mantelpiece slowly chimed the hour of five. The sound of the
clock caused Blanch to pause. "Five o'clock," she said, calming herself.
"Don Felipe will be waiting for us in the garden."
"That's so," answered Bessie, rising from the sofa and crossing the room
to the window which looked out over the _patio_ into the garden. "There
he is now, pacing back and forth beneath the trees. What a restless man
he is!"
"After the first cup, you might disappear, Bess," said Blanch. "I want
to try to find out if he still cares for that Indian?"
"That was the most romantic thing I ever heard!" exclaimed Bessie.
"I wonder he ever returned," answered Blanch, opening the door and
leading the way across the _patio_ in the direction of the garden. The
tinkle of a guitar attracted their attention to a group of _peons_ and
women squatted on their heels on one side of the court, in the shade of
the arcades, smoking and chatting. A little beyond them, in the shadow
of the doorway, stood the major-domo, Juan Ramon and the pretty
housekeeper, Rosita.
"_Dios!_ but she is _magnifico_--the tall one!" whispered Juan to Rosita
as the girls passed them, nodding and smiling in response to Juan's deep
salutation and Rosita's courtesy.
"And the little one," said Rosita in turn. "Is she not like a half-blown
pink rose?"
"Aye! 'tis a feast for the eyes to look at them!" answered Juan. "There
has not been so much life in the place since the old days when the
Master was alive."
"If Don Felipe doesn't marry one of them he's a fool," added Rosita.
"That's just what I have been saying to myself," returned Juan.
"What else can he be doing here if he doesn't intend to take one of them
back to his _hacienda_ with him?" continued Rosita. "I've noticed that
he and the tall one spend much time together."
"Aye!" ejaculated Juan. "It must be lonely at the old _rancho_ without a
woman to keep him company."
"The tall Señorita would be just the one for the place!" exclaimed
Rosita enthusiastically.
"Rosita _mia_," began Juan confidentially after a short silence, during
which his gaze rested pensively on the retreating figures of the girls,
"I've just been thinking that there is no happiness for a man, still
less for a woman, in a single life. What say you, Rosita _mia_," he went
on, patting her familiarly on the cheek.
"Juan Ramon," interrupted Rosita with an angry flush, "if you don't want
to get your face slapped, you had better behave like a _Caballero_!"
"_Caramba!_ what a little spitfire!" returned Juan, pulling the end of
his thin mustache, yet not in the least disconcerted by her show of
temper. "But supposing, my pearl of a housekeeper, that I bought a neat
little _rancheria_--do you know of any one who might care to look after
it?"
"Bah! First pay your gambling debts, Juan Ramon. There will then be time
enough to look for some one who will allow herself to be beaten on
feast-days when you have drunk more _pulque_ than is good for you. But
_Dios!_ why am I wasting words with you? The Señoritas will begin to
wonder what has become of their chocolate and _tortillas_ if I don't
hurry."
"Ungrateful woman," responded Juan, assuming an injured tone. "Would you
leave me without a kiss?"
"Holy Mother! what has come over you, Juan Ramon--has the sunshine gone
to your head? A kiss, indeed!" and she tossed her head. "Go to
Petronita, the cook! She is old; doubtless she will give you a plenty!"
and laughing, she hurried into the dining-room in search of a tray with
which to serve the ladies. The mere mention of the ancient, withered
Petronita, with the parchment-like face, caused Juan's mouth to pucker
as though he had bitten into an unripe persimmon.
"_Diablos!_ if the luck would only change!" he muttered. "Rosita would
be the very one--" The sound of light footsteps and the tinkle of spurs
caused Juan to turn.
"Ah! _buenas dias_, Señorita!" he exclaimed, lifting his hat and bowing
before Chiquita, who had entered the _patio_ from the opposite side of
the house. Her riding-habit, her boots and gloves and gray felt hat
beneath which were twisted her thick braids of hair, were covered with
thin white particles of dust.
"Where is your mistress, Doña Fernandez, Juan?" she asked.
"I will call her, Señorita," answered Juan, replacing his hat on his
head and starting for the hallway.
"Never mind, Juan," called Chiquita, catching sight of Blanch and Bessie
in the distance. "I will first speak with the Señoritas," and she turned
toward the garden.
Juan's beady black eyes followed her tall figure as she moved toward the
girls. Ever since the arrival of the Americans there had been much
discussion in the household as to which was the more beautiful, Blanch
or Chiquita. The Señora's dislike for the latter was well known, but in
spite of this prejudice, opinion was pretty evenly divided concerning
the merits of the two. It was a vexing question, and the opportunity of
comparing the two women as they met in the garden was too tempting to
be missed. So, with one end of his _zerape_ slung carelessly over his
shoulder, Juan strolled casually past the little group of women in the
direction of the corrals, where he could observe them at his leisure
from the recesses of the garden without attracting attention.
Notwithstanding the fact that the dark woman was at a disadvantage in
her dust-covered riding-habit, he could not for the life of him tell
which was the more beautiful of the two as he passed behind a thicket of
lilac bushes, and seated himself on a rustic bench and began rolling a
_cigarillo_ between his long slim fingers.
Juan was a born gambler, and like all of his tribe, was usually in want
of money. To-day he needed it more than ever, for that very morning his
mistress had taunted him and threatened to leave him if he did not pay
for the new dresses she had recently purchased, and for which she was
now being dunned by her creditors. Never had he had such a run of bad
luck. During the great week of the _Fiesta_ he had tried everything from
roulette to monte, but fortune's wheel had turned steadily against him.
It was truly the devil's own luck and no mistake. If only the luck would
turn, he would quit the game of chance forever--cast off the ungrateful
Dolores, and.... He drew a much-worn pack of cards from his breast
pocket and began cutting them with a dexterity acquired through long
years of practice.
Like all of his race, and the majority of mankind for that matter, he
was intensely superstitious. Three times in succession he cut and dealt
the cards, and three times the ace of hearts, the luckiest card in the
pack, turned face upwards on the bench.
"_Santa Maria!_ 'tis a miracle--the luck has changed at last!" he
muttered excitedly, as with dilated eyes and trembling hands he gathered
up the cards and replaced them carefully in his pocket. His dream of the
_hacienda_ and the fair Rosita might yet come true. But how? The cards
were too fickle to trust for long. Just then the rich, deep voice of
Chiquita fell upon his ears. Without knowing why, yet intuitively he
seemed to connect her with the turn in his fortune--and it set him
thinking.
Ever since the _Fiesta_, curiosity had prompted him to learn something
concerning Chiquita's motive for dancing; and whenever the opportunity
presented itself, he had shadowed her. His patience was soon rewarded by
learning that she made frequent visits to the Indian _pueblo_, Onava,
often riding there in the late evening under cover of the dusk. On one
occasion he saw an Indian ride forth from the village and meet her on
the plain where she awaited him. They engaged in long and earnest
conversation, at the end of which he fancied he saw Chiquita draw nearer
to her companion and hand him something, and then the darkness shut them
from view. He did not dare follow her farther or enter the village, for
fear of attracting suspicion to himself; but surely this was a clew to
something, to the mystery, perhaps.
At this juncture, Juan rolled a fresh _cigarillo_ as he listened to the
voices of the women, his eyes resting on Captain Forest's horse in the
corral beyond the garden. The animal fascinated him; never had he laid
eyes on such a superb creature. Each day he visited the corral for a
look at him, and each time the Chestnut would rush at him with ears laid
flat on his neck and mouth wide open, displaying his formidable teeth.
"_Caramba!_ what an animal to stock a _rancho_ with, if only--" Juan
sighed, and for some moments roundly cursed the past run of cards. The
afternoon sun was pleasantly warm, and the shade sleep inviting. He
threw the burnt end of his _cigarillo_ on the ground, and, drawing up
his feet, stretched himself at full length on the bench--the upper half
of his fox-like face appearing just above the edge of his _zerape_.
_Dios!_ was it not better to sleep and even dream bad dreams, than
waking, meditate upon the misfortunes of life?
XIX
When Chiquita entered the garden, she had just returned from an Indian
Mission School for girls, some ten miles distant from Santa Fé, whither
she rode once a week to instruct its pupils in the art of blanket and
basket weaving; an art which she had practiced from her earliest days.
Her affair with Don Felipe was bad enough, and though she had been
generally condemned for it, her woman's prerogative was recognized
nevertheless. But for a lady, and ward of a priest, to dance in public
and for money, was a thing unheard of; and gossip was fast giving her an
unenviable reputation. This latest escapade, as it was generally termed,
had nearly cost her her position in the school. When, however, it was
taken into consideration that her services were gratuitous and that it
would be impossible to replace her by any one else half as competent,
the directors of the institution discreetly demurred, deciding that it
would be better to humor the caprices of this fair barbarian who ruled
supreme in her department.
The greeting which took place between her and Blanch was cordial enough
to all outward appearances. Considering the tension and delicacy of the
situation, the volcanic nature of the two and the intense longing of
each to fly at the other and settle their differences then and there,
the self-control of the two was commendable in the extreme.
"Do you ride much, Señorita?" asked Blanch, eyeing critically her
riding-skirt and wondering how it was that such an antiquated cut could
sit her so well.
"I don't think I could live without a horse," replied Chiquita. "I often
think I must have been born on one; at least, I can't remember the day
when I first learned to ride. It was good to get back here after my six
years at school for the sake of riding, if for nothing else. I don't
believe either of you know what the real joys of riding are," she went
on, pulling the glove from her right hand and sipping the chocolate
which Bessie had handed her.
"Not until one has passed weeks and months in the saddle at a time does
one thoroughly realize what riding means, or appreciate the worth and
companionship of a horse." She paused, and a look of longing came into
her large, lustrous eyes, as the memory of her early life came back to
her, when she, with her people, roamed free through the land.
"_Dios!_ but I have been unhappy ever since you came, Señorita," she
resumed, changing the subject abruptly and addressing Blanch. "The
knowledge that you are constantly near him almost drives me mad at
times. And your dresses--they haunt me in my dreams! I never before
imagined that dress was of so much importance in this world." She was so
outspoken and withal so natural, that both Blanch and Bessie burst into
a peal of good-natured laughter in which Chiquita joined.
"We women," she continued, taking another sip of chocolate, "have
nothing to fall back upon except our old antiquated Spanish
costumes--you can imagine what we would look like in the modern clothes
we procured here. I have never been placed in such a ridiculous position
before, and if I only knew that you were as miserable as I am, I think I
might begin to enjoy the humor of the situation." Again all three
laughed.
"Ah, love, what a thing is love!" she sighed, placing her slender gloved
hand over her heart. "It makes one as miserable as it does happy." Then
suddenly turning to Blanch, she asked: "Have you always dressed like
that?"
"I have always tried to live up to a certain standard," replied Blanch.
"And how long have you known him?"
"Oh! as long as I can remember--twenty years, perhaps."
"Twenty years, and always looked like that and not married to him? Sweet
Mother of God!" she cried in the quaintest tone imaginable, sinking back
in her chair. "Had I known him as many weeks I had either married him or
killed myself!"
"Nobody takes love so seriously as that!" laughed Blanch.
"Ah! you have never loved him!" she said, after a short silence.
"Why do you suppose I am here?" returned Blanch.
"Then how could you have lived near him all these years without marrying
him?"
"It was a mistake, I admit," answered Blanch good-humoredly. "But you
must understand that we don't regard love in quite the same light as you
do. We don't make a great fuss about it and talk of killing ourselves,
and that sort of thing. We get married when we find it convenient."
"Ah, yes, I know," answered Chiquita, "but I'm sure you can never be as
much to him as I can. What have you endured, what have you suffered to
make you feel and realize the full significance of love?"
"Do you imagine," asked Blanch in surprise, "that there is any less of
the woman in me because I have been spared the things which you perhaps
have been forced to endure, or that one must first suffer before one is
capable of loving?"
"No, I don't think that, for love is a thing like sleep, it comes upon
us unawares. But it seems to me I am better fitted for him than you are;
that my love, tempered by my life's experience, must be fuller and
deeper and richer than that which you have to offer him. What," she
continued, "do you really know of life? Not the social side of it, of
which your life has been so full, but life as it really is? Were you
born under the open heavens? Have you slept on the hard, cold ground,
exposed to the weather, or nearly perished of hunger and thirst? Could
you feed and clothe yourself from the naked earth without the assistance
of others? Have you seen men, women and children starve, or ruthlessly
struck down by your side, or nursed them through some terrible scourge
like the smallpox?
"All your life you have been protected and cared for, while all my life
I have been obliged to face the reality of things, forced to work, to
procure the simple necessities of life. I have carried wood and water,
cooked, and fed and clothed myself and others with the materials
provided by my own hands. And yet, when I look back upon my life, I
would not surrender one hour of the true happiness the day's work
brought with it could I thereby have escaped the suffering and
bitterness it often entailed. Barren though my life may appear from your
point of view, I know it to be infinitely rich in comparison to yours,
for, as I have said, you have never known what life really means--never
experienced its hardships, never beheld the bright face of danger, nor
tasted the joys of the great free life in the open, the simple daily
life devoid of the cares of civilized men, without which the life of a
man can never be complete, be he what he may.
"'Where the foot rests, that is home,' is a saying among my people; a
truth, that so far as my experience goes, has never been gainsaid."
In spite of themselves and the fact that they could not wholly
comprehend the weight and significance of her words, they were
fascinated by her discourse, emphasized and illustrated as it was by the
dramatic intensity of her gestures and expression.
"Señorita," said Blanch at last, breaking the silence that ensued, "I
believe you are still at heart the savage, or better, the nomad you were
when you lived in the wilderness."
"When I lived in the Garden of Eden, in God's world, not man's, is what
you mean," she replied.
"Do you never have a desire to return to it?" asked Bessie.
"The old days can never be effaced," answered Chiquita. "My thoughts
continually revert to them when, as a little girl, I used to set meat
and drink before my father and his guests as they sat in a circle about
the fire in the center of his lodge or in our house and smoked the long
red clay pipes, or, after the crops were harvested, roamed through the
land during the hunting season; sometimes afoot, at other times in
canoes or on horseback. There are times when such an insatiable longing
for the old life seizes me that I become almost unmanageable. I long to
throw myself down in the open--lie close in the embrace of Mother Earth,
and breathe the smoke of the camp-fire. My unrest is like that of the
birds when the spell of the spring and the autumn comes upon them and
the migratory instinct seizes them, or like that of the great herds of
reindeer in the North which travel each year to the sea to drink of its
salty waters, and which, if prevented, die."
"Do you know," said Bessie to Blanch a little later, when they were
alone in their room, "she's fascinating when she talks like that."
"Ah! that's just where the danger lies," answered Blanch. "Think of what
might happen if she starts talking like that to Jack--it's just what
he's waiting to hear."
XX
Juan must have fallen asleep. As he lay stretched upon the bench, he was
awakened suddenly by the sound of vehement, passionate words.
Peering cautiously through the bushes, he beheld Chiquita and Don Felipe
standing facing one another in the same spot where the three women had
been but a short time before. He was not near enough to overhear the
conversation, but judging from the vehemence of their gestures and
high-pitched voices, he rightly conjectured that their meeting was
anything but an amicable one.
On seeing Chiquita with Blanch and Bessie, Don Felipe had discreetly
refrained from joining them as he had promised; he would make his
apologies to them in the evening. The opportunity for which he had been
waiting since his return had come--he must see Chiquita alone. So he
withdrew to a far corner of the garden, where he could observe the women
without being seen, and when Blanch and Bessie returned to the house, he
intercepted her. Although she had hourly expected to meet him ever since
she had been apprised of his return, his appearance was so sudden she
was taken unawares. She had reseated herself after Blanch and Bessie
left and sat leaning with one elbow on the table and her head resting in
her hand, lost in thought. She did not hear his approach from behind,
but at the first sound of his voice she started to her feet, turning
like a flash and facing him. Her movement was so sudden and unexpected
that he too was taken aback.
"You evidently did not expect to see me this afternoon," he began with
some hesitancy.
"I did not," she replied coldly. "I should have thought," she continued,
looking him full in the eyes, "that the manhood in you would have
forever prevented your return." Felipe winced under her words. A dark
flush of anger suffused his face, and his lips quivered in an effort to
frame the hot words he was about to utter in reply, but he checked
himself.
"One is sometimes forced to follow the bidding of an instinct or desire
even against one's will," he said, controlling himself with difficulty.
She drew her glove on her right hand without replying and took a step in
the direction of the _patio_, as though to depart.
"Chiquita!" he exclaimed, stepping quickly in front of her and barring
her way, "I have tried my best to remain away, but in spite of myself,
I've been drawn irresistibly back to you--I could not help it. Besides,"
he added, "you must realize what it costs me."
"Better had you spared yourself the humiliation, Don Felipe," she
answered.
"Listen, Chiquita, to what I have to say!"
"Spare yourself the pain, Don Felipe Ramirez. Nothing you can say can
alter my attitude toward you," she interrupted.
"You must hear what I have to say!" he cried passionately, without
heeding her impatience. "Ever since we parted, I have done nothing but
travel, travel, over the face of the earth, in the vain hope of
forgetting you. And if, during that time, I have committed excesses, it
was the love of you that drove me to it in order that I might efface you
from my memory forever. But, as you see, I cannot do it, and--I have
come back again." It was easy to read the agony in his heart, divine the
suffering which his humiliation caused him, and yet his words did not
move her; not an atom of pity did they arouse within her, knowing as she
did the arrogant, selfish being that he was.
"Chiquita, I love you still!" he burst forth.
"How dare you speak of love to me?" she cried. "Have you forgotten
Pepita Delaguerra, whom you ruined, for whose death you are responsible?
You laughed and went on your way; she was only a flower to be broken and
tossed aside. Well, I've not forgotten the day on which I found her
alone and deserted, nor the hour of her death."
"Chiquita," he interrupted, "if suffering can atone for that misdeed--"
"Ah! not so fast, Don Felipe Ramirez," she answered, cutting him short.
"Let us understand one another once and for all! She forgave you with
her dying breath, but as I knelt over her dead body, I vowed that if
ever you crossed my path and made advances to me that, as sure as
there's a God in heaven, I would encourage you, lead you on until you
were mad, and then fling you from me like the dog that you are in order
that you, too, might learn what it is to live without the one you
love!"
Had she spat in his face, she could not have aroused the tiger in him
more effectually.
"Chiquita!" he cried, gasping, his face livid with rage, "you're a
devil!"
"No, I'm only a woman who had the courage to avenge another woman's
wrong," she answered quietly. "Don't imagine that a wrong committed can
ever be atoned for. It may be condoned by the world, or even forgiven by
the one who was wronged, but that is all; the deed stands forever
written against one." She watched him as he paced back and forth with
clenched hands and teeth, his face ashen, his lips quivering, his whole
being convulsed with emotion and remorse. For some minutes he was quite
unable to speak, the longing to scream and seize her by the throat and
throttle her was so overpowering.
"I understand," he said at length, in the calmest tone he could command,
"you love Captain Forest; you think to marry him."
"That's no concern of yours!" she retorted, hotly.
"Listen, Chiquita," he said, fiercely. "The cold blood that flows in his
veins can never satisfy the warm passion of the South--a woman of your
nature. I am richer than he is; I can strew your path with gold. I will
make amends for the past; I was young, then. My one desire in life will
be to fulfill your slightest wish, to live for your happiness only. Any
sacrifice you name, I will make. I will make over my entire fortune to
you if you will consent to our marriage."
"It makes me sick to hear you talk of love and marriage," she answered.
"Your idea of love is solely that of possession. What sort of love
could one like you give me in comparison to his?"
"Ah! you do love him! But you will never marry him," he retorted
furiously. "If I do not possess you, no one else shall!"
"Ah! you will kill me, perhaps?" she said, divining his thought. "Well,
then, be it so! What greater felicity could there be for me than to die
in the knowledge that he loves me--perhaps in his arms?" She drew back a
pace and placing both hands on her breast, said: "Strike, Don Felipe,
when and where the moment pleases you best!"
"Ha! ha! ha!" he laughed. "How could you take me to be so simple, so
foolish? Oh, no, Señorita, not until the hour that you have exchanged
vows and, intoxicated by love's first kiss, he presses you to his heart,
then--then, Señorita, will I lay him dead at your feet in order that you
also may realize what it is to live without the one you love," he said
with a sneer, a faint smile wreathing his cruel lips as he watched the
effect his words had upon her. There was a malicious gleam of exultation
in his eyes as he saw her draw herself together suddenly and shudder as
though struck by a knife.
"What say you to that, Señorita?" and he laughed in her face.
"What, dead at my feet? Such a one as you come between me and my
happiness?" The rich red bronze of her face faded to a livid hue, almost
white in its intensity. A strange, terrible light came into her eyes
and, as she glided close up to him, he recoiled from her in terror as
though from a panther about to spring. Don Felipe had never stood so
near to death before. She halted and raised her right hand as if to
strike him across the face, then paused and lowered it.
"Don Felipe Ramirez," she hissed in an almost inaudible voice, "if you
so much as harm a hair of his head, I'll tear you limb from limb!"
"Bah!" he replied, recovering his equilibrium. "Do you think I fear a
woman?"
"Don Felipe," she began slowly, controlling with effort the violent
emotions that swept over her, "it is no idle boast if I remind you that
no one in Chihuahua shoots better than I do."
"Ha!" he laughed, snapping his fingers. "You think to kill me?"
"And if I did," she replied slowly, her voice vibrant with passion, "you
would not be the first man I have killed, Don Felipe Ramirez. And what's
more, if it comes to a question of you or him, I'll kill you as I would
a snake or sage-rabbit." He started. He began to see her in a new light.
With her subtle wit, her grace and alluring beauty, she was far more
dangerous than a man; but he was not intimidated. Craven though his soul
might be, he could not be accused of cowardice in the face of danger.
Besides, what had he to live for? Better be dead than forced to live
without her.
"Hearken, Don Felipe Ramirez," she continued calmly, her eyes riveted on
his face. "I have ridden many times in battle by the side of my father
before his death. The last time came very near being my end; it was when
the Government sent troops against my people, and we were surrounded in
the hills. That day my horse was killed under me twice. All day long we
fought and charged the enemy's lines, but to no avail--we could not
break them. The young officer in command of the Government's troops not
only outgeneraled all our maneuvers, but his life seemed charmed, for,
fire at him as often as we liked, we could not hit him. Finally
realizing that there was no hope of escape so long as he remained in
command, I rode forth alone between the lines and challenged him to
single combat. He accepted the challenge, but when he drew near and saw
that I was a woman, he refused to fight, for he was gallant as he was
brave. But I was too quick for him; I forced him to fight. His bullet
went through my shoulder, mine through his heart." She paused for an
instant, then resumed. "So, just as we that day passed over that brave
young officer's body, so shall I pass over yours, Don Felipe Ramirez, if
you persist in standing in my way."
For the first time he saw her in her true light--the Amazon, the woman
who had been trained to fight as men fight, and who had fought shoulder
to shoulder with men. He was silent. Never had she appeared so
beautiful, so terrible, so alluring and irresistible as during her
recital. The hour had come; the circle of death had closed about them,
and he knew now for a certainty that it meant either his life or hers;
that there was no longer any hope of a reconciliation, no longer room
for them both in this life.
"Do you imagine that I fear the threats of a woman?" he said at last, in
the same sneering tone as before, in which she, too, read his
unmistakable answer.
"You have been warned," she answered quietly, and giving him a last
searching look, she turned and left him abruptly. Had ever mortal drunk
deeper of the cup of humiliation than he? The sound of her footsteps and
tinkle of her spurs died away along the pathway as she disappeared
around the corner of the house. He noted that she carried herself as
erect as ever; every movement bespoke the unconquerable pride of her
race. God! how he hated her! What would he not give to break that
pride--that pride which seemed to enable her to surmount every obstacle.
It was not enough to kill Captain Forest. No, she must be broken
completely, humiliated in the eyes of the world, humbled to the dust as
he had been humbled; nothing short of that could satisfy him now. But
how, how was her ruin to be accomplished? he asked himself as he paced
back and forth, almost suffocating with rage. Suddenly an idea flashed
through his mind, causing him to stop short.
"Ah!" he cried aloud, "why did she dance; why has she concealed her
motive so carefully from the world? It must be the clew to some mystery
in her life! God! if I could but learn the reason--"
"What would Don Felipe Ramirez give to know?" came a voice from behind
him, causing him to start and turn around just in time to see Juan
emerge from the lilac bushes.
"Juan Ramon!" he exclaimed.
"Aye, _Caballero_!" replied Juan lightly, raising his _sombrero_ as he
advanced.
"What do you know?" asked Felipe, half contemptuously, regarding him
with keen, searching eyes.
"Don't worry about what I know; leave that to me for the present,"
answered Juan, his peculiarly cold smile lighting up his face. "But what
will you give to know, Don Felipe Ramirez?" he continued, with the keen
air of the tradesman who beholds a sure customer before him and is
determined to drive a sharp bargain.
"What will I give?" repeated Felipe, slowly, relapsing into thought. For
some time he was silent, during which he regarded Juan's features
intently, as if to assure himself of the latter's good faith. Then
suddenly and impetuously he cried: "I'll tell you, Juan Ramon! I'll give
you gold enough to keep you drunk and your mistress clothed in silks and
satins for the rest of your days! Aye, the finest pair of horses in all
Mexico shall draw your carriage, and you shall have money to gamble."
"Then have patience for but a little while longer, Don Felipe Ramirez,"
replied Juan, rubbing the palms of his long, slim hands together, as
though he already felt the magic touch of the gold and heard its musical
clink in his ears.
"I hear that fortune has played you false of late, Juan Ramon," said
Felipe.
"'Tis the very devil, Señor!" answered Juan with an oath.
"Here, take this," continued Felipe, handing him a roll of bank notes
which he drew from his pocket. "You shall have as many men and horses to
assist you in the work as you want," he added.
"Horses I will need, but no men, Don Felipe," replied Juan, jubilant
over the return of fortune. The bargain was better than he had
anticipated.
XXI
Dick Yankton had taken on a new lease of life. He no longer walked--he
flew. Like Hermes of old his feet seemed to have become suddenly endowed
with wings, with the result that his head was coming into dangerous
proximity to the clouds.
"_Dios!_ what had come over Señor Dick, who was on the best of terms
with every man, woman and child and dog in Santa Fé?" So potent was the
draught which he had imbibed, that he appeared to have been stricken
suddenly with blindness and the loss of memory at one and the same
instant. The salutations of his friends and acquaintances who greeted
him when he walked abroad were left unnoticed; his gaze fixed dreamily
on space before him. What had happened? Had he come into possession of a
new mine, or was he engaged in locating one through means of that
psychic sense or inner vision of the seer which he seemed to possess?
Had the real cause of his perturbation been guessed--that a woman's
smile had suddenly opened heaven's gates to him, a ripple of laughter
would have gone the rounds of Santa Fé. The mere suggestion that the
Señor Dick could be seriously in love was too absurd; his friends were
too well acquainted with the flirtatious side of his nature ever to
credit such a possibility. And yet, when Anita, his Indian housekeeper
and wife of his overseer and general factotum, Concho, saw the amazing
quantities of flowers, still wet with the morning's dew, that were daily
transported to the _Posada_, her suspicions became aroused. She began to
question Concho concerning them, and when he finally admitted that a
woman was the recipient of them, she raised her eyebrows with the
knowing look of a woman who has guessed the truth.
"I thought so," she answered quietly, a peculiar smile illumining her
dark countenance as she seated herself in the doorway of the refectory
which opened on the _patio_, and disposed herself comfortably,
preparatory to the interesting bit of gossip which she intended to screw
out of her husband.
She was of medium height, of the spare, slender type, and must have been
attractive in her youth, for even now, in spite of middle age, she was
comely to look upon. She wore a red rose in her black hair, while a
partially drooping eyelid gave a piquant, coquettish expression to her
face.
"Holy Virgin! but this is interesting!" she went on after a pause. "The
Señor in love, really in love!" and she laughed quietly to herself,
while she took a pinch of tobacco and a leaf of brown paper from the
pocket of her apron and began rolling a cigarette.
"Bah!" said Concho, accompanying the exclamation with a shrug of the
shoulders. "You women are always imagining things which do not exist.
Have we not often seen the Señor like this before? Has he not completely
spoiled the Señoritas of the town with his flowers? He's bored. He's
trying to amuse himself, that's all."
"And didst thou not say," continued Anita, without heeding his remarks,
regarding him out of the corners of her eyes while lighting her
cigarette, "that she is not quite so tall as the other one, but equally
beautiful in her way; that she is pink and white at one and the same
moment, just like a half-blown rose, and soft and satiny as the down on
a swan's neck?"
"It is all true, Anita _mia_, she is even that and more!" responded
Concho with warmth. "She is worth a journey to the _Posada_ to see, but
then, what is that--what are a few wisps of flowers?"
"Wisps? Armfuls, thou meanest, Concho! When did the Señor ever lavish so
many flowers upon one woman before? He told me they were for the
hospital," she chuckled, "but I have always been able to tell whether
the Señor was speaking the truth or not. Thou knowest the way he has of
saying the opposite to that which he means," and she blew a ring of
smoke into the still air and watched it as it floated upwards.
"Concho," she said after some moments' reflection, "thou art a fool! I
always said thou wert, and now I know it. The hospital--bah! How could
he have ever thought me so simple?" she exclaimed in a tone of mingled
sarcasm and disgust. "I tell thee, Concho, all women are the same either
on this side of the world or the other. The one thou hast just described
to me is the most dangerous of all women for a man like the Señor to
meet. That is, if she is clever," she added. "But have we not all heard
how clever and beautiful the _Americana_ Señoritas are?"
"Aye, there is nothing to compare with them in the whole land, with the
exception of the Chiquita, of course," replied Concho.
"Exactly; just what I have been saying, Concho _mio_," Anita went on,
surveying her spouse with a look of pitying superiority. "Why, only
yesterday, when he was here, I knew instantly by his air of distraction
that something unusual had happened. Never has he been so particular
before. He went all over the place, inspecting everything to the
minutest detail, just like a woman. Nothing pleased him; and when he
came to the flowers, which everybody knows are the finest in all
Chihuahua, he declared they were not fit for a dog to sniff at, and
rated the gardeners soundly for their negligence.
"Ah!" she sighed, the expression of her countenance softening, "the
place needs a mistress badly--it is the one thing it lacks. There was a
time when I hoped it might be the Chiquita, but since fate has ordained
that it should be otherwise, let us pray that it may be this one. In
fact," she exclaimed, looking up and emphasizing her words, "from what
thou hast told me of her, I know it will be she or none, and may heaven
grant that it please the Saints either to give her to him or protect him
from her, for the Señor is a man who can really love but once. Take a
woman's word for it, Concho, these are the true symptoms of love."
Having delivered herself thus forcibly, she tossed aside the end of her
cigarette and rose from the doorsill.
"Thou wert always a fool, Concho," she added, regarding him
compassionately with a smile and patting him on the cheek. Then turning,
she disappeared in the house, leaving Concho to marvel at her
astuteness, a thing he had never suspected.
Meanwhile, the subject under discussion was pacing the floor of his room
in the _Posada_ like a caged lion. For one whole week Bessie Van Ashton
had seemingly thrown wide the portals of her heart and bade him enter, a
privilege of which he was not slow to avail himself. Never had woman
flirted to better advantage or succeeded more effectually in turning a
man's head in so short a time as had this distracting, fair-haired
witch. The only regret experienced by Mr. Yankton during these hours of
unalloyed happiness, was the thought of the days he had lost--days which
might have been spent in her society had he only known. How blind he had
been not to have recognized her the instant he had set eyes on her,
instead of compelling the Almighty to remind him that she was the woman
that had been reserved for him by dropping her down out of a clear sky
into his arms! How stupid of him, and how patient Providence was with
some of us at times!
During the few short days which followed that happy accident--days that
seemed like so many swift, fleeting seconds, Dick floated on a summer
sea whose surface was unmarred by shadow or ripple. All the world had
changed. He felt as though he had only just begun to live, and he spun a
golden web of fancies out of the reality of things which, for one so
deeply versed in the game of life, was a marvel of beauty, fair as a
poet's dream, yet more substantial. And why not? Had not his life been
one replete with adventure and romance from the cradle? His meeting with
Bessie was no more remarkable than many other things that had occurred
during his lifetime. It was now perfectly clear to him why he had built
the _hacienda_ in the face of adverse judgment. It was for her, of
course. A place in which to enshrine and worship her during the years to
come; for what else could it be?
That insane notion of a white-haired patriarch enjoying the solitude of
the place was too absurd--a morbid fancy born of loneliness and
melancholy. The walk back to the _Posada_ on the day of their startling
encounter and the hours spent in Bessie's society since then--strolling
and chatting in the garden, or going for long rides over the plains
together, had convinced him it was not intended that man should live
alone. He had taken good care that she should learn nothing of the
existence of the _hacienda_ or of his wealth, and as little as possible
concerning himself, except that he was an agreeable young man with fair
prospects; and thus far, thanks to the Captain's silence and her
ignorance of Spanish, he had succeeded admirably.
Fair prospects! The secret was almost too good to keep, and he laughed
softly to himself as he mused upon it. It was truly an inspiration; just
the sort of thing to hand out to one of Newport's smart-set. Although he
had not yet proposed to her, he regarded their marriage as a foregone
conclusion; an event of the near future. She certainly had led him to
infer as much, and the plan he had conceived regarding it was highly
ingenious--one worthy of his fertile imagination. Directly they were
married, they would spend the first fortnight of their honeymoon camping
in the mountains in a style worthy of a grand Mogul, after which he
would suggest that they pass the night at a near-by _rancho_ belonging
to a friend, and in this wise introduce her to her future home.
The rapture of the picture fairly dazzled him, and he lay awake whole
nights contemplating it--the _patio_ palely illumined by the moonlight,
the murmur of the fountain in its center, the perfume of flowers, the
melodious voices of the dark-skinned Indian attendants, bearing flaming
torches, and chanting the time-honored welcome to their new mistress,
and her insistent demands to be introduced to their host; and then the
delightful dénouement, the surprise she must experience when the truth
finally dawned upon her. Truly poet never dreamed a fairer dream. It had
taken him a whole week to conceive the idea in detail, and on the
morning of the seventh day on which he had decided to ask her to become
his wife, he stood with the horses before the _Posada_ expectantly
awaiting her appearance to take the ride they had agreed upon the night
before. At the end of an hour, during which he fretted over the undue
delay with the same impatience as did the horses, Rosita appeared and
informed him that the Señorita Van Ashton would not ride that morning;
she was not feeling well. A wild alarm seized him. The thought that she
might have been stricken suddenly with some serious illness, quite
unnerved him for the moment. "_Caramba!_" he cried, quite forgetting his
English. "What has happened? Is it serious? Is anything being done?" But
all inquiries concerning the actual state of the Señorita's health
proving fruitless, he was left to pass the remainder of the day
wandering aimlessly about the garden in the vain hope of finding
something to divert his mind. Had he been in possession of his usual
calm, he might have noticed the amused expression on Rosita's face, but
the extent of one's concern being the measure of one's love for a
person, he saw only the vivid mental picture of his consuming passion,
Bessie, suffering Bessie!
It was the first jarring note in that state of uninterrupted bliss which
he had been enjoying, and as the day wore painfully on he began to
realize how much she had become to him. He was haunted by misgivings,
and finally, late in the afternoon, having convinced himself that he had
exhausted the resources of the garden, he decided to pass the time until
the dinner hour upon the veranda on the other side of the house. Thither
he repaired, but oddly enough and greatly to his astonishment, as he
stepped out upon the veranda, he came face to face with Miss Van Ashton
returning from a walk in the town. She was charmingly gowned in a soft,
clinging creation of pale lavender and white lace, with long white suède
gloves and low lavender shoes and silk stockings, an inch or so of which
she flashed before his eyes, proclaiming the society belle's
prerogative. She carried a parasol of the same color and material as her
dress, while her head was crowned with a sweeping, rakishly plumed
Rembrandtesque hat worn at a killing angle. The gold in her hair and the
exquisite pink and white of her throat and cheeks blended perfectly with
a color scheme, the attractiveness of which was greatly enhanced by her
natural charm and the delicate scent of lavender and rose leaves which
emanated from her person, the combined effects of which were not lost
upon an over-wrought imagination.
To use the current vernacular of the times, so familiar to the world in
which she moved, Miss Van Ashton's appearance was decidedly fetching,
and strongly suggestive of the things of which poets, in their madness,
are continually harping--flower gardens flooded with moonlight and the
song of nightingales. Although not modeled on heroic lines, she
nevertheless possessed the qualifications which most men seek in women
and therefore became quite as formidable as Delilah when she chose to
assert herself. To say that Mr. Yankton was dazzled but mildly expresses
his feelings; he was ravished, though in no mood for banter. Had their
meeting occurred under more auspicious circumstances, he undoubtedly
would have complimented her on her charming appearance; but for one who
had been eating his heart out during eight consecutive hours solely on
her account, it was hardly to be expected. The sight of her, though a
relief to his mind, gave rise to thoughts the nature of which he found
it difficult to conceal.
"What!" he cried, furious and aghast, scarcely believing his eyes as the
truth slowly began to dawn upon him. "They told me you were ill--that
you couldn't appear to-day!"
"Ill? How very strange!" she answered in feigned surprise, with a far
away, vacant look in her eyes, as though she had just met him for the
first time, rendering him quite speechless. "Really, Mr. Yankton," she
continued in the coldest, most distant manner she could command, "I
never felt better in my life!" And without allowing him time to catch
his breath, she passed by him and slammed the door in his face, from the
other side of which he fancied he heard her silvery, rippling laughter,
the nature of which sounded suspiciously like a titter.
Woman never delivered a more crushing blow. In that instant Mr. Yankton
saw more stars than the firmament contains. It was like being thrown
suddenly into a river on a cold morning. Miss Van Ashton's methods might
be regarded as somewhat harsh by certain persons, but realizing that
heroic measures were the only cure for the dangerous distemper that
threatened her peace of mind, she had acted without hesitancy. Besides,
was she not in a measure justified in wishing to even up their scores?
Oh, the fickleness of woman! How cleverly she had deceived him, and what
an ass he had been! She had been playing with him all the while, and as
he paced the floor, revolving what course to pursue, he wondered how he
could have been so simple. True, she was different from any woman he had
ever met, but dazed though he was by her sudden change of front, he was
not disheartened. On the contrary, she had become more attractive than
ever. His blood fairly boiled at the thought of his defeat, but he would
profit by the experience--change his tactics completely. The more she
avoided him, the more persistent he would become. If she did not see
him, she would be kept a prisoner in the house. He would give her no
peace, day or night. He would dog her footsteps, confront her at every
turn, pursue her with the most reckless and relentless ardor and utter
disregard of what the world might think; treat her as he would an
unbroken horse--give her no rest, but keep her on the jump until he had
worn her out, and then close with her.
XXII
The situation was becoming intolerable. Something must be done and done
at once to clear the atmosphere. Captain Forest's apparent indifference
to all things, including herself, aroused Blanch to a pitch of
exasperation which might best be likened to that of a high-strung,
thoroughbred horse that has been ignominiously hitched to a plow and
compelled to drag it. At the end of a week he either drops dead in the
furrow or becomes a broken-spirited hack for the rest of his days.
Nothing short of love or hatred could satisfy her. It was a new
experience. Never had she suffered such ignominy. It was like being
coerced. One could respect an enemy, but this exasperating indifference
was unendurable. The more she thought of it, the more convinced she
became, that it was just such an antagonistic attitude which had
prompted the beautiful, though wicked Borgia, to administer certain love
potions to numerous unappreciative gallants. Deliberate, cold-blooded
murder committed under such extenuating circumstances began to appear
more in the light of justice than of crime.
Captain Forest offered an entirely new front. Not that he had changed so
much, she knew better than that, but she marveled at his self-control.
The dash and spirit of the soldier, which every one admired so much in
him, had given way to the most insulting, good-humored complacency; the
frame of mind one looks for in an aged sinner whose terror of an
uncertain future has driven him to prepare for heaven. She knew well
enough that his attitude was assumed for a purpose only, until he had
made up his mind what to do; waiting to make up his mind as to which of
them, she or Chiquita, was preferable. This, of course, was merely a
jealous supposition on her part.
She had hoped to arouse his jealousy, or, failing in that, at least his
enthusiasm. Thus far she had failed to accomplish either and she could
not understand it. Surely he was flesh and blood like other men, yet
nothing seemed to move him. He appeared like one at peace with all the
world, calm and serene as a summer's day, and smoked incessantly. She
could endure it no longer. The depression from which she suffered was
crushing her slowly and irresistibly to earth. She was at her wits' end
to know what to do to relieve the tension, until she finally hit upon
the idea of giving an old-fashioned Spanish _fandango_--a _fiesta_.
The thought was a happy one. It was not only one of those things she had
always wanted to see, but it would be a break--something to relieve the
strain of her daily existence; she pursuing, he avoiding her. The
novelty of the scene--the bright, gay costumes of the Mexicans, music
and twinkling lights, dancing and wine and laughter and song, and the
stars overhead, mellowed by the light of the full moon, must infuse new
life into them all--recall memories of other days to him. With such a
setting, a woman of her beauty, refinement and attraction, and an adept
at the game of flattery and intrigue, must shine with new luster--become
doubly dangerous and irresistible to a man. Though this was her chief
motive for giving the _fiesta_, she had still another in view.
The fame of Chiquita's dancing had naturally aroused her curiosity. She
would ask her to dance; not that she believed the half of what she heard
concerning it, but it would be a satisfaction to see it. Besides, she
had a certain motive of her own for so doing which she imparted to no
one; the subtlest of a woman's thoughts which only the intuition of a
woman could have prompted. She laughed to herself at the thought which
invariably aroused within her a feeling akin to triumph. Why had she not
thought of it before? She knew the Captain had already seen her dance,
but then that was before he knew who she was. It had been in a theater,
and his enthusiasm must have been prompted in a measure by that of the
audience about him. The emotion of a large assembly was always
contagious--sweeping the individual along with it. Whereas, in private,
her dancing, lacking the glamour and artificiality of the stage, would
be a very different thing. It would appear in a more realistic,
commonplace light. Any faults which the atmosphere of the stage might
have concealed would immediately become apparent in the light of natural
surroundings and her performance sink to the level of the commonplace.
Her dancing could only be amateurish at its best, for where could she
possibly have learned to dance? What instruction could she, living in
this out-of-the-way corner of the world, have received in the art? As
for local enthusiasm, it counted for little--amateurs were always so
popular at home. And after all was said, what did the achievements of
the great dancers really amount to? Their creations were not ranked with
those of other artistic achievements. In fact, dancing could scarcely be
ranked with the legitimate branches of art at all. At its best, it was
only a pastime; something to amuse. This, of course, was the light in
which she viewed one of the greatest arts which few ever succeed in
mastering. Possibly because the world has really seen no dancing to
speak of since the days of the great Taglioni, until the Pavlowa
appeared. Even parts of the latter's art were questionable, but then,
she was the Pavlowa!
Chiquita's dancing differed from anything Captain Forest had ever seen.
As a matter of fact, much of it would not have been called dancing at
all by many people, so different has the modern conception of the art
become since the days of the ancients. But where had she received her
instruction? The ability to dance, like any other talent, is born in
one, not acquired. True, it must be developed through constant practice
just like any other talent, if ever it is to amount to anything; but
even then, great dancers are born just as great painters, poets and
musicians are born.
The Indian's greatest pastime and amusement is dancing, and Chiquita had
danced almost daily from earliest childhood to her sixteenth year when
fate had led her to Padre Antonio's door. Then she went to the City of
Mexico and also had visited Europe. In both places she had had the
opportunity of seeing some of the greatest dancers of the day and was
able to draw comparisons between their conceptions of the art and hers.
But when she began the study of ancient history her attention was called
to the Greeks' conception of the art, and she soon discovered that
modern dancing was a direct violation of that which was most plastic in
art, and consisted chiefly of contortions, high kicking and pirouetting
on the toes. She also discovered that the conceptions of her own people
regarding the art stood nearer that of the ancients than did modern
man's. To her it was an interesting discovery. It was as natural for her
to dance as to breathe, and from that hour she began to study and
practice the art with renewed interest.
Shortly after her admittance to the convent, it was also discovered that
she possessed a voice of unusual quality and range; and, as Padre
Antonio had instructed the Sisters to do their utmost to develop any
natural talent she might possess to a marked degree, the best teacher in
voice culture which the city afforded was procured for her. These were
Padre Antonio's wishes and they had been obeyed conscientiously by the
Sisters who recognized Chiquita's strong dramatic ability.
The years passed, and, as the day finally arrived on which she was to
leave school, the performances which marked the closing exercises were
given as usual by the pupils. The last number on the programme
represented an ancient Greek festival arranged by Padre Alesandro, the
instructor in classic literature, in which Chiquita took the leading
part, and in which, at her request, she was permitted to introduce a
dance of her own creation. Among the many guests that had been invited
to attend the closing ceremonies was one Signor Tosti, a ballet-master,
who at the time was visiting the Capitol with an Italian opera company.
A friend whose daughter took part in the exercises had persuaded him,
much against his will, to attend; for what possible interest could a
veteran of the ballet take in such amateurish exhibitions?
Touring the world with a troup of quarrelsome artists was arduous work
for a tired old gentleman at its best. So, like the sensible man that he
was, he promptly went to sleep at the opening of the performance and
probably would have slept through the entire evening, had he not been
aroused from his slumbers in the midst of the last number on the
programme by the sound of a glorious voice--a deep mezzo-soprano of the
richest contralto quality. Opening his eyes, he saw an assembly of
beautifully clad, flower-bedecked Grecian youths and maidens drawn up
across the back of the stage, chanting the chorus, and in their midst,
in the foreground, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. He
drew himself up with a start and rubbed his eyes to assure himself that
he was really awake. And then, considering the occasion and the time and
the place, he witnessed a performance that fairly took his breath away.
His Southern temperament became thoroughly aroused, and at the
conclusion of the dance, he suddenly rose from his seat and without
waiting for an introduction, rushed to the stage and springing upon it,
bowed low before Chiquita and seizing her hand, kissed it in view of the
audience. No one knew better than he did that, in his profession, a new
star had just fallen from heaven to earth. The following day he and the
director of his company waited upon Chiquita and offered her any sum she
might choose to name if she would consent to join the company and return
to Europe with them. But they did not know what Chiquita's past had
been--that she was still the Amazon as of old--that the woman who had
been trained to battle in her early youth the same as the men of her
people had been trained, regarded as mere pastime that which they
considered one of the heights of earthly attainment. The woman who at
sunrise had listened daily to the song of the Memnon, who had
experienced the shock of battle, whose life lived close to nature had
taught her the meaning of the ethics of the dust and instilled into her
veins the rippling laughter of water and sunshine and the song of the
winds, and whose every breath had been the rapturous breath of freedom,
viewed life from a different standpoint than that of men debased by
centuries of servitude. The world of their creation was trifling in
comparison to that of God's which to her was all sufficing and enabled
her to look upon their doings with the same equanimity and indulgence as
that with which the parent regards the frolicsome gambols of the child.
Twenty years of almost uninterrupted practice had kept her body and
limbs supple and pliant, but this Blanch did not know.
XXIII
True to his resolve, Dick rose to the exigency of the occasion by laying
stubborn siege to Miss Van Ashton's heart. During the day he bombarded
her with flowers and books and bonbons, and gentle but passionate
missives; all of which the fair recipient as promptly hurled back into
his face. At night relays of musicians serenaded her uninterruptedly
until the glowing cast announced the coming of a new day. He took the
whole household into his confidence, rendering it impossible for her to
set foot outside her door without meeting him.
The first day she laughed at his eccentricities; on the second, she grew
furious, and on the third, not having closed her eyes for two whole days
and nights, she felt herself on the verge of a nervous collapse. There
being no rest for any one, Colonel Van Ashton suddenly appeared before
his daughter on the morning of the fourth day and gave her to understand
that if the infernal nuisance did not cease instantly he would shoot the
first person who entered the garden that evening after he had retired.
And to back his threat, he displayed a new automatic pistol which he had
purchased in the town the day before; the shopkeeper having assured him
that, for a running fire, it was the most convenient and effective
weapon on the market. The Colonel was in a reckless mood and seemed in
imminent danger of losing in a moment the self-control which years of
civilization had instilled within him. Having been literally goaded to
madness, little wonder that he too was on the verge of succumbing to the
customs of the land, and was beginning to feel a secret longing to shoot
and swear and swagger and destroy. Knowing her father to be as good as
his word, and to possess the courage of a lion when aroused, Bessie
found herself forced to capitulate a day earlier than she otherwise
would have, for, incensed though she was, not even a woman of her grit
and spirit could possibly have held out much longer under conditions
that turned night into day.
It was galling in the extreme to be compelled to surrender so soon, but
there being no alternative, she was obliged to accept the humiliation
with the best grace possible. Accordingly, she appeared in the garden
late on the afternoon of the fourth day where she espied the object of
her wrath and annoyance seated comfortably on the grass at the foot of a
pear tree, and as usual--smoking. The sight of him was hardly conducive
to soothe the feelings of one who inwardly was a seething volcano, and
she vowed that she would pay him out to the full before she was done
with him.
He seemed greatly surprised by her appearance, and hastily throwing away
his cigar, rose to his feet with the intention of speaking to her, but
without noticing him, she made her way to the farthest corner of the
garden and seated herself in a large rustic chair that stood in the
shadow of the high wall which surrounded the garden. She knew he would
not be long in renewing his persecutions. And angry though she was, she
could not help wondering at the novelty of the situation. She, Bessie
Van Ashton, placed at the mercy of an obscure person, a rustic nobody!
Like every other woman, she had dreamed of such a man as this, one that
would seize and carry her off; but then the time and place were other
than the present, and he resembled more closely the type of man with
which she had been familiar all her life. The spirit of antagonism which
he aroused was due rather to pique than to dislike, for in spite of his
audacity she could not help admiring his spirit.
Her sense of injury was poignantly enhanced by the fact that she
recognized herself to be the true cause of her trouble. Had she not led
him on this thing might never have happened; and yet, she was neither
sorry nor repentant for what she had done. Had any other man dared take
the liberties he had taken with her, she would have despised him, but
with him, though she was unable to explain it, things were somehow
different. She was furious with him for kissing her, and yet deep down
in her inner consciousness she was not so certain that she was sorry he
had done so. The things he did, which would have branded any other man
as a cad, were the very things the man of her dreams might have done
under similar circumstances. Yet she shuddered as she daily foresaw the
consequences that might ensue should she encourage him further.
Flirting with a man whose high-handed, arbitrary methods dazed rather
than offended her, was becoming dangerous.
Self-preservation being always our first thought, she had decided to
fly, but the presence of Blanch rendered such a course impossible. The
only alternative left her was to extricate herself as swiftly and
gracefully as possible from her dilemma by making herself as
disagreeable as possible in his eyes. In this wise she hoped to
disillusion him, and it was with this intention she had come forth to
meet him. She could not see him from where she sat, having turned her
back upon him; but, judging from the length of time it took him to
approach, she rightly conjectured that he had been walking in a circle,
doubtless at a loss what course to pursue. The silence that ensued when
he paused behind her was broken only by the sound of his labored
breathing and a nervous cough, plainly betraying the embarrassment he
felt on finding himself once more in her presence.
"Miss Van Ashton," he said at length, "it is extremely gratifying to
know that you have at last decided to leave the oppressive walls of your
inhospitable abode for the world of sunshine without, where the essence
and being of all things fill one with a desire to live." Nothing he
could have said at the moment could have aroused her resentment more
than this idiotic speech. She had expected him to eat humble pie, to
throw himself at her feet and implore forgiveness; but, no! She sprang
to her feet and facing him, turned a pair of beautiful blazing eyes upon
him. She was so furious she choked, and for some moments was quite
unable to speak.
"I suppose," she said at last, her voice trembling with suppressed
indignation, "that you take pleasure in pursuing a helpless woman like a
hunted beast. It's so manly," she added scathingly, looking in vain for
some sign of contrition in his face. "Why," she went on, "if a man where
I live had done the hundredth part of what you have done, society would
shun him as it would a pariah!"
"Or a leper," he added good humoredly, quick to recognize the
disadvantage at which the loss of her temper placed her. "They must be a
poor lot where you live," he continued. "I think we had better pass them
by without further comment." She was suffocated--she could have bitten
her tongue off!
"Have you no consideration for others' feelings--for what they might
want?" she cried.
"Ah! I see, Miss Van Ashton," he answered, regarding her
compassionately. "You quite overlook the true facts of the case. This is
not at all a question of what you may want, but of what is best for you.
I have merely been trying to tell you in my awkward way that it is not
good for one to live alone." She laughed hysterically. The colossal
impudence of the man took her breath away. She gasped--attempted to
speak, but words failing her, turned her back upon him and began tearing
into shreds the end of the silken gauze Indian scarf which she wore over
her shoulders.
"Can't you think of what you want, Miss Van Ashton?" he asked gently,
in the tone of one addressing a refractory child.
"No!" she screamed, without at all realizing what she was saying. To
think that this man was able to play with her like a worm on the end of
a pin! It was too much! "How dare you! I--I hate you!" she cried,
without turning round and quite beside herself. There was no mistaking
her attitude; he had gone far enough. The limit of her endurance had
been reached, and he suddenly became serious. Again there was silence
between them.
"Miss Van Ashton," he said, drawing himself up, "it really doesn't
matter what you or the rest of the world may think of me so long as I
can see you. Can you imagine what it would be like if you were never to
see the sun again? What could be more absurd than to allow such a trifle
as convention to come between you and me? Three feet of wretched adobe
wall between me and heaven!" he burst forth. "The idea's preposterous!
Why, if you shut yourself up in that miserable hovel again, I'll set
fire to the place!" She knew he would.
"Can't you understand," he went on, his voice softening, "that your
attitude has aroused the savage, the primeval man in me--that, had I met
you here fifty or a hundred years ago, I would have picked you up and
quietly carried you away? I know I've been a brute by driving you into
the open like this, but that's not me, myself--the man who loves you,
who would pass through fire for you, who has dreamed of you and watched
and waited through the long years for your coming; and now that you
have come, you surely can't blame me for what I cannot help--for loving
you and telling you so in my own way?"
She tried in vain to stifle the emotion his words aroused. She had set
out with the intention of wringing this avowal from him in jest, but how
differently it affected her now that she heard it. She forgot her anger,
everything, in fact, as she listened to the flow of his passion and
longed to hear him continue. Every note of his voice thrilled her as it
did on the day she first saw him. She remembered that she experienced a
peculiar sensation at the time; that his appearance reminded her of the
heroic type of manhood which the ancients had sought to depict in their
marbles. In him she had unconsciously recognized the true spirit of the
Argonaut on whose brow rests the star of empire. She did not idealize
him; she simply recognized him for what he was--a man; one in whose soul
the sentiment and enthusiasm of youth still sat enthroned, not smothered
by the crushing process of modern civilization which was the case with
the men she knew. A terror seized her as she compared the latter to him,
and beheld how small they appeared beside him.
"Miss Van Ashton," he continued passionately, "you wouldn't thank me if
I continued to bandy words with the woman I love, whose presence has
become the sunshine of life to me. The whole world has become filled
with song since you came into my life. Music and laughter have taken the
place of loneliness and despair. Flowers spring from the earth where
your feet rest! Don't imagine that you can ever estrange yourself from
me. Wherever you are, by day or by night, waking or dreaming, I also
will be there and ever whispering: 'Bessie Van Ashton, I love you--you
have filled my life so completely I can't live without you!'"
Had her face been turned toward him, he would have seen that it was
radiant, that her eyes shone with unusual brilliancy, that her hands
trembled beneath the folds of her scarf where she had concealed them.
"Bessie, sweet--"
"Stop!" she cried, almost in a voice of terror. "I've not given you
permission to speak to me, thus--to call me by name--"
"Then turn round and say you will be human once more! That you will talk
and walk and ride again! If you don't, I'll begin all over again by
telling you that you are the sweetest--"
"Hush!" she said softly, turning round abruptly with a gesture of
protest, looking up into his face, and then down at the ground to
conceal her confusion. "I think we understand one another," she said at
length, and raising her eyes to his again, she held out both her hands
which he seized and held in his own.
"Let us be friends again," she continued, gently withdrawing her hands
from his.
"No, don't say that!" he interrupted. "We can't be that! Let it rest as
it is!"
XXIV
"When you love, you love," runs a gypsy proverb.
Bessie wore the despairing look of one who clings to a last vain hope.
How had it happened? Why had everything gone contrary to her
expectations? Why was Mr. Yankton dragging her at the wheels of his
chariot instead of she him? According to her social standards he had
seen but little, and yet he had the _savoir faire_ of a man of the
world. Her preconceived ideas on certain subjects were so upset that she
no longer appeared to have a hold on anything; the very ground seemed to
be slipping away beneath her.
Strange that one could care for the person whom one least expected to,
that the most humiliating moment in one's life might be the happiest as
well. If any one had suggested such a possibility to her six months
previously, she would have laughed at the mere thought. How could she
relinquish the life she knew for his? She fought against his influence
with all her powers of resistance. And yet, what woman in her right mind
would hesitate to follow the man of her choice to the sunlit valleys of
our dreams? Weaker women than she had done so and been happy, while
stronger ones had hesitated, as was the case with Blanch, and lived to
regret it. She secretly prayed that she might be spared the torture
which Blanch was suffering and the despair which must inevitably
overtake her should she fail to win back the man she had let slip from
her; for what, after all, could life be to one without the true
comradeship of love? She began to feel and realize the ineffable
sweetness of life's fullness as the days of her awakening continued,
while the ache at her heart told her plainly enough that the decisive
moment of her life had arrived--that she must choose between happiness
and ambition. The one, rich and full though accompanied perhaps by pain
and even denial at times; the other fraught with uncertainty.
She understood now the meaning of Chiquita's passionate longing for the
man she loved; a thing which the worldliness of the life she had lived
hitherto had taught her to be too extravagant to exist anywhere outside
of books, but which was true nevertheless. Her intuition told her this
in the face of all the world might say to the contrary. As she looked
back over the years and thought of her friends, she realized that she
like them had submerged her life in the superficial pleasures of the
world; but had they filled her cup of happiness? Until now she had not
felt the lack of life's crowning joy, for the reason that youth is
buoyant and full of hope, and the grand passion had not yet entered into
her life. These and a thousand other thoughts ran through her mind that
night as she recalled Dick's words.
She could not sleep. From where she lay she could see the moonlight in
the _patio_ and hear the murmur of the fountain in its center. The night
seemed to beckon and whisper to her to come outside. So she arose and
silently dressed herself in the dimly moonlit room without disturbing
Blanch, who murmured incoherently in her sleep of the things she was
thinking of. She slipped noiselessly through the low window to the
_patio_ without and stealthily made her way in the shadow of the
overhanging arcades to the garden beyond.
The hour was late--close on to dawn. The silvery half-moon hung low in
the west accompanied by great cohorts of stars that shone with a
brilliancy she had never before seen, and which seemed to be waiting
with the moon to usher in the new dawn. All was silence and mystery--all
earthly ties seemed severed. Under the cover of the night all things
seemed equal. There were no high, no low, no eyes to see, no ears to
hear, no towns, no cities, no conventions. All things that hold and bind
us had slipped away into the shadows and she seemed to breathe again the
primeval freshness of life.
She knew that she must decide between Dick and her family. Her father
had given her plainly to understand as much, and this she knew meant the
loss of her fortune--the giving up of all for him. Her father
threatened, raged and fumed with the petulance of a spoiled child, his
paternal displeasure taking that uncompromising form of obstinacy with
which the world has long been familiar. She was amazed at herself for
being able to take his displeasure with so little concern; a thing
which, had it occurred at home, would have caused her to pause and
reflect and probably would have been the deciding factor in her life.
Her removal from the old life and the glimpses of the new had
unconsciously wrought a change within her. She began to see things as
they really are when shorn of their glamour. The life she hitherto had
known, she realized, was purely a superficial condition, not only
foreign to the realities of things, but superfluous to man himself.
Never had Captain Forest appeared so sane and her father so superficial
as the hour in which she grasped that truth. It is not what the world
makes of you, but what you make of yourself that counts, the beauteous,
seductive night kept whispering to her. Why, then, if this be true,
should the world about her appear so remote? It was not the actual
world--the world as it really is that she would be called upon to give
up, but merely the world of that particular set of men and women in
which she hitherto had moved.
The same earth rolled beneath her feet--the same stars that looked down
upon her in the past still glittered in the heavens overhead--the same
winds that crept through the garden and sighed among the trees, wafting
the spicy, fragrant odors of the flowers into her face, were the same
that had fanned her cheek in the past. All things remained practically
the same, only the people were different. But could the old interests
and friendships and associations compensate her for the loss of the man
that had come into her life to remain for the rest of her days whether
she chose to keep him or not? These new and perplexing questions she was
forced to ask herself for the first time, and she knew that there could
be but one answer forthcoming.
Love was knocking at the portals of her heart as it had never knocked
before. It had come to her warm and living, deep and subtle and
indefinable, leaving nothing to be said or desired. She saw clearly
that principle, as the world conceives it, was not involved. Affection
recognizes no such principle--only virtuous longing and desire which is
a principle in itself--the fulfillment of creation's grandest purpose;
and it rested with her to accept this truth or pass it by.
The chill of the early morning caused her to draw her wrap more closely
about her shoulders. A deep sigh of relief escaped her as she glanced
upwards once more for a last look at the paling stars. How satisfactory
it was to know even though the knowledge pained her!
She had entered the garden a girl, she returned to the house a woman,
hugging her secret close to her heart.
XXV
Success had crowned Juan Ramon's efforts. The pretty little _hacienda_
of which he had dreamed so long was no longer a vision of the future,
but a reality. It was actually in his possession, purchased with a part
of the money he had received from Don Felipe for his work. It now only
remained for the pretty Rosita to consent to become the mistress of the
place and he, Juan Ramon, would bid farewell to the old _Posada_ and the
gaming-tables forever. This Juan naïvely promised himself as his
thoughts dwelt upon the bright picture of domestic felicity which his
imagination conjured up before him.
The attractive presence of Rosita was undoubtedly the source of this
inspiration which actually led him to believe in the possibility of the
sudden and complete reformation of an inveterate gambler whose desire
for play was like the toper's insatiable thirst for liquor. And then,
there was Captain Forest's horse. Juan had an idea regarding that
animal. When everybody's attention was occupied with the festivities
during the night of the _fandango_, and he had succeeded in filling José
with the proper amount of _aguardiente_, he would slip quietly away with
the horse and conceal him at his _hacienda_. _Caramba!_ what a
horse--the like of which there was not in all Mexico! And Juan Ramon,
the champion _vaquero_ of Chihuahua, was the man to ride him! And he
rolled and smoked innumerable _cigarillos_ as he sauntered about the
garden and corrals, or lounged in the _patio_, musing on these and many
other things.
To say that Don Felipe was elated by what he had discovered but mildly
describes his state of exultation. At last the woman who had ruined his
life was in his power. Not for years had he experienced such delicious
transports of rapture. How sweet a thing is revenge! He was like one
born anew. The expression of melancholy faded from his countenance, his
eyes shone with renewed luster and he smiled upon all the world. There
was no more escape for her than there had been for him when she so
treacherously thrust the knife into his heart. What he had discovered
was different from anything his imagination had pictured in connection
with her. Nothing could be more compromising, and the marvel of it was
that she had been able to keep the facts concealed from the world so
long. Only a woman could have done it, and only the cleverest of women
at that. No wonder she had danced in public. She had reason to!
Never had he dreamed that he would live to enjoy this hour. When he
first imparted his information to Blanch, she refused to believe it; but
the proofs were too convincing to leave so much as the shadow of a doubt
in her mind. How fortunate that he had discovered her secret at this
time; just before the _fandango_. What an opportunity to confront her
with the truth; force her to make a public confession of her guilt.
Nothing could be more propitious for the execution of his plans; the
annihilation of the woman who had wrecked his life. It was not enough
that she should be exposed. She must be humiliated publicly as he had
been.
He did not entirely reveal his plans to Blanch, knowing that the woman
in her and her consideration for the Captain would cause her to shrink
from inflicting so cruel a revenge even upon a rival. He was far too
clever for that. So, without going into details concerning his plans, he
led her to believe that, at a prearranged signal from her, he would
confront Chiquita personally and compel her to acknowledge the truth
before himself and the Captain. Her nature revolted at that which Don
Felipe told her, cried out for justice, for the exposure of the
impostor; nevertheless, she disliked a scene, and for the Captain's
sake, made Don Felipe promise to do nothing unless she gave the signal.
One week hence and their scores would be even. The thought thrilled him
as he paced the length of his room, his hands clasping and unclasping
nervously behind his back; his mind actively engaged in rehearsing the
events of the last few days which led to the discovery, and the details
of the plan he had formulated, the carrying out of which was to be
deferred until that eventful evening when the principal families of the
town and neighborhood, her friends and acquaintances, would be gathered
together to witness her shame--the same as they had witnessed his. Her
disgrace would be far worse than his had been. She would be an outcast;
for let a man transgress and the world may forgive him, but let a woman
fall and she is damned forever so far as the world is concerned. He
would make no mistake this time. He carefully weighed every detail of
his plan, considered every eventuality that might arise. Subtle and
resourceful though he knew her to be, there would be no loophole of
escape for her.
It was almost too good to be true. He was beside himself. He talked and
laughed aloud repeatedly when alone, scarcely able to retain himself, so
rapturously sweet was the thought of her humiliation. Suddenly a new
thought flashed through his mind. He had sworn that he would kill
Captain Forest--lay him dead at her feet; but that, thanks to
circumstances, would not now be necessary. The thought of killing a man
in cold blood was not pleasant even to one of Don Felipe's temperament
in his present state of mind. But should circumstances compel him to do
so to complete his revenge, he would stop at nothing, let the
consequences be what they might.
That he had received his just deserts for his betrayal of a woman, did
not enter his thoughts. Had he not atoned for that misdeed through years
of suffering? Had ever mortal been humiliated as he had been? That fact
alone decided him. The memory of his transgression had been effaced long
since by his intense longing for revenge. Nothing short of revenge could
satisfy him now.
A grim smile lit up his countenance as he pondered upon what he knew.
And yet, he reflected, who could tell? Infatuation might blind the
Captain to the truth. It was best to be prepared for all emergencies.
Stepping to his dresser, he opened the top drawer from which he took a
knife which lay concealed beneath the numerous articles it contained.
Drawing the blade from its leathern sheath, he ran his thumb lightly
over its double edge to assure himself that it had lost none of its
keenness. He always carried a pistol, but considering the circumstances
a knife would be better. It would make no noise, create less
disturbance. It would be so easy, in some secluded part of the garden,
to thrust it home and get away quietly before the deed was discovered.
One quick thrust, a stifled cry, that would be all. As a youth he could
have placed that blade at ten paces in the center of a mark no larger
than a silver dollar at every cast. But he had no thought of employing
such a method now even if he were able to. Striking the Captain would be
like sinking the blade in Chiquita's heart; for did he not hate the
Captain, because she loved him, almost as much as he hated her? No, he
would not forego that exquisite sense of pleasure and satisfaction, born
of jealousy and his insatiable thirst for revenge.
For some time he toyed absently with the knife. Then, from sheer
exuberance of spirits, he began tossing it aloft; watching with
sparkling eyes the glittering blade as it turned over and over in the
air and catching it deftly by the hilt in his right hand as it
descended. His hand and wrist were firm and supple as of old; they had
lost none of their vigor during the long years he had wandered aimlessly
about the world. Again that cold smile, cruel and cutting as the edge
of his knife, lit up his face as he at length sheathed the blade in its
leathern case and returned it to its resting place in the drawer of his
dresser.
XXVI
Conviction is one thing, decision another. Any one who has been taught
from earliest childhood to regard black as white could hardly be
expected to distinguish in a moment the virtue of the latter.
Daily Bessie resolved to follow the promptings of her heart; usually at
the close of the day when the cool of the evening set in, when the stars
again took up their procession across the heavens and she walked and
chatted with Dick in the garden. But when morning dawned and she thought
of her father's awful prognostications and the dire consequences which
must inevitably ensue should she take the step, her ardor cooled and she
as often changed her mind. Her father spent hours arguing with her,
trying to impress her with the importance of the duty she owed society
which consisted in obeying to the letter the behests of the set in which
she had always moved.
Greatly to the Colonel's astonishment and disgust, his daughter seemed
strangely lacking in this particular moral quality. How had her insight
become so obtuse? He could not understand it, especially as he had taken
particular pains while bringing her up to steel her heart against the
insidious longings of maudlin sentiment and to teach her to despise
everything outside of her particular world. He and his wife had not
regarded love the chief essential to marriage, so why should his
daughter? That she, under the circumstances, should hesitate between
happiness and a life of regret, was a thing unique, almost
incomprehensible to him. That she should question his authority, his
right to choose for her, and his superior knowledge of the world, was
still more surprising. Her disaffection was strongly suggestive of
disrespect, a lack of faith in his infallibility in which he, the
Colonel, firmly believed, if nobody else did.
The thought that the efforts of years might come to naught was bitter as
wormwood to him. It was bad enough that his nephew should besmirch the
family escutcheon, but that his daughter should deliberately contract a
mesalliance in the face of his objections, was too much. It was the last
straw. The country was going to the dogs. He argued, pleaded, stormed
and swore and beat his head against the wall of indifference and
obstinacy which his daughter reared between them with the unremitting
fury of a wasp that finds itself on the wrong side of a windowpane. This
new turn in affairs rendered Mrs. Forest so furious that she snapped
right and left regardless of persons like a dog possessed of the rabies,
rendering herself the most disagreeable person in the house.
The alarming rapidity with which event succeeded event, whirling them
onward to some unseen end, was more than sufficient to convince them all
that life was fast becoming a very uncertain quantity. No one knew what
the morrow might bring forth; and all, with the exception of the
Captain, were wrought up to a pitch of nervous tension that threatened
the breaking point. Don Felipe shadowed Chiquita and the
Captain--Chiquita and Blanch regarded one another with increasing
suspicion--Dick pressed his suit with the ardor of desperation; while
the Colonel and Mrs. Forest nagged on all sides. Even Señora wore an
anxious, worried look. It was evident to all that things, as they were,
could not continue much longer. Only the Captain seemed capable of
keeping his head above water; for him the future held no terrors. The
more complicated matters became, the more serene he grew; for had he not
vowed that he would see things through to the end? They would all have
an opportunity of judging who it would be that would laugh last.
The _fandango_ would relieve the tension. Blanch's inspiration was truly
a stroke of genius, for anything was better than a continuance of the
present state of affairs. Ever since Dick's declaration of love, Bessie
had fought and struggled against the tide of events which was
overwhelming her by making herself as disagreeable as possible in his
eyes. But what could she do to thwart the machinations of a man who
laughed at her moods, who encouraged her with each fresh outburst?
Scarcely an hour elapsed after parting from him, than a note was slipped
into her hand by some one of the many Mexican attendants, telling her
how he adored her moods. That a frown from her was sweeter than the
perpetual smile of another woman; that he loved a woman of spirit; that
she would find him on the morrow in the dust at her feet as usual; that
the sensation he experienced while being trampled upon could only be
likened unto that of being borne aloft on wings, etc. She grew hot and
cold by turns as she read these missives, and sulked and softened and
flew into fits of passion, and tore them into bits, thoroughly disgusted
with her weakness and her inability to remedy matters, and invariably
ended by wishing to see him again. Clearly, her only hope of delivery
lay in the alternatives of instant flight, or of ridding herself of his
importunities by marrying him; either of which she found equally
difficult and impossible to execute. She did not know that Dick was
putting on a bold front; that his attitude was assumed; that, like her,
he was at his wits' end; that, if she suffered, he suffered tenfold. Her
annoyance was insignificant in comparison to the cyclonic outbursts that
swept over him.
Ah, yes, Anita, Concho's wife, had predicted events with fair accuracy.
When he sought to take her, she was not there, but somewhere
else--everywhere. Just like a kitten that frisks among the leaves in
autumn when they are whirled about by the wind; now here, now there, now
up a tree. Though each had taken the measure of the other with fair
accuracy, each had misjudged the other's strength; and it was becoming
problematical just how much longer he would be able to hold out. Nothing
had ever daunted him. All his life long he had never failed to
accomplish the things of real importance. No undertaking had ever proved
too great. Colonel Yankton, his foster-father, had taught him the value
of perseverance, and he had learned his lesson well. He instinctively
felt that the great crisis of his life was at hand; that all his
efforts, his successes in life must count for naught so far as he
personally was concerned, should he fail to win her. He knew that his
fate hung in the balance, that the morrow would practically decide
whether the one thing his life lacked would be added unto it, or that he
would go on to the end alone.
He had gone for a stroll in the town after the customary gathering in
the _patio_ in the evening. The others had long since retired for the
night when he returned to the _Posada_. Feeling no inclination to sleep,
he seated himself on the veranda in front of the house, and lighting a
fresh cigar, smoked and mused; his gaze fixed on the tall moonlit hedge
which separated the _Posada_ from the highroad; his thoughts reverting
to the days of his boyhood. Again he saw the Colonel, tall and erect,
the personification of manhood, indomitable will and courage, seated
upon his horse at the head of his regiment, and heard the ringing,
clarion notes of the bugle--the signal for the charge. Yes, he would
make one more supreme effort, and if that failed, well.... His cigar had
burned low. He tossed it over the veranda rail and rose with the
intention of retiring, when his attention was arrested by the faint
sound of a horse's hoofs on the highroad in the distance. Something
seemed to tell him to wait, and acting on the impulse, he paused and
listened. The sounds drew nearer, increasing in volume as the animal
approached, until a horseman finally turned in from the road at an easy
canter and drew rein before the _Posada_. Both man and horse were
covered with dust which shone white as snow in the moonlight; a proof
that they had traveled far during the day.
"_Buenas noches_, Señor," said the rider, a Mexican, swinging himself
from the saddle and ascending the steps to where Dick stood.
"Good evening," replied the latter in Spanish, eyeing the man curiously.
"I wish," continued the stranger, "to speak with one Señor Yankton who,
I was told, lives in Santa Fé. Perhaps, Señor, you can tell me where I
may find him?"
"I am Señor Yankton. What do you want?"
"Ah!" exclaimed the man, stepping back a pace and regarding Dick
critically. "Your appearance answers the description well, Señor, but
that is not enough--I must have proof." Just then a _vaquero_ on night
duty who had been lounging in the deep shadow at the far end of the
veranda came forward on hearing the sounds of voices.
"Diego," said Dick, addressing the latter, "tell this gentleman whether
I be Señor Yankton or not. He says he wishes to see him."
"Of a truth, Señor, here is the man you seek," answered Diego,
addressing the stranger.
"_Bueno_--good!" ejaculated the Mexican, pulling a sealed packet from
the inner pocket of his jacket. "I come from the Rio Plata, six days'
journey toward the west. I have been commissioned to deliver this to
you, Señor," and he handed the packet to Dick who, taking it, gave
instructions to Diego that the man and his horse be properly housed for
the night. Then, with an "_hasta la vista_," and "God be with you until
the morrow, Señor," he retired to his room. There, by the dim light of a
candle, he carefully scrutinized the address on the packet, but did not
recognize the writing. Nevertheless, he instinctively felt as he turned
it over in his hands before breaking the seal, that, in some manner or
other, it was intimately concerned with his fate.
XXVII
The preparations for the _fandango_ were complete. The men and women of
the household, under Juan Ramon's supervision, had worked hard since
sunrise, stringing gayly colored lanterns and arranging tables and
chairs, palms and potted flowers and shrubs in the _patio_. It was close
on to five o'clock and they now rested in the _patio_ in the shade of
its arcades, smoking cigarettes and sipping black coffee, and chatting
and laughing as they viewed with satisfaction the results of their
handiwork. The day gave promise of a perfect night. It was to be a
typical Spanish _fiesta_, and in order that the illusion might be
complete, both the Whites and the Indians were to appear in their
national costumes. All the leading Spanish families of the town and the
neighborhood would be present. Not an invitation had been refused.
Captain Forest had agreed to take tea with Blanch in the garden, and,
true to his word, he appeared punctually, almost on the minute. The
pretty Rosita, the only one of the household excepting Señora Fernandez
and Juan Ramon who understood and spoke English after a fashion,
withdrew reluctantly after depositing her tray containing tea and
_tortillas_ upon the table. She adored the beautiful _Americana_, and
had been doing a great deal of thinking of late. The reason for her
coming might not be Don Felipe at all, but Captain Forest, the grand
Señor. Who could say? The ways of the Americano, the _gringo_, were so
different from theirs. Everything they did was exactly opposite to their
way of thinking and doing things. No well-bred, unmarried Spanish woman
would dare take tea alone with a man unless they were engaged.
The signs of autumn were visible on every hand. The long, languid,
summer travail had ceased and the season of dreams begun. Though the sky
was a clear steel-blue overhead, the horizon was veiled in a thin blue
haze into which the landscape and distant objects seemed to fade and
lose themselves. Filmy threads of gossamer floated through the air,
suffused with a soft golden glow. Most of the birds had ceased to sing
and the drone of insects became less persistent, as if fearful to
disturb the hush and calm that pervaded the land.
Captain Forest noticed, as he seated himself at the table opposite
Blanch, that the golden glow in her hair was almost a perfect match to
the shafts of sunlight which sifted down upon her through the branches
of the trees overhead. And he wondered at his resisting powers--why the
spell of her fascination no longer held him as of old, not realizing
that his love for her had waned in the same proportion that he had grown
beyond her. The air of restraint which existed between them would have
been apparent even to a stranger, but Blanch had decided to dissipate
this feeling if possible. She laughed and chatted as though entirely at
her ease, as though nothing had ever come between them; making sarcastic
remarks on the customs of the country; calling into requisition all the
blandishments and fascinations which a woman of her intelligence and
attraction was capable of exercising upon a man. Every word, every look
and gesture fell upon him like a caress. She flattered, cajoled and
contradicted him, employing that subtle, deceptive art of refined
coquetry to which a sensitive nature like the Captain's was most
susceptible. Nor were its effects lost upon him; they were soon both at
their ease. She was the old Blanch again; the girl and companion of his
youth--the woman of yesterday.
The struggle that was being fought out inch by inch between her and
Chiquita was drawing swiftly to its close, and must end as abruptly as
it began. She had only begun to realize what the full significance of
love meant in the hour that she felt the loneliness occasioned by the
lack of it. She had miscalculated. She thought she was stronger than
Captain Forest, but could she have cared for him had he been a weaker
man? It was his strength which she both loved and hated, and deep down
in her heart she knew full well that, were he weaker than herself, she
must have ended by despising him. She, like Chiquita, was fighting for
her life, her very existence so to speak; but of course he did not
divine the full significance of the struggle--what it meant to them
both; no man could.
"Does the charm of this land still continue to hold you, Jack?" she
asked carelessly, passing him a cup of tea.
"More than ever," he answered, lighting a cigarette and wondering what
she was leading up to.
"Don't you think you have had about enough of it?" she continued, with
just a shade of sarcasm in her voice. "You have had a royal vacation and
I'm glad you have enjoyed yourself so thoroughly, but, honestly, don't
you think it's about time you were returning to your work again, to the
world to which you belong, of which you are a part and from which, in
spite of all effort and argument, you cannot possibly separate yourself?
You know, I never could take your idea seriously, Jack," she added, with
increasing confidence, addressing him as one would a naughty child. He
only smiled by way of reply, and quietly blew a ring of smoke into the
air.
"I see you are as obstinate and determined as ever," she continued
rather petulantly. "Don't be overconfident though; you might fail, you
know, and failure is always discouraging--it involves such a waste of
time."
"If I do, it will be the first time I have failed." He was about to
continue, but checked himself. They were getting on dangerous ground.
She understood his inference and colored and smiled. For some time
neither spoke. A gold leaf, one of the first heralds of autumn, dropped
silently down from the bough overhead to the center of the table. He
took another sip of tea.
"Jack," she said at length, raising her eyes from her hands in her lap
where she toyed with her fan, "supposing a position were offered you,
one quite worth your while, would you return? Not immediately, but
later on, when you have grown a little tired of playing at the game of
life? In six months, say--or even a year if you like?" Her whole
attitude and expression had changed, and a look of pleading and
expectancy shone from her eyes. Again he smiled. What was she driving
at? he asked himself.
"I'm afraid it will be longer than that, Blanch," he answered. "Besides,
what position could possibly be open to me? You know, my name is struck
from the lists. At least, it ought to be if it isn't."
"Possibly," she answered. "But, if you cared enough, there might be
another chance!"
"What do you mean?" he interrupted, regarding her curiously. In reply,
she quietly drew an official document from her bosom and handed it to
him across the table without a word. He colored, and she saw that his
hand trembled slightly, betraying the emotion he felt as he opened the
envelope and glanced hastily over its contents. "The Ministry to
Turkey--Blanch!" he gasped, regarding her in astonishment.
"Yes," she answered nervously, watching closely the effect the news had
upon him. "I received it a week ago. The President knows how clever you
are, Jack, and has promised to keep the position open for you if you
will consent to accept it. You know, he always had a warm place in his
heart for you."
"Blanch!" he said again, overcome by emotion. And laying the document
down upon the table in front of him he rose to his feet.
"Turkey, Jack, is but a step to London, St. Petersburg, Berlin or
Paris," she said softly, looking up at him and catching her breath in
the effort to conceal her excitement. "It is yours, Jack, if you wish
it. Understand," she resumed, lowering her gaze and running her slender
white hand slowly back and forth over the edge of her half-open fan,
"that it is yours without reservation. You are under no obligations.
Turkey and--I are two different things," she added slowly and with
difficulty, without looking up; her neck and face turning a deep
scarlet. She felt the intensity of his blazing eyes upon her.
"Blanch!" he cried, and this time there was a note of anger in his
voice. "Don't think me ungrateful, I beg of you. I appreciate what you
have done, and I thank you with my whole heart, but--I can't do it,
Blanch!"
"Jack!" she cried, throwing off the mask and springing to her feet. "I
can't stand it any longer! I can't see you wreck your life in this way!
Can't you see the folly you are committing? Don't think me presumptuous;
that I am trying to meddle, interfere in your life. I am merely trying
to save you from yourself! It's your last chance, Jack. Go back again
and never mind me; I've nothing to do with it! I can easily understand
how this life can have a certain fascination for you, but only for a
time; it can't last. The more I see of it, the more I'm convinced that
I'm right. What's the use of mincing words, fencing about the truth any
longer? I understand--I've seen it from the first. It's not this life,
but the woman that holds you!" she cried abruptly and passionately,
almost fiercely, betraying her jealousy.
"Don't wreck your life and happiness before it is too late. You must
tire of her as inevitably as you will tire of this life, and what then?
Can't you see that, when you have exhausted the glamour, and the
fascination of things is gone, she would no longer be a companion to
you? The difference between you--your lives, your world and hers, is too
great. It is insurmountable--impassable! What can she know of the world
which you and I know, to which you belong? Of another race, another
blood, she must ever remain an alien, a thing apart from yourself; there
can never be a true affinity between you. She is a savage--an aborigine
sprung from the soil. The tinsel and veneer of civilization which she
has acquired doesn't change her and can't endure. She is still a savage
in spite of it, the product of savage ancestry living close to the soil.
The simplicity and glamour and freedom of this life casts a spell over
one and attracts one of your adventurous nature, sated with the
pleasures and luxuries of our world, but will the spell last? Once you
have exhausted the simple, elemental joys of such a life, it must become
irksome, mere animal existence, unbearable, positive boredom to you.
That in her which attracts you now must inevitably become commonplace in
time and repel you. You could not endure that, Jack; you who are evolved
through thousands of generations from a higher, superior race. Your
reason and instinct must tell you that.
"Jack!" she cried in a fresh outburst, "we were made for one another!
How can she, an Indian, the product of savagery, understand you who are
of a different race, the product of civilization? Your soul can never
find the full response in hers that it can in mine. I know I was
foolish--call it willful rather than foolish--the instinct that is born
in me to command. I should not have let you go. I should have consented
to share the life you proposed, but I did not believe you were in
earnest; I did not think it would last. Besides, how could you have
expected me to understand? It was too much; you had no right to ask it
of me then. I thought, of course, you would come back to me again, Jack;
I waited for that. Can't you understand? But you didn't come back, and I
repented of my mistake a thousand times. We all make mistakes, Jack!"
His manhood revolted against being compelled to listen to her
confession, her pleading. It was undignified, cowardly. It disgusted him
and he hated himself for it, but what could he do?
"Don't say that, Blanch," he answered gently. "It is I who should ask
forgiveness. I know it was too much to ask you to share such a life with
me, but I did not realize it at the time. I wronged you, I know. I would
gladly make reparation if I knew how."
"Oh! none of that virtuous, good-humored acquiescence, Jack! I want you
to forget everything, all but the days before it happened, when you
loved me--when you swore that your love was as constant as the stars!
Have you forgotten your oath? To be true to yourself, Jack, you must
forget!" She paused. It was the first frank utterance she had made since
her coming; and, for the time being, she seemed to have forgotten her
resentment toward him.
"I have not changed, Jack," she went on. "I am the same as then; I only
did not understand you. How could I have guessed that which lay buried
within you, those latent ideals and conceptions of life which you
yourself were ignorant of? But I understand you now, Jack. It was the
foolish conceit of the girl's heart that caused me to forget what I owed
you; but now it is the woman who speaks, who bares her soul to you,
brimming full of love and passion and tenderness for the man she loves
and longs to protect--the woman who loves as the girl could never have
loved, Jack."
The light that shone from her eyes bespoke the voice of her conscience;
told him that she at least spoke the truth. Never had she appeared more
beautiful, more fascinating and alluring than at this moment, as she
stood before him, flushed and radiant and trembling with passion,
confused and indignant and ashamed; the woman rebelling within her at
being thus forced to lay bare her soul, make confession before the man
she loved. It was cruel and he knew it. Her words were like
knife-thrusts at his heart, filling his soul to its depths with sympathy
and compassion for her, and bitterness and loathing for himself.
The vision of yesterday with its gay scenes which he had cast aside,
rose before him again. Its seductive allurements swept over him with
redoubled force like a great compelling wave, filled with music and
light and laughter, the false, seductive charms of which their present
surroundings knew naught. The magic of her voice, her face, her touch
had lost none of its charm. He felt her fascination still, in spite of
himself and the bitterness of former days which he had cherished in his
heart against her. The lure of the old life was strong upon him. He
felt the hot blood rush to his face and heart; his being surged. She had
been a part of his life, they had grown up together, and do what he
would, her presence brought him face to face again with certain
realities, with the old life which he thought was dead but which was not
yet buried. When he looked upon her, he heard the old familiar sounds of
the sea, of music and siren-voices of civilizations in their
decay--breathed again the intoxicating atmosphere of that exotic,
voluptuous, sensuous existence in which he had been reared and had
lived, and with which he was saturated and from which he was striving to
escape. But when he thought of Chiquita, he heard the murmur of forests
and waters and saw the broad expanse of the plains and the wild crags
and peaks that rear their heads heavenward, above which the eagles soar.
Nature beckoned with widespread arms to her child to come--the manhood
within him cried for release, for the recognition of the individual's
right to self-assertion.
Poets have sung of the raptures of first love, but was Blanch really his
first love? The true first love is only that man or woman who can cause
one to forget oneself. Somewhere deep down in our souls there's a
something which sleeps until that hour when it suddenly bursts into
flame, as it were, and the new man is born within us; and this is what
had happened to him, though all unknown to himself, at the time when he
first beheld Chiquita riding alone in the hills. In an instant his soul
was aflame. He thrilled at the sight of her as she turned and rode away
in the dusk, and felt like crying out to her to stop; that she was his,
that she had been his from the beginning of time and he likewise hers;
that he had been searching for her down the ages and had found her at
last. All this and much more flashed through his mind as he gazed upon
the beautiful vision of Blanch before him and felt the charm of her
presence slowly creeping over him and fastening itself upon him in spite
of his resistance like the subtle, mysterious influence of music or rich
old wine.
For some time he seemed uncertain how to act or what to say. She noted
it. His hesitation inspired her with fresh courage, causing her face and
eyes to shine with the radiance of hope, dazzlingly beautiful. Her
breath came quick and fast as she drew nearer to him and then seemed to
cease altogether as she waited for his answer. All this he too noticed,
and felt himself weakening under her spell. The suspense was as terrible
for him as for her. A thousand memories rose from out the past and began
pulling at his heart-strings. Inch by inch he felt himself slowly
slipping back into the old life again, like a boat that has slipped her
moorings and glides silently and almost imperceptibly out into the
easy-flowing current. The struggle grew more intense within him as the
minutes passed. Great beads of perspiration broke out upon his brow as
he listened to those voices whose sweetness and intensity increased with
his hesitancy--those voices beneath whose charm and spell the strongest
men have succumbed in the past.
"Blanch," he said at last, hoarsely and almost in a whisper, "it takes a
better man than I to say 'no' to you, and I don't say it. But I have
changed." The mere fact of speaking and the sound of his voice seemed
to recall him to himself, to the realization of where he was and what he
was doing. He felt that he was still master of himself and his
confidence slowly returned. "I know you can't understand," he continued.
"But somehow, I seem to have grown beyond you."
"Jack," she said, drawing still closer and laying her hand upon his arm
and looking up into his face, "I know you have had more experience than
I have had, but don't imagine that you have grown beyond me. Your ideas
have caused me to think. I, too, have grown since we last parted. If you
can give up the world, so can I. If you will not return again to the
world with me, I'll remain here with you. I'll do anything you say!" she
cried in passionate surrender. "My body is soft perhaps in comparison to
hers, but I'm strong. I'll soon be as strong as you or she and be all
the more to you, infinitely more to you than she can ever be. I know I
did you a great wrong in the past, Jack, but let me make up for it now.
It is my privilege, my debt to you, and your duty to let me do it. You
have no right to break your promise to me, Jack. You can't. Your manhood
must tell you that it is as sacred now as the day you gave it to me, and
I hold you to it. I'll show you a love you have never known--can never
know without me!" She drew still closer, laying her other hand upon his
shoulder caressingly; her arm almost encircling his neck. He felt her
warm, fragrant breath upon his lips and the thrilling, magnetic touch of
her body, vibrating and pulsating with passion and emotion. How soft and
voluptuous and tempting and alluring that body and presence were! It
was as though the spices and perfumes and sunshine of far away, mythical
Cathay had suddenly descended upon him and enveloped him.
"Jack," she continued, "we have always been comrades, pals; we were made
for one another! We are one in thought now as much as we ever were--more
than we ever have been!"
He knew this to be false; that he possessed a grip on life which she did
not; that he had passed far beyond her since they had last parted. She
had had her opportunity and had thrown it away. It was too late. She
could not follow him now, she had missed the psychological moment. Even
had she cast her lot with his in the beginning, he knew that she never
could have followed him. She was immeshed; her feet were caught in the
net. The blandishments of life had taken too deep root in her soul for
her to cast them forth as he had done. And yet his conscience smote him
for her sake, for what she suffered, that she was thus forced to
humiliate herself before him. Sentiment and old memories surged up
within him and urged him to keep her. What, after all, did it matter
where or how they lived? The world would go on its way the same as it
had always done; it didn't wish to be reformed and wasn't worth
reforming.
"Take her! take her!" cried those voices more persistently than ever.
"Don't be a fool and miss this opportunity which, once gone, shall pass
out of your life forever. She's as beautiful and as brilliant as the
other woman; one of your own race and, after all, will wear as well.
Besides, you know her and you don't know the other woman, and if
disappointed in the latter--what then? Take her!"
The vision of Glaire's wonderful conception, "The Lost Illusions," rose
before him. He saw again that exquisite figure of the Egyptian, strong
and sensitive, in the prime of manhood, seated upon the shore of the
Nile, watching the bark of destiny laden with the fair illusions of
youth, draw slowly away from him and grow fainter and fainter in the
soft, mellow light of age, as it floated away on the evening tide of
life. He, too, stood in the prime of manhood. Was this to be his end,
mocked and laughed at by fate--the price he must pay for daring to lift
his eyes from the dust to the stars to fulfill the dream of the ages?
God knew how he had fought against the invisible power that had driven
him on step by step to his present state. He looked down into the
beautiful upturned face of the woman before him whom he had known so
long, whom he had loved and adored; gazed deep into those soft, azure
eyes, limpid as two crystal pools, saw those full red upturned lips
waiting to be kissed--kissed. Again her lips parted.
"Jack, Jack, Sweetheart, I'm waiting--" she murmured softly, encircling
his neck completely with her arm and drawing his face gently down to her
own. Just then the rhythmic silvery whir of wings caused them to look
upward. Through the boughs of the tree they saw the indistinct form of a
white dove that fluttered overhead for an instant and then was gone. At
the same moment Captain Forest distinctly recognized the scent of
Castilian roses, as though their fragrance had been wafted full in his
face by a breeze, and yet there was no breeze, nor were there any roses
close at hand; the season of roses had passed.
No man could have resisted for long the fascinations of a woman like
Blanch Lennox if she chose to make love to him. It was the sound of
those wings and the fragrance of the roses that upheld Captain Forest's
resolution; especially the fragrance of the roses. Whence it came or how
it originated, who could say? For it came and passed like a mere breath.
Perhaps the invisible angel who, it is said, presides over the destiny
of the individual, caused it; for with it flashed the vision of Chiquita
before his eyes as he had seen her on that day in the garden among the
roses and had silently watched her from the back of his horse and
breathed deep drafts of the flowery fragrance. The same subtle,
invisible something that has changed the destiny of individuals and of
nations through all the ages, caused him to remember, recalled him to
himself. The manhood surged up within him, asserting its supremacy, and
he drew himself up with a sudden impulse. She noted the change, and in a
fierce, passionate voice, almost of terror, cried: "Jack, you are mine,
you have always been mine! I will not give you up--I claim my own!" and
she flung her arms passionately about his neck in an endeavor to draw
his lips down to her own.
"I can't--I can't do it, Blanch!" he said, and shook himself free. With
a cry, terrible in its intensity and despair, she sank across the
table.
XXVIII
Pale and trembling and humiliated, Blanch pulled herself together with
an effort and stood for some time as one dazed where the Captain had
left her. Then, she remembered, she had smiled and bowed absently to the
men and women in the _patio_ on the way back to her room, where she
flung herself down upon the couch in a frenzy, burying her face in the
cushions; her frame shaking with passionate, convulsive sobs as she
writhed in paroxysms of untold grief and pain.
He had refused her, dared to refuse her--her! She had failed! Was this,
then, the end, the reward for righteous ambition, conscientious
endeavor? For years she had worked and schemed for the realization of
her ideal, and this was the end. How proud she always had been of him,
and how perfectly her beauty and brilliancy would have crowned his
career--their lives! And now, when ambition's goal was attained, that
rare cup of earthly joys of which few men drink, had been rudely dashed
from her lips.
So this was the reward that had been reserved for her who had been
endowed with wealth and position, and who was the fairest and best this
civilization could produce? Fate had been kind to her merely in order
that she might realize to the utmost the bitterness and emptiness of
life.
Life--what did it mean, what did it hold for her now? She knew as well
as Captain Forest did that, strong though she was, she was nevertheless
too weak to share with him the life he had chosen. Civilization and
culture had prepared her for everything but that; the one vital
essential which nature alone can give to man was lacking. After all she
was but a poor, helpless creature, incapable of meeting and being
satisfied with the simple demands occasioned by the natural conditions
of man's surroundings. Neither could she return to the old life again,
now that it was shorn of its vital interest, and year after year cast
her bread upon the waters in the uncertain pursuit of happiness, only to
reap the harvest of dead-sea fruit that is ever borne in on the shallow
tides of worldliness.
She recognized in herself the victim of a system of lies and frauds, a
world of artificiality, deceit and tawdry tinsel, a life which, in spite
of the good it contains, makes weaklings of men. Thanks to her
bringing-up, the sunland of love, that valley of the earthly paradise,
was closed to her forever. She cursed this world of hypocrisy and
deception and all it contained--her friends and acquaintances and the
memory of her father and mother, who unabashed, had perverted the pure,
unsullied gaze of the child, directed its steps in the paths trodden by
its degenerate forefathers, taught it to regard falsehood in the light
of truth.
Let the world cry out in protest--say they did their best. The world
lies, and knows it lies. They did not do their best. They followed the
dictates of selfishness, despicable, inherent weakness. But why had
this come to her who had been a willing instrument, who had lent
herself to the dictates of this world and who, of all others, was the
most fit to grace it?
"I curse you--curse you!" she cried aloud, springing to her feet in a
fresh paroxysm and frenzy, flinging her clenched hands aloft, her
features livid with rage. But what did her mingled transports of grief
and pain and anger avail her? There was no redress, no appeal from the
decision of destiny. It was fate, and she had been singled out for the
sacrifice. Again she cried out in agony of heart and soul. Had she been
strong like the other woman, he must have loved her--his love never
could have died!
The thought of Chiquita brought her to herself in a measure, and as she
slowly began to pace the floor, Don Felipe's words came back to her. If
she did not possess Jack, no other woman should. Besides, she knew what
he did not know--that even if he wished to, he could not marry Chiquita.
A grim smile flitted across her countenance as the knowledge of this
fact flashed through her mind, the only ray of light in the chaos into
which she had been plunged by that misguided, luckless decision on her
part--her refusal to follow the Captain while he was still hers.
She knew it was purely revenge that had prompted Don Felipe to run her
rival's secret to earth, and she despised him for it. It was not so with
her--the thought of revenge had not entered into her calculations. But
neither Chiquita nor the Captain would escape. It was justice, nothing
more nor less; for they, too, like her, stood before the tribunal of
destiny and must bow to its decrees the same as she had been forced to
bow to them. Yes, she would give the signal to Don Felipe that night; it
was the only right thing to do.
She was calmer now, and when Rosita knocked lightly at her door and
entered the room to assist her in dressing for the evening, no one would
have suspected the ache at her heart or the storm-swept soul which her
calm exterior concealed.
XXIX
Padre Antonio sat before the open window in his living-room in a large,
comfortable chair, enjoying the beauty of the evening and the fragrance
of the last flowers in the garden, waiting for Chiquita to complete her
toilet.
It was one of those soft, balmy autumnal evenings, and gave promise of a
night of majesty and serenity when the moon rose in her full glory to
hold her silent watch over the earth once more. It was sweet to live on
such a day as this, when all the world seemed at peace; and what a
perfect night for the _fandango_. Presently the sound of light footsteps
and the soft rustle of a dress interrupted the train of his thoughts,
causing him to turn from the window to Chiquita, who, attired in her
ball dress, entered the room and paused before him.
There was not an inharmonious touch in her attire of soft creamy satin
and lace, richly embroidered with golden flowers. Delicate filmy threads
of gold intersected the heavy white Valenciennes lace mantilla attached
to her high silver comb, etched in gold and studded with diminutive
diamonds, which sparkled in the light like dew in the sunshine. Her
white satin slippers and silk stockings, like her corsage and _saya_,
were also delicately worked in gold. A sheaf of golden poppies adorned
one side of her head, nestling close down upon her neck and shoulder in
the folds of her jet black hair. She presented a truly striking
appearance, and Padre Antonio gazed long and silently at her, his keen
eyes scanning her critically from head to foot in an effort to detect a
fault.
How he loved his little girl! It almost seemed as though she were
endowed with something more than earthly beauty. In her the strength and
grace of the deer and panther were blended with the ethereal delicacy
and beauty of the flower. But it was her face that bespoke the luminous
nature of the soul which dwelt within her. So close was the bond of
sympathy and mutual understanding between them, that she instinctively
half divined his thoughts and it gave her courage.
"Will I do, Padre _mio_?" she asked with a slight hesitancy, smiling and
looking down at him inquiringly. The question was so characteristic of
her that he could only smile in response.
"Chiquita _mia_--there's one thing lacking," he said at length, the
far-away, dreamy look fading from his eyes.
"Something lacking?" she repeated in surprise, turning and casting an
involuntary glance at the small mirror on the wall opposite in a vain
effort to catch a full view of herself.
"Yes, Señorita," he answered knowingly, almost mysteriously. "But it's
not your fault. It sometimes takes the discerning eye of a man to
perceive what a woman's toilet lacks."
What can it be, she asked herself, looking wonderingly and inquiringly
up into his face, and then turning to follow him with her gaze as,
without further comment, he left the room and slowly ascended the stairs
to his study on the floor above. He paused for an instant on entering
the room, then walked straight to his desk at the other end; a large
upright piece of furniture of ancient pine made in the mission style and
stained dark to represent oak, which, owing to its age, it closely
resembled. Pulling out the middle drawer, he pushed back a secret panel
on the inside, disclosing an opening in the back of the desk from which
he drew a small sandalwood box which, on being opened, contained a
silver casket, richly chased and of an antique design.
Years had elapsed since he last looked upon it, and he regarded it
curiously for some moments as he held it in his hands. Then setting it
down upon the desk, he turned the small key which unlocked it and raised
the lid, disclosing its contents, which consisted of a fan, a bracelet
of six strands of large pearls with a diamond clasp in the shape of a
crown, and a long, magnificent necklace of still larger pearls, also
composed of six strands, like the bracelet, and a large diamond slide
also in the shape of a crown. The fan was one of those exquisite,
daintily hand-painted French creations of ivory, lace and vellum of a
century gone by. On one of the outer ribs was also a small diamond crown
and on the other was traced a name in letters of gold. A delicate
fragrance like that of withered rose leaves escaped the casket, and, as
he silently contemplated its contents, his gaze fell upon the name on
the fan--Chiquita Pia Maria Roxan Concepcion Salvatore--the name was
much longer, but his eyes dimmed--he could read no further.
Instinctively he raised the casket with both hands and was in the act of
pressing his lips to its contents, when he caught sight of a crucifix on
the desk in front of him, causing him to pause, cross himself reverently
and lower the casket again.
[Illustration: "Instinctively he raised the casket with both hands."]
Who was Padre Antonio? Involuntarily his thoughts traveled back over the
stream of years when, as a youth of twenty, he bade farewell to old
Spain forever and with a heavy heart set forth alone to find God and
peace in the wilderness of the new world. Fifty years had passed since
then and with them, the secret and tragedy of his life lay buried.
He heaved a deep sigh and, picking up the casket, turned toward the
door. Chiquita listened to the sound of his footsteps as he slowly
descended the stairs, and gazed in wonderment at the casket he held in
his hand when he reëntered the room. Without a word, he deposited it
upon the table in the center of the room and, raising the lid, displayed
its contents to the dazzled eyes of his ward. Never had she beheld such
wonderful jewels--what did it mean?
"Padre _mio_!" she gasped, her eyes wandering questioningly from the
casket to his face, which appeared a little paler than when he left the
room but a few minutes before.
"I never imagined that another woman would ever be created worthy to
wear them," he said quietly, picking up the bracelet and fastening it
about her left wrist, and winding the necklace twice round her throat,
the ends falling down over her bosom to her waist. "May God's blessing
forever rest upon you, my child," he added, making the sign of the cross
above her, and stooping, he kissed her lightly on the forehead.
Involuntarily her hand went out for the fan, and as her eyes fell on the
name upon it, her woman's instinct told her all.
"Padre--Padre _mio_!" she cried, and throwing her arms about his neck,
burst into a passionate flood of tears on his breast.
"There, there, my child!" he said at last, regaining his accustomed
composure. "I now know why I was never able to part with them--not even
to the Church. I was keeping them for you."
"But I'm not worthy to wear them, Padre!" she exclaimed.
"Tut, tut!" he replied. "The ways of God are past all understanding.
When I think of how you came to me unsought and unbidden, and now, how
Captain Forest of a different race--"
"Oh, Padre, do you think I stand a chance of winning him?" she
interrupted, looking inquiringly up into his face as if to read the
answer there.
"Ah! that is a difficult question, my child. Love and intrigue are such
uncertain quantities to deal with, you know. Yet it seems strange that
he should have come into your life at this juncture. Captain Forest," he
went on after a pause, "is a great man. As you know, we have talked much
together of late on that most interesting of all topics--life. And it
seems to me that if ever God had plainly indicated his wish, you have
been reserved for one another to perform his will. Of course, I can not
say this for a certainty, but it appears so to me, and to see your hands
and hearts joined together will be the crowning joy of my life--"
Suddenly his left hand went to his heart, where he experienced a sharp
pain. A dizziness seized him, causing him to lean heavily upon her for
support.
"Padre _mio_--what is it?" she cried in alarm. "You are not well! We'll
not go to the _fiesta_ to-night--'tis better we remain at home!"
"It's nothing--nothing, my child," he answered, after the dizziness had
passed. "It's only a slight attack of indigestion, like the one I had
last summer while engaged in the mission work. You know," he added
lightly, "I'm no longer as young as I was--such things must be
expected." All day long she had experienced a dread of impending
disaster which she could not shake off, and which she naturally
connected with Don Felipe. But why go to the _Posada_ that evening if
Padre Antonio was not feeling well--there would be other days.
Again she protested and urged him to remain at home, but in vain--he
would not hear of it.
"It will do me good to go," he said, helping her on with her long white
silk Spanish mantle, embroidered with gold and lace to match her dress.
Then, drawing on his black silk gloves, he picked up his hat and stick,
and they passed out into the garden and through the tall iron gate,
turning their steps in the direction of the _Posada_.
XXX
The garden and _patio_ of the _Posada_ were hung with many lanterns
whose light, in addition to that of the stars and the full moon, made
them appear as bright as day.
Mrs. Forest maintained a frigid attitude toward the world throughout the
evening. Inwardly she longed to be gay like the others, but prudery and
short-sightedness, the fruits of her training, prevailed, effectually
debarring her from all enjoyment and leaving her cold and isolated like
one afflicted with the plague. Could she have followed the dictates of
her wishes, she would have remained within the seclusion of her room
during the entire evening, but not being able to reconcile such a course
with the duties of a chaperon, she was obliged to appear. If _noblesse
oblige_ demanded that she should sacrifice herself, suffer the martyred
isolation of patience on a monument, then be it so!
As for Colonel Van Ashton, he had suffered long enough. He secretly
despised his sister's prudery though he dared not acknowledge it.
Anything to break the infernal monotony! He welcomed this occasion of
mild revelry with sensations akin to those of a boy's during the advent
of a circus in his town. Of all the State and grand social functions in
which he had participated, not one, so far as he could remember, had
ever inspired him with such anticipations. An indescribable joy and
spirit of recklessness, born of desperation, filled him, and he silently
vowed that he would drink to the moon that night even though there might
perchance be blood upon it.
Owing to the attack of dizziness which had occasioned a slight delay,
Padre Antonio and his ward were the last of the guests to arrive. Low
murmurs and suppressed exclamations escaped the Spanish element of the
assembly as Chiquita entered the _patio_ on the padre's arm. If they had
been enraptured by the beauty of Blanch and Bessie and loud in their
praises of their jewels and exquisite gowns, they were crushed by
Chiquita's appearance, clad as she was in white and gold, a dress they
had never seen before, and adorned with jewels, the magnificence of
which they had not dreamed.
At last the mystery of the golden _pesos_ was solved--the jewels of
course! A great weight slipped from the souls of the Spanish women as
they gazed in envy and amazement upon the person they hated most in all
the world.
Happy, blissful ignorance--thrice blessed by the gods were they! Those
golden _pesos_ would not have purchased a single strand in her bracelet,
while as to the necklace, its value would have purchased the entire
_Posada_ and many broad acres besides. Don Felipe and the Americans had
seen such jewels before in the world of fashion, but how came Chiquita
by them? Who was she? Blanch and Bessie began asking themselves. That
she had timed her entrance well, all admitted; though in reality she had
thought nothing about it--chance had favored her, that was all.
Interesting though the subject under discussion had become, there was
little time left the company for further speculation before Juan Ramon,
the major-domo, announced supper.
The musicians struck up a lively Spanish air. The night was mild and
soft, the stars and moon glittered overhead, the wine flowed and the
sounds of laughter and gay, merry voices echoed throughout the _patio_.
The company sat long at the tables, tempted by innumerable dainties, and
encouraged and soothed by the wine, the night and soft strains of music.
Not even in the old days had the _Posada_ witnessed a gayer scene.
Indeed, for the time being, they had returned like a far-off echo of
those times when Doña Fernandez reigned supreme in her beauty and men
admired and flattered and paid homage to her. Little wonder she sighed
in the midst of the gayety and alternately flushed and paled as her
thoughts traveled back over the years.
Don Felipe was in an exultant mood. That morning his horse had stumbled
and later, while dressing for the evening, a bat flitted in and out of
his room through the open window. The fact that these two signs of ill
omen did not affect a mind ordinarily subject to the influence of
superstition, showed the state of his confidence. He drank freely of the
wine and laughed and talked incessantly. What an opportunity to spring
the trap he had laid for Chiquita!
"If Captain Forest proposes to her to-night, she'll never lift her eyes
to the world again," he whispered to Blanch beside whom he sat.
"What do you propose doing?" she asked.
"Have patience," he answered, his face lighting up with an expression of
malicious joy. "Of course, it all depends whether you give the signal or
not."
"I came here with the intention of doing so," she confessed. "But
everybody seems so happy. Why not let the evening pass pleasantly? It
would be a pity to mar its harmony."
"Mere sentiment!" he replied. "Do you think she would show you such
consideration? I assure you, to-night is the time of all times!" There
was something so malicious, so weird in his tone and manner that she
shuddered as she listened to his words. In spite of her humiliation, her
bitterness and suffering, and her desire for retribution, she never
realized that one could find such sweet satisfaction in revenge as did
Don Felipe. The prospect of it filled him with a joy that seemed almost
devilish at times.
At length the tables were cleared, and coffee, liqueurs, cigars and
cigarettes served, Blanch and Bessie, like the Spanish women, indulging
in the latter. In fact, everybody, with the exception of Mrs. Forest,
smoked. The musicians were ranged in a semicircle across the upper end
of the _patio_ opposite the garden and continued to render national and
Spanish airs upon their instruments while the company smoked and sipped
coffee and liqueurs. And by the time the men had finished their first
cigars, the different artists, dancers and singers, who had been engaged
for the occasion, came forward and began to display their talent,
adding to the novelty and gayety of the evening. Considering the time
and the place, they did well enough in their way and were quite
picturesque and pleasing as a whole, but at no time did their
performance rise above the level of mediocrity, such as one was
accustomed to see anywhere in the world on the vaudeville stage. At the
end of an hour, Blanch felt that the moment had arrived to ask Chiquita
to dance. So, without imparting her intention to any one, she rose from
her chair and walked over to where Chiquita sat conversing with the
Captain and Don Agusto Revera, Alcalde of Santa Fé.
"We have heard so much about your dancing, Señorita," she began,
interrupting the conversation. "Won't you favor us with a dance
to-night?"
"A dance?" repeated Chiquita with a little start of surprise, the
request coming from Blanch was so unexpected. She seemed confused, and
her face wore a troubled look. "I would rather not," she said at length,
glancing nervously about her at the company. She had heard the cruel
things that had been said of her of late and knew how ready those
present would be to criticize her anew.
"Do dance, Señorita; just to please me, if for nothing else," persisted
Blanch.
"To please you?" repeated Chiquita. A peculiar light came into her eyes
and she smiled as though pleased by the request.
"I hope I'm not asking too much?" continued Blanch. Again Chiquita
smiled.
"Do you know," she answered with warmth, "there's only one thing in this
world I wouldn't do for you?" and she laughed lightly, nervously opening
and closing her fan the while. Again she glanced around at the company,
wavering between assent and refusal. In the faces of the women she read
the jealousy and envy which filled their hearts toward her, and it was
perhaps that, not Blanch's request, which decided her to dance.
"Yes, Señorita," she said at length. "I'll dance for you this night--for
you only!" she repeated with emphasis. Yes, she would dance as she had
never danced before; for would not the most critical eye in the world be
watching her? It was worth while. Blanch gave a little laugh as she
returned to her seat by the side of Don Felipe.
Ah! the wiles of woman--subtle and illusive as a breath or a shadow--the
one thing her own sex fears most! Blanch knew that if there was a common
streak in her rival, it would be brought out in the glaring reality of
the dance, and the Captain should see it. She knew he could never marry
any one but a lady, and this was her reason for asking Chiquita to
dance. She had in mind, of course, the performances she had just
witnessed, or, to be more exact, the contortions of the ballet and the
modern music-hall artist with which we are all so familiar; the inane
balancing and pirouetting on the toes, the heavy hip and protruding
stomach, quivering breasts and bellowing and frothing at the mouth, and
colored light effects and _risque_ posing in scant attire, coupled with
a display of attractive lingerie. But Blanch forgot, or rather did not
know, that she had to do with genius over whose individuality most men
are prone to trip.
Chiquita's conception of plastic art was something different from vulgar
Salome creations and the cheap spring-song and lolling and capering of
the fatted calf just alluded to. Had Don Felipe cherished a ray of hope
of reinstating himself in Chiquita's eyes, he would have done all in his
power to prevent her dancing, but, as matters stood, he welcomed it with
enthusiasm, for he knew that she would be irresistible--that Captain
Forest would be ravished by her enchanting creation and alluring beauty
as she glided through the intricate mazes of the dance in the moonlight.
He had felt that spell, and knew its irresistible charm.
The announcement that Chiquita was going to dance caused a stir among
the company. A large dark blue Indian rug which shone black in the
moonlight, was brought from the living-room of the house by the servants
and spread out upon the _patio's_ pavement. A murmur of approbation
arose from the Mexicans when the first bars of music announced the dance
she had chosen. It was the famous "Andalusia"--the most difficult and
intricate of all Spanish-Moorish dances; the one in which few dancers
have ever excelled for the reason that its beauty lies not so much in
its intricacy of form as in the poetic conception and free
interpretation of the artist. Besides, the dance called for two parts,
obliging her to execute the part of her supposed partner as well. The
dance opened with the song of a Torero who had repaired in the dusk to
the hills overlooking Granada where dwelt his sweetheart.
With a coquettish little laugh and toss of the head, she tossed her fan
to Captain Forest who caught it and held it in his hand as he would a
flower. Then, after some words of direction to the musicians, she
stepped upon the end of the rug nearest them, and to the amazement of
the Americans, lightly kicked off her slippers, displaying a pair of
small, slender, exquisitely formed feet and ankles. Only amateurs have
the courage to dance in shoes. Even that strict and stilted institution,
the ballet, was forced generations ago to break through its time-honored
traditions by abandoning heels as useless appendages. Had she been on
the stage, she would have danced in her bare feet as she had done on the
night of the _fiesta_ when Captain Forest had seen her.
A smile rested on her face and she nodded her head lightly to the time
of the music as she stood erect in the full flood of moonlight, tall and
slender as a lily.
"Thy face, Sweetheart, haunts me amid the dust and glare of the arena!"
she began in her deep rich contralto voice, at the first notes of which
everybody sat up straight and listened to the volume of swelling sounds
which filled the court and garden and floated away on the night. There
was no mistaking the fact, they were in the presence of an artist.
"I await thee, Beloved, in the hills, in the hour of our tryst!" came
the far-away answer of the woman's voice, faint and plaintive as an
echo, soft and sweet and clear as the notes of the skylark, falling in
silvery, rippling cadences of melody from out the gold, blue vault of
heaven above.
"Nearer and nearer love guideth our steps,
On the hills we shall dance, chant our song of
Delight 'neath the silvery stars and the
Mellow gold horn of the soft shining moon.
"'Neath the silvery stars, and the mellow gold horn of the soft shining
moon," echoed the musical refrain and chorus of musicians. Nearer and
nearer drew the answering echoes of the lovers' voices until they met in
the hills and the dancing began.
So realistic and dramatic was her rendering of the song, that the
listeners saw the progress of the lovers and felt the thrill and rapture
of their meeting. Up to this point she had held herself in abeyance, but
with the opening bars of the dance, she suddenly became transformed,
electrified. Her whole being became suffused with the vibrant,
passionate intensity of the South, and then they witnessed an exhibition
that was beautiful and wonderful in its poetic conception.
A thrill of rapturous, exquisite emotion swept over them, as suddenly
and without warning, she threw back her head and sprang to the center of
the rug with a swift, whirling motion, the effect of which was like a
shower of sparks or a jet of glittering spray tossed unexpectedly into
the air from a fountain, expressive of the abandon and exuberance felt
by the lovers as they met in the dance.
Again, without warning, she paused as abruptly as she began, and with
short, interluding snatches of song, slowly began to sway to the soft
rhythm of the music and sharp click of her castanets. First slowly, then
swifter and swifter she glided and whirled noiselessly in the
moonlight, graceful as a wind-blown rose, or suddenly paused, languid
and sensuous, according to the rhapsodic character of the dance when the
music ceased altogether and naught was heard save the plashing of the
fountain in the _patio_, the click of her castanets and the soft swish
of her silken _saya_ which seemed to whisper and sigh like a living
thing, like the mythical voices of Lilith's hair. Like a musician
transposing upon a theme, she introduced new and elaborate motives of
her own until, at a sign from her, the music took up the principal theme
of the dance once more.
Captain Forest had seen practically all the great dancers of our time,
the Geisha and Nautch girls of the East, the Gypsies from Granada to St.
Petersburg, and the Bedouin women dance naked on the sands of the Sahara
beneath the stars while celebrating the sacred rites of their festivals,
but it soon became apparent that, all with few exceptions, were mere
novices in comparison, and stood in about the same relation to her as a
dilettante does to an artist.
She lifted the dance above the portrayal of sensuous emotion into
the realms of poetry. The wild spirit of the Gypsy, captivating,
fresh and invigorating and compelling as the winds of the mighty
Sierras and plains of the land she inhabited, enveloped and animated
her. The rushing, whirling climaxes up to which she worked were
startling--tremendous. The subtle, hypnotic influence and witchery of
her presence filled her entire surroundings and so held and dominated
the spectators that they were swept irresistibly along with her as the
rhythm of the dance increased. She swayed and enthralled the
imagination and emotions with a supremacy akin to that of music or the
noblest landscape. The mastery of every motion, every fleeting
expression but increased the impression she endeavored to convey--the
intensity of life, vibrant, joyous life.
The soft, rhythmic undulations of her graceful, sinuous body, vibrating
and pulsating with the ecstatic, rapturous emotion inspired by the music
and the dance, were a revelation of beauty. She became the living
expression of rhythm and grace as she paused for an instant before them,
scintillating and quivering like an aspen leaf, or glided and whirled
wraith-like, fragile and delicate and ethereal, wondrously lithe and
airy like films of gossamer or foam tossed up by the sea. The dance
itself seemed to fade into the background as their attention became
riveted upon her, and visions and vistas of life rose before the
imagination instead.
She danced with her soul, not with her feet; became the living
incarnation of the ancients' conception of plastic creation, enchanting,
intoxicating. They heard the myriad voices of spring, the voices of
birds and insects and the sound of falling waters; beheld the Elysian,
flower-strewn fields of youth, recalling the immortal, fairy days of
childhood and with them their golden dreams, and experienced the
sweetness and bitterness of unfulfilled longings and aspirations of
later years. All felt that it was an event of a lifetime--one of those
hours that would never again return.
The company gave vent to its emotion in alternate exclamations of
enthusiasm or sighs as it was swept irresistibly along by the buoyancy
and captivating creation of the dancer. Two bright tears stood in
Padre Antonio's eyes as he gazed upon the object of his love and pride.
Don Felipe forgot his hatred for the moment and gazed enraptured,
drinking in with eyes and soul the enchanting vision before him. The
heart of Blanch grew cold as ice as she, like the rest, looked on
entranced in spite of herself by the witchery of her rival, for she
knew she had blundered again, that she had lost, that Chiquita was
transformed--irresistible. The blood seemed to freeze in her veins as
the truth was borne in upon her. She longed to scream, to rush forward
and stop her--anything to break the spell, but in vain. Helpless and
immovable she was forced to look on; see the prize of life slip slowly
from her grasp.
Again Captain Forest beheld the mighty expanse of mountain and plain,
heard the lashing of the sea and the myriad voices of the singing stars
as they whirled in their courses through space--listened to the chant of
life. Yes, she was the ideal, the living incarnation of nature, the
Golden Girl with the white starry flower on her breast who was awaiting
his coming, the woman of José's dream to whom he had been guided
unconsciously by the hand of the Unseen. No wonder he had failed to find
the place of his dreams; without knowing it, he had been waiting for
her. But now all was changed. The earth had become their footstool; the
old life had come to an end.
XXXI
A sigh of regret escaped the company as the dance ceased. Blanch turned
to speak to Don Felipe, but he was no longer by her side--he had
vanished. The musicians struck up a waltz. It was now the turn of the
guests to dance if they chose; a privilege of which they were not slow
to avail themselves.
Captain Forest crossed over to where Chiquita sat, resting after the
exertion of the dance.
"I'm sure you've had enough dancing this evening, Señorita," he said,
handing her her fan. "Let us go into the garden; it's quieter there."
His words filled her with a tumult of emotion. She realized that the
moment for which she had been waiting had arrived. She looked up at him
without replying, then rose from her seat, and the two quietly left the
_patio_, disappearing among the shrubbery and the shadows.
Neither spoke. Each guessed the other's thoughts, and they walked on in
silence until they came to an open circular space surrounded by trees
and flooded by moonlight, where, as if moved by a common impulse, they
halted. Without a word he turned and silently folded her in his arms.
"Jack--" she murmured.
"Chiquita _mia_," he said at length, gazing down into her upturned face
where the dusk and the moon-fire met and blended in a radiance of
unearthly beauty, "is it not wonderful that, all unwittingly and
unconscious of each other's existence, we have been brought together
from the ends of the earth?" She was about to reply when a voice, close
at hand, cut her short. It was Don Felipe's.
"A pretty sentiment, Captain Forest," he said, stepping out into the
light before them. "I wish I might congratulate you, but you will never
marry her."
"How dare you!" cried the Captain furiously, advancing toward him with
flushed face and clenched hands. Chiquita started violently at the sound
of Don Felipe's voice. The apprehension of an impending catastrophe that
had oppressed her during the day, but which she had forgotten during the
excitement of the dance, again took possession of her.
"I apologize most humbly for intruding on your privacy," answered Don
Felipe, meeting the Captain's gaze unflinchingly, "but as one who wishes
you well, I could not stand quietly by and see a man like you cunningly
tricked by this woman."
"What do you mean?" asked the Captain, his eyes blazing and his voice
almost beyond control.
"Chance or fortune, which ever you may choose to call it, has recently
placed certain information in my possession which will entirely preclude
any thought on your part of marrying her." What can he mean, Chiquita
asked herself. She had expected an attack on the Captain and was
prepared for it, but this--what was it?
"You perhaps already know," continued Don Felipe coolly, "that this
woman and I were once betrothed to one another, but had I at that time
known what I now know of her, such a thing as a betrothal would have
been out of the question."
"And this information?" interrogated the Captain.
"It is very simple, Captain Forest," replied Don Felipe, slowly and
firmly. "The Señorita Chiquita is--the mother of a child."
"The mother of a child?" cried Chiquita in astonishment. "You lie!" His
words were like a blow in the face to the Captain. For an instant the
world seemed to swim before his eyes, but only for an instant. Had he
rushed upon Don Felipe then and there as he felt impelled, it would have
been what the latter most wished him to do. He would have then had
sufficient provocation to kill him on the spot. But a lion never springs
before he has taken the measure of his leap.
"Don Felipe Ramirez," said Captain Forest at length, in a hoarse,
half-audible voice, "unless you give me instant proof of what you say,
either you or I shall never leave this place alive! Understand," he
continued, "that when I ask you for proof, it is not because I doubt
this woman, but that your life and mine are at stake."
"Well spoken, Captain Forest," returned Don Felipe. "'Tis the answer I
expected; the utterance of a gentleman, a _Caballero_! You shall have
the proof you desire--the living proof, Captain Forest," he added with
emphasis.
"Proof?" exclaimed Chiquita in amazement. "Are you bereft of your
senses, Don Felipe Ramirez?"
"Ah! you have played your part well these many years, Señorita. It is
now my turn to cut the cards. If you will return to the _patio_--" he
continued, turning to the Captain.
"Why not here?" asked the latter.
"Because the proof which you desire awaits you there." The Captain was
about to protest further, when Chiquita interposed.
"Come!" she said, and without further words, turned and silently led the
way back to the _patio_ followed by Don Felipe and the Captain, the
latter scarcely able to control his desire to seize Don Felipe by the
throat and choke the breath out of his body. She knew that Don Felipe
had laid a most ingenious trap for her; that was to be expected. But
what form it would take, she was at a loss to divine until they reached
the _patio_; then it all came over her at once. She was to be publicly
accused. Don Felipe was capable of that, and she shuddered as she
pictured to herself the scene it would be certain to create.
There was a pause in the dancing. The musicians were playing an
interlude, and as the three reëntered the _patio_, the eyes of all
present immediately became centered upon them. Just opposite to where
they halted sat Blanch and Padre Antonio, conversing together.
"I would much prefer to spare you a public humiliation," said Don
Felipe, addressing the Captain in a low tone. "It is not too late. But
if you still insist on having the proof at this time--"
"The proof by all means!" exclaimed Chiquita without giving the Captain
time to answer, her eyes blazing with indignation.
"Very well, since you insist," replied Don Felipe, glancing for an
instant in the direction of Blanch. As he did so, both the Captain and
Chiquita noticed that she let fall, as if by accident, the pink rose she
held in her hand. Instantly Don Felipe turned and clapped his hands,
whereupon, an old Indian woman, bowed with age and supporting herself
with a stick, and accompanied by a pretty little Indian girl of five or
six years of age, emerged from one of the doors of the house and paused,
bewildered by the unusual sight that greeted their eyes; the lights and
flowers, the music and gayly dressed men and women. Chiquita started and
uttered a low cry as her gaze fell upon the old woman and the child.
Captain Forest noted the ashen hue of her face and felt her hand tremble
as she involuntarily clutched at his arm as if for support. Then she
suddenly seemed to recover her composure.
"That?" she exclaimed, and began to laugh, almost hysterically. It was
evident to the others that something unusual had occurred. The music
suddenly ceased, and save for the murmur of the fountain in the center
of the court, not a sound was to be heard. All eyes were now turned upon
the old woman and the child who still stood silent and motionless,
gazing in bewilderment upon the strange scene before them. Suddenly the
child uttered a cry of joy.
"Madre! Madre _mia_!" she cried, and running across the court, flung
herself into Chiquita's arms. Then it was that the latter grasped the
full significance and gravity of the situation. What could have been
more compromising and humiliating for her?
[Illustration: "'Madre! Madre _mia_!' she cried, and flung herself into
Chiquita's arms."]
"Marieta, _niña mia_!" she exclaimed, stooping and kissing the child,
without realizing that her words and action only compromised her the
more.
"Is this the beautiful garden you told me of, Mother--which you said you
would one day take me to see?" asked the child, gazing delightedly about
her.
"Yes, yes, _cara mia_!" she answered hastily, holding the child close to
her. Instinctively the others began to draw near the little group.
"What brings you here, Juana?" she asked sternly of the old woman who by
this time had crossed the court and stood before her, leaning on her
stick.
"They said you sent for us, Señorita, and compelled us to come."
"I never sent for you!" answered Chiquita.
"Do you wish for further proof?" asked Don Felipe, addressing the
Captain. "You see, the child found no difficulty in recognizing its
mother," he added sarcastically.
"'Tis a lie!" cried Chiquita. Captain Forest was speechless, stunned. As
for Don Felipe, he only laughed at Chiquita's impotent rage.
"Between five and six years ago," he began, "the Señorita and one
Joaquin Flores brought this child late one night to the Indian _pueblo_,
Onava, and placed it in charge of this woman with whom it has lived ever
since. Is it not so?" he asked, turning to the old Indian woman.
"It is, Señor," she answered in confusion.
"And has not the Señorita visited the child each month and provided for
its wants ever since the day it was given into your charge?" Again the
old woman answered in the affirmative. "And has not the child,"
continued Don Felipe, "always called her mother ever since it has been
able to speak, and have you not always thought her to be its mother?"
The old woman hesitated and glanced nervously about her as though
seeking a way of escape.
"Speak, Juana!" commanded Don Felipe sharply. "Onava lies within my
domain. Unless you speak the truth, I'll have you and the rest of your
family driven to the desert to starve."
"It is so, Señor!" sobbed the old woman, thoroughly frightened by Don
Felipe's threat, yet not daring to raise her eyes to those of Chiquita.
"You now know why the Señorita Chiquita danced in public during the
_Fiesta_. It was to provide for the wants of her child," he added with a
sneer.
"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Captain Forest contemptuously, breaking
the long silence he had preserved. "The introduction of this child and
woman doesn't prove anything that I can see."
"Every Indian in the village," interrupted Don Felipe, "will
substantiate what you have just heard. Why, the Señorita herself taught
this child to call her mother. But there are still other things which
you shall learn in due time."
"Chiquita," said the Captain without heeding Don Felipe's words, "speak!
I know you can explain." She glanced up at him for a moment and then
cast her eyes down at the child.
"I must first send to La Jara for Joaquin and Manuelita Flores," she
answered. "When they come, I shall be able to tell something definite
concerning this child."
"You can spare yourself the trouble," broke in Don Felipe. "They are
both dead."
"Dead?" she cried, starting violently. "Joaquin and Manuelita dead?"
"Their bodies, together with those of their horses and wagon, were
discovered early this morning at the foot of the _mesa_ which lies
between here and La Jara, directly below the point where the road winds
along the rim of the cliff. Doubtless their horses became frightened in
the dark and jumped over the cliff before they could save themselves."
Chiquita uttered a low cry. "You've done your work well, Don Felipe
Ramirez," she said at length, suddenly straightening and stiffening as
she faced him, the expression on her face changing to one of hatred and
contempt.
"It was no easy task to run you to earth, I'll admit," he retorted with
the same sneering look of triumph on his countenance.
The only two persons upon whom she could rely, who could corroborate
what she had to say concerning the child, were dead. No, there was one
other, a man, but he too was gone--no one knew where. She saw the
hopelessness of her plight. Nothing she could say or do could alter the
opinion of the world toward her. She might continue to deny the charge,
protest her innocence, accuse others, but to what avail? Without the
actual proof, all must believe that which they were so ready and willing
to believe. Had not the child recognized her, called her mother before
the world? Even though the charge might never be actually proven, and
Captain Forest refuse to believe it, there would always be this thing
between them which she could never explain satisfactorily. It was not
natural to suppose that he could possibly forget it or continue to
believe in her protestations of innocence without the corroboration of
others. The hour must surely come in which he would be assailed by
doubts. She felt she had lost him, and with the knowledge of her
failure, was seized with a sickening sensation and an acute pain at the
heart. A misty veil rose between her and the world and she swayed
unsteadily as though about to fall. She knew she must not faint. She
drew her hand across her eyes, then, putting all her remaining strength
into the effort, she slowly drew herself up.
Strange, that she and Don Felipe should have been created to become the
nemesis of one another! The child, awed by the silence and grave faces
of the bystanders, instinctively divined that there was something wrong
between her and them, and clung mutely to Chiquita's skirt, a frightened
look on her face.
Chiquita, meanwhile, stood gazing straight out before her, her head
slightly inclined forwards, her face white and set, her heart burning
with shame. It was not so much the question of guilt or innocence that
affected her now, but the shame of it all. What must the Americans
think of her? She felt the burning, searching gaze of those about her
and the joy they experienced at her discomfiture. Never had she been at
a loss to know which way to turn to extricate herself from a difficulty;
but now, how helpless she was. She nervously tapped the palm of her left
hand with her fan, vainly racking her brain in an effort to find a
solution. Dick, who had been watching her narrowly the while, saw a
strange light begin to play in her eyes in which he read Don Felipe's
death as plainly as though it were written across the heavens in letters
of flame.
"Chiquita, you must say something," said Captain Forest. "I tell you
again, I don't believe it, but for your own sake--speak!"
"Yes, my child, speak!" entreated Padre Antonio, stepping before her.
"Can't you see your silence is condemning you?" She looked up at him and
saw that his face was ashen, colorless like the Captain's--that he
seemed to have suddenly aged. Notwithstanding, there was the same kindly
expression in his eyes she had always known, and she felt that, even
though the world refused to believe in her, he might; he might even
forgive her. She saw in her present humiliation and shame, a direct
punishment for the betrayal of the Padre's confidence. Had she confided
her secret to him, this could not have come upon her. Now, however, it
was too late. She had no right to expect sympathy even from him.
"Chiquita, for the last time, I ask you to speak!" pleaded Captain
Forest, racked between doubt and belief in the woman he loved. Just
then, little Marieta began to cry.
"Madre, madre!" she gasped between her sobs. "I'm afraid of these
people. Take me away--take me home again!"
"Be not afraid, my little one, they cannot harm you," she answered,
drawing the child closer to her and laying one hand on its shoulder.
Another embarrassing silence, broken only by the low sobs of Marieta,
followed.
"Chiquita," demanded Padre Antonio at length, "has this child the right
to call you mother?" There was a stern ring in his voice and she knew
her last moment of grace had come; that it was useless to hesitate
longer. She glanced at the Captain, then at the Padre and then down at
the pretty, tear-stained face of the clinging child. Again she felt that
peculiar pain at the heart and thought she was going to faint as she
struggled with herself between honor, her love and respect for Captain
Forest and Padre Antonio and her devotion to the child whose life, she
knew, depended upon her answer. Up to that moment she had been
completely at a loss to know what to say or how to act, but that
invisible something which until then had deprived her of speech, now
seemed to impel her to answer in the affirmative.
It was the supreme moment of her life. After all the years she could not
abandon the child now; the woman in her forbade it. She must go on to
the end. Again she glanced down at Marieta, and then raising her head
and looking into Padre Antonio's eyes, said quietly: "Yes, she has that
right."
"It's not true; I don't believe it!" cried Captain Forest in a tone in
which was expressed all the shame and disgust he experienced on seeing
the woman he loved dragged into the mire before his eyes.
"Captain Forest, you have heard the truth," answered Chiquita.
"Then there is nothing further to be said!" broke in Padre Antonio who
was anxious to end a scene that was growing more painful each moment.
Without a word, the Captain whirled on his heel and walked toward the
garden. Clearly, the effects of the drop of poison instilled so adroitly
into their lives by Don Felipe were beginning to be felt.
It is doubtful whether Blanch would have given Don Felipe the signal
could she have foreseen the consequences. Her rival could have been
exposed without being publicly humiliated. Nevertheless, an ineffable
joy filled her soul. She knew now that Jack either must return to her,
or he would never marry. His sensitive, overwrought mind frenzied and
made desperate by despair might even drive him to kill himself in the
end, but what did it really matter so long as no other woman possessed
him?
Don Felipe fairly reveled in his revenge and took no pains to conceal
it. It was the sweetest moment of his life. At last she too knew what it
was to be struck to earth, to lie prone with one's face in the dust, the
jeers of the world ringing in her ears. Of a truth, to quote Dick's
words, "Had the devil raked hell with a fine-tooth comb, he could not
have produced a more accomplished villain than Don Felipe Ramirez."
XXXII
As Chiquita and Padre Antonio left the _patio_, accompanied by Marieta
and old Juana, the women drew back from her as though from some unclean
thing. Gladly would they have spared Padre Antonio's feelings, but their
hatred and jealousy were too intense and the opportunity to cast a stone
at her too tempting for flesh and blood to resist.
Greatly to the astonishment of every one, it was noted that Padre
Antonio carried his head quite as high while leaving, as when he entered
the _patio_ during the early part of the evening. They expected him to
limp away, a crushed and broken old man; but they had yet to learn the
unbending spirit of the Padre. Although humble in the sight of God,
experience had taught him that the only way to command the respect of
men was to hold one's head high while among them.
What must he think of her now, to be requited thus after all he had
done for her? Chiquita asked herself as she, with Marieta and Juana,
followed him homeward. The opinion of the world concerning her, and
the loss of Captain Forest's love, seemed little in comparison to the
thought that he should believe she had betrayed his confidence. She
could endure anything but that. Had she but told him all in the
beginning, he might have been spared the shame of this disgrace.
Perhaps it was not yet too late; she would tell him all that night.
True, she could not make amends for the pain she had caused him, but
perhaps he would understand--forgive her.
She knew that a continuance of her residence in Santa Fé was no longer
possible. Strange that it should have ended thus, and what was before
her now? She knew the world only waited to shower wealth and distinction
upon her should she choose the stage for a career; or, she might return
to her people. But what would life be to her under any conditions
without Padre Antonio's respect and the Captain's love?
Strong and versatile and capable though she was to cope with the world,
her lot was not an enviable one. It was with Godspeed, not the
maledictions of one's neighbors, that she had hoped to leave the place
which had sheltered her so long. And Padre Antonio--how could she part
from him thus?
Captain Forest's last words were her only solace; he had tried to
believe in her to the end. Let come what might, they would remain with
her always like a benediction, a tower of strength in some future hour
of trial. And then there was Don Felipe. Ah, yes, Don Felipe! Her teeth
came together with a snap, for she knew that, even after what had
transpired, he would follow her.
Padre Antonio walked silently homeward without so much as turning round
once to look at the others. Not even after arriving at the great iron
gate before the garden did he pause to allow the others to pass in ahead
of him as he otherwise would have done, but walked straight on to the
house and entered the living-room without so much as looking round,
leaving Chiquita to dispose of old Juana and the child for the night.
Padre Antonio was no fool. Perplexed though he was by what had occurred,
he knew there was a time for silence as well as a time for speech. He
also knew that Chiquita would join him as soon as the others were
settled for the night, and that she would then tell him her story.
Outside, the garden was almost as light as during the day, and the room,
though partially in shadow, was illumined by the moonlight to an extent
that rendered objects within it distinctly visible. The events of the
evening had sorely taxed his strength. He was thoroughly tired, and with
a sigh he threw himself into his large leathern chair to rest until
Chiquita returned.
"What was the mystery in connection with the child?" he asked himself,
closing his eyes in thought. Don Felipe's story could not be true. "It
was absurd, preposterous!" he cried aloud, opening his eyes with a
start. As he did so, his gaze fell upon a picture on the wall opposite,
gleaming conspicuously in the full flood of moonlight. It was that
beautiful illustration of what human faith may accomplish; the familiar
representation of Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia meekly displaying the
contents of her apron before her lord, the Landgrave--that heavy,
sporadic type of whiskered ass whose only mission in life seems to be
that of pulling the stars and all else down about his wassail-soaked
head and ears through sheer avoirdupois and stupidity. Padre Antonio
experienced a sudden thrill as he gazed at the picture. Clearly, it was
the hand of God directing him. So did Saint Elizabeth deliberately deny
the truth, and yet the bread in her apron was turned to roses.
Instinctively he recalled Captain Forest's last words. And then, putting
two and two together, he also recalled the fact that he had noted
something during the scene which nobody else seemed to have noticed,
namely: that the face of the child, Marieta, was the living image of Don
Felipe's. Like a flash all became clear to him, and he smiled and nodded
as the truth dawned upon him, and he wondered greatly at Chiquita's
discretion. Yet why should he be astonished? Was it not like her?
Chiquita also wondered in turn, and was much perplexed by his attitude,
the quiet, benign expression of his face, when she entered the room
after bidding Juana and Marieta good night. She had expected exactly the
reverse. What did it mean, did he know anything? But she did not stop to
question him. Before unburdening her soul, she must first divest herself
of the jewels which, ever since the terrible scene at the _Posada_, she
felt she had dishonored. Their touch seemed to burn her flesh.
"Padre _mio_," she said quietly, as though nothing unusual had occurred,
"you know I said it would not be necessary to wear these jewels longer
than to-night. I really never should have worn them at all. It was not
right, for, as you see, I am not worthy of them." She began to unclasp
the bracelet on her arm, but hastily putting forth his hand, he checked
her.
"No, my child!" he said, rising from the chair. "You must keep
them--they are yours. Besides, they are so becoming to you! Again I
say--you are the only woman in this world worthy to wear them."
"Padre, Padre _mio_!" she cried, starting backward and gazing full in
his face. "You--you believe in me?"
"How could you have imagined anything else, my child?" he answered
quietly. Without attempting a reply, she threw herself upon his breast,
convulsed with sobs and trembling in every limb, telling him plainer
than words how terribly shaken she had been by the ordeal through which
she had just passed. He did not attempt to soothe or pacify her with
words, knowing how useless it would be, but waited quietly for her
passionate outburst to subside.
"Ah! Padre _mio_, how good you are, and how have I requited you!" she
said at length, looking up at him through her tears and slowly
disengaging herself from his arms. "You know," she continued between
convulsive sobs, and slowly drying her tears, "that little Marieta is
the child of Don Felipe and Pepita Delaguerra." Padre Antonio started at
the mention of the latter's name.
"Pepita Delaguerra?" he repeated. "I felt all along that she was Don
Felipe's child, the resemblance is so striking, and I wonder the others
did not notice it, but I never connected her with Pepita; perhaps
because it is so long since she died. How strange that he should have
introduced his own child without knowing it!"
"Yes," returned Chiquita. "And yet it is not so strange after all.
Persons of his character invariably blunder in the end, clever though
they be. Another strange coincidence is that they were married just six
years ago to-day in the little Mission church of San Isidor at Onava."
"Why, that was before Don Juan's death, and in direct opposition to the
stipulations of his will!" exclaimed Padre Antonio excitedly.
"Just so," answered Chiquita. "That's what caused the trouble. The
entire property should have gone to the Church, but Felipe destroyed the
record of his marriage before his father's death and the birth of his
child."
"The scoundrel!" cried the Padre.
"But that is not all," continued Chiquita. "Everything seemed to be in
league with him to further his plans. Father Danuncio, who secretly
married them, also died before Don Juan did, without divulging the
secret."
"Strange!" ejaculated Padre Antonio.
"There were three witnesses to the marriage--Joaquin and Manuelita
Flores, whom Don Felipe has cleverly put out of the way, and Bob
Carlton, the gambler, who, at that time, was Don Felipe's intimate
friend; but he, too, is gone and never dare return."
"The clever scoundrel!" interrupted the Padre.
"Yes," answered Chiquita. "When it comes to deviltry, Don Felipe has yet
to meet his match. But as I was about to say: Six months after the
marriage, Don Felipe deserted Pepita, then the child was born, and
knowing that he would unhesitatingly make way with it should he learn of
its existence, Joaquin and I took it to Onava, where we knew it would
be hid effectually from the world. Of course old Juana and all the other
Indians in the village thought the child was mine, and I let them think
so in order that its identity might the better be concealed until we
were able to prove to whom it belonged."
"But why did you not tell me this in the beginning, my child?" he asked
with a note of reproach in his voice. "I might have--"
"Ah, that was to protect you, Padre _mio_! It might have been wiser had
I done so, and yet I think not. I felt impelled to keep you in ignorance
of the facts, for I knew that Don Felipe would stop at nothing. What
would your life have been to him, had you come between him and his
position? His wealth is too vast. I knew that, as surely as you raised
your voice against him, as you would have been obliged to in the
interests of the Church, you one day would have been found dead in some
lonely pass in the mountains while engaged in your Mission work."
Padre Antonio was too astute an observer of men not to perceive the
force of her words.
"I marvel at your sagacity, my child; but think what it has cost you!"
"Ah! that is the marvelous part of it!" she replied. "Whoever would have
imagined that, unconscious of the true facts, he would have succeeded in
turning my own weapons against me? It's fate, Padre _mio_."
He paced back and forth for some time in silence, then suddenly pausing
before her, said: "This cloud must not rest upon you, Chiquita _mia_. We
must find that blackleg, Carlton, if we have to raise heaven and earth
to do it."
"That is easier said than done, Padre _mio_," she answered quietly.
"God never wholly abandons his children to the evil of the world," he
returned firmly. "Don Felipe has deceived the Church once, but he shall
not do so a second time. God has allowed him to triumph thus far in
order that his punishment may be all the greater in the end when it
comes upon him. Carlton must be somewhere just across the border--in
Texas or Arizona or New Mexico. Within twenty-four hours after the word
has been flashed over the wires, runners will have passed through all
our remote Missions along the border, and if he is no longer in Mexico,
then the word shall be passed across the frontier into the United
States. If he still be alive, he can not escape us. We will find him and
bring him back again. No, the Church is not so powerless as many, strong
in worldly possessions, imagine. The Church of Rome has never yet failed
to find the man or woman she has set out to find. Don Felipe will be
stripped of his possessions and his child restored to its rightful
position.
"Again I say, God's ways are past all understanding. You have been His
unconscious instrument. Think of what you were and how you came to me,
and what your life has been since then! Have you endured all for naught?
Are God's plans to be frustrated by a man, a dastardly craven like Don
Felipe? No, my child, I see things clearer now than I ever have seen
them before. You and Captain Forest have not been brought together from
the ends of the earth only to be mocked by the world of evil. God
demands that we all shall pass through the fire in order that we may be
fitted to bear the burden He lays upon us. You both have endured the
trial; proved yourselves worthy of the mission He has entrusted to you."
He paused. Then, suddenly recollecting the all-important question, he
exclaimed: "I forget, we are wasting time; we must find Carlton! This
very night word shall go forth!" and hastily snatching up his hat and
stick, he hurried out into the night.
XXXIII
Captain Forest's feelings are better imagined than described. His brain
was in a whirl, on fire. For the second time a woman had treated his
confidence lightly. The whole world seemed to spin round him in chaotic
confusion as he sought to lay hold of a single, tangible thought that
might temper his judgment, steady his nerves and check the fierce
outbursts of passion which were fast sweeping him beyond self-control.
He had reached a state of recklessness that renders a man of his
temperament most dangerous, and unless his judgment soon got the better
of his passions, he would, as likely as not, either kill Chiquita or Don
Felipe, or both of them.
The company had broken up shortly after the departure of Chiquita and
Padre Antonio, leaving the _patio_ silent and deserted, save for the
presence of the Captain, who paced silently back and forth; the moon
flooding the _patio_ with broad sheets of white light, causing objects
to appear almost as sharp and distinct as before the lights of the
lanterns were extinguished.
Blanch, who was the last to leave, would have offered him her sympathy,
but on approaching him, he gave her a look so terrifying that even she
dared not speak to him. She accordingly retired to her room and seated
herself before the open window from which she commanded a view of the
court and could observe him at her leisure. Perhaps he will come to his
senses now, she thought. At any rate, he now knew what she suffered. She
experienced a feeling of cruel satisfaction and exultation while calmly
watching the struggle going on within him as he paced slowly back and
forth.
How strange that they should be there in that out-of-the-way place! In
spite of the terrible ordeal through which she had passed and the
dramatic climax in which the struggle had just culminated, it still
appeared so unreal, so unnatural to her, that she wondered whether she
was not still dreaming and must soon awaken to find herself back in the
old life again and Jack near her, as in the old days. Who could have
foreseen this tragedy, this end to their lives? But a few months
previous all things appeared so clear and defined, so definitely
ordained for them.
Truly the future was veiled--a sealed book for man! Had she been
permitted to dip for but an instant beneath the cover of that book, or
lift the veil ever so little, the catastrophe that had overtaken them
and the suffering it entailed might have been averted.
But no. The strange nemesis that had pursued them step by step had been
permitted to wreck their lives completely. And for what end--what
purpose? Was there no justice, no recompense for them? The answer, she
somehow felt, lay not here, but with the stars--in the great universal
scheme of things, and was quite beyond her reasoning powers.
She felt the utter hopelessness of longer struggling against the unseen,
and in that hour she became a fatalist. Better drift from day to day
without purpose, than living, behold one's dreams and ambitions come to
naught. She was like a strong, self-confident swimmer who had been
caught by the tide and was being swept irresistibly out to sea. Blurred
though her vision was, she seemed to see things clearer than she had
ever seen them before, and she somehow felt that the fate which had
overtaken her was the result of self-aggrandizement--that she in a
measure typified the passing or end of a condition out of whose decay
the new life must spring.
Submit she must, and yet a fierce resentment against all things filled
her soul. She rebelled at the apparent injustice which she felt had been
done her. Why had she, the most fit, been chosen? What had she really
done to merit such an end? She realized that her trouble was
unalterable; that it had its root in the social scheme of things and
nothing she could do could alter it. That in reality it was no fault of
hers, but the fault of her bringing up; that the world which she had
been taught to respect as a thing representing truth and beauty, all
that is best in man, was only a mocking illusion.
The injustice of it amazed, appalled, stunned her. She seemed to think
and move like one in a dream, struggling with shadowy, intangible forces
with which she was incapable to cope. The thought that it was not her
fault only added to her bitterness and agony, and she longed for
death--the death that knows no awakening--to be blotted out utterly, and
forever. Her life was devoid of hope, there was nothing to look forward
to, the future had become a blank.
A low moan, in which was expressed the despair and agony of men since
the beginning of time, escaped her. She pressed her cold hands to her
burning, throbbing temples and prayed that, whatever her end might be,
it would come swiftly.
Again she raised her head and glanced through the open window. To her
surprise she saw the tall form of Dick Yankton leaning against one of
the pillars of the arcade that ran round the _patio_. He was smoking
quietly and observing the Captain, who still strode back and forth
apparently unaware of his presence. Suddenly the Captain stopped short
as if he had come to a decision. As he did so, he turned half round and
saw Dick, whom he regarded for some moments in silence. Then, going over
to where he stood, she heard him exclaim: "It's not true, Dick, I don't
believe it. I'm going to her now and tell her so!" At the same instant
she also saw Don Felipe glide noiselessly and stealthily from one of the
doors opening on to the _patio_ and pause in the deep shadow of the
arcade next to the wall, close to where they stood. Instantly she was on
her feet and leaning forward, breathless and eager to catch all that was
said.
"Neither do I believe it," answered Dick. "But I wouldn't have told you
so. I wanted you to make up your mind first, and if you hadn't said so
just now, I wouldn't show you this, either," he continued, drawing from
his inner coat pocket a large envelope from which he took a letter and
handed it to the Captain.
She saw the sheet of paper tremble in the Captain's hands as he read its
contents. Again Dick handed him another sheet somewhat larger and
darker than the first. He seized it eagerly, glancing hurriedly over its
contents, his hands trembling more violently than before.
"Marvelous!" he exclaimed excitedly, looking at Dick. "And yet," he
added, "it's not so strange after all; it's so natural!"
Blanch uttered a suppressed cry. She felt that her last chance of
winning back the Captain was gone forever. It was a last stab at her
heart. At this juncture José appeared from out the shadows of the garden
beyond the _patio_ and hurriedly approached them. She heard him say
something in Spanish which she did not understand. Then, all became
blurred before her eyes. She felt herself begin to sway and totter--she
fainted.
* * * * *
Following José, the Captain and Dick came upon Starlight, quietly
cropping the grass in the garden, just outside the corral. On hearing
their approach, the Chestnut raised his head, and, seeing his master,
gave a low whinny of recognition. Close beside him on the grass lay a
dark, shapeless object which, on closer inspection, proved to be the
remains of Juan Ramon, trampled almost beyond recognition by the
stallion's terrible hoofs.
While Chiquita was being confronted by Don Felipe and the attention of
every one was occupied by the scene that followed, Juan seized the
opportunity for which he had been waiting. Stealing quietly away to the
corrals, he deftly flung a _riata_ over the stallion's head, and,
looping it about the animal's nose, was on his back with a bound.
There was no question of Juan's ability to ride him. Once on a horse's
back, he had never yet been unseated. He had expected the Chestnut to
rear and plunge, to fight desperately on finding a stranger on his back
and he was prepared for it, but greatly to his surprise, the horse
showed no signs of fight and went meekly out of the corral at his
bidding. All went well until they reached the garden, and Juan was
beginning to congratulate himself on making his escape so easily, when
suddenly and without warning, the Chestnut stopped short, reached round
with his head, and seizing Juan by the leg with his teeth, jerked him to
the ground. Juan heard the stallion's fierce cry of rage, and--that was
the end.
The luck had changed again for Juan, and with it vanished his fair dream
of life on the little _hacienda_ with the pretty Rosita.
José had long been aware of Juan's intentions regarding the horse, and
laughed quietly to himself as he thought of the trap Juan was laying for
himself. That afternoon he appeared to be drinking heavily, and early in
the evening feigned intoxication in order that Juan might go to his
death which he knew awaited him should he so much as lay his hand on the
horse.
When Blanch regained consciousness once more, she found herself in a
half sitting and kneeling posture before the window with one arm resting
on the sill. She must have been unconscious for some time, for when she
came to herself, she again saw Captain Forest and Dick standing in the
_patio_ conversing in low tones. They soon separated, Dick going into
the house, and the Captain making his way through the garden. She knew
he was on his way to Chiquita. She also saw Don Felipe steal from the
shadow of his concealment and follow him.
A great fear seized her. She felt the imminence of a disaster greater
than that which had already occurred. Something terrible was about to
happen. The thought aroused her to action and she hurriedly rose to her
feet. If possible, she would prevent that final catastrophe which her
intuition told her was imminent--which she knew must overtake either one
or all three of them should Don Felipe and the Captain meet again that
night in Chiquita's presence.
There was not a moment to lose, and seizing a light wrap which lay on a
chair beside her, she flung it about her shoulders and hurriedly left
the room.
XXXIV
Before leaving the _patio_, Bessie promised to meet Dick in the garden
after the company dispersed for the night. After the Captain's
departure, Dick returned to the _patio_ and took his stand in the shadow
of the nearest trees, where he awaited her.
Never had her mood appeared so distracted and evasive as that evening.
She had avoided him as much as possible. He was quite at a loss to know
how to take her, and wondered what would be the outcome of their
interview which, he felt, might possibly be their last.
Notwithstanding this melancholy prospect, he still experienced the same
spirit of buoyancy which possessed him during the day. He had caught her
regarding him several times during the evening with what he thought to
be a look of tenderness in her eyes, and this, perhaps, accounted in a
measure for his present elation.
She, in turn, had wondered greatly at the change that had come over him.
How could he possibly be so gay when everybody else was so miserable,
and she thoroughly resented it.
During the interval that had elapsed after the breaking up of the
company, she had participated in a stormy interview with her father and
aunt; the latter endeavoring to point out to her the danger incurred by
holding intercourse with obscure, low-born persons, as had just been
demonstrated in the Captain's case.
She was surprised on returning to her room not to find Blanch there,
but, on second thought, felt it was only natural after what had occurred
that she should want to be alone, and thought she must be somewhere in
the garden. She had seen Dick leave the _patio_ and disappear in the
shadow beyond, whither she directed her steps, passing out and around
the front of the house, as she did not wish to incur the risk of being
seen by her father or aunt.
Dick, who had tossed aside his hat on the grass and stood leaning
against the trunk of a tree, was presently aroused from his meditations
by the object of his thoughts, who stood close beside him.
"Well, I'm here," she said, by way of beginning, looking up into his
face.
"I was looking for you in the other direction," he replied, throwing
away his half-burnt cigar. "I ought to have known better. You are always
doing the opposite of that which one expects."
A smile lit up her face for a moment, as she flashed her beautiful wide
eyes upon him. She seemed a part of that beauteous night, elfish and
delicate as a moonbeam or a flower, fragile as the song of a bird. He
could not speak, but stood drinking her in with his eyes and soul, his
face wearing a mixed expression of rapture and pain. She knew what he
felt, and like him, she, too, struggled with herself for the mastery of
her emotion.
"Do you know," she said at length, "this is the first time I have ever
been guilty of a clandestine meeting with a man. If my father knew I was
here, he would be beside himself."
"Then you did want to come!" he exclaimed.
"Of course. Otherwise, why should I be here?" she responded shyly,
raising her eyes to his for an instant and then lowering them again.
"Bessie!" he cried, starting toward her.
"Hush!" she said, raising her hand in protest and checking him. Had he
taken her in his arms then and there, she would have surrendered without
a struggle, for she was in that soft, languid mood of a woman in love in
spite of herself. But he dared not give way to his impulse. He loved her
too much, and feared lest his impetuosity might ruin forever his chance
of winning her.
"I know it was foolish of me to come, especially when there was no
reason for it," she continued with assumed indifference, casting a
sidelong glance at him out of the corners of her eyes. In spite of the
pain she knew she inflicted, she could not resist flirting with him just
a little even at such a moment. It filled her with such exquisite joy to
feel anew the power she exercised over him and the unfathomable depth of
his love which each fresh thrust at his heart revealed to her.
"I came here," she slowly resumed, "to ask what you think of Chiquita?"
"Think!" he burst forth savagely, aroused almost to a pitch of
desperation by her irritating manner. "Do you take me for as big a fool
as Don Felipe, or--" your father? he was about to add, but checked
himself just in time. "When one has known Chiquita as long as I have,
you don't think things about her, you know. Don Felipe," he went on,
"reminds me of the naughty little boy who one day, while playing in a
park, threw mud on a swan, imagining that he had besmirched the bird
forever until it dived under the water and reappeared again as white as
before. Why, even if I at this moment did not possess the absolute proof
of her innocence, nobody could ever persuade me to believe that story.
You don't know the Indian as I do, Miss Van Ashton. The high-caste
Indian women are quite as incapable of such things as you are. It was a
devilishly clever stroke on Don Felipe's part, I'll admit, but he has
deceived himself as thoroughly as the rest of the world."
"What proof have you?" she asked with a surprised and mystified look,
her woman's curiosity thoroughly aroused. Dick chuckled softly in reply.
"What are you laughing at?" she demanded, not a little nettled by his
manner.
"I'm not laughing," he answered. "I'm merely trying to smother the rage
you have aroused in me by dallying with me in this manner when you know
perfectly well that I asked you to come here to tell you that I--"
"Stop!" she commanded authoritatively. "I wish to see that proof before
anything further passes between us."
"Will you never become serious?" he asked, drawing an envelope from his
pocket, the contents of which he had shown Captain Forest. "It's
strange," he continued, "that this document should concern you as well
as Don Felipe and Chiquita."
"What do you mean?" she asked in astonishment. Again he laughed softly
by way of reply.
"It's funny you should get mixed up in their affairs!"
"I don't understand you," she interrupted, more mystified and irritated
than ever. "Give me that letter, Mr. Yankton!" she demanded, holding out
her hand.
"Then step out into the light, please, you lovely, tantalizing witch,"
he answered, drawing the papers from the envelope and handing them to
her. "If I didn't love you to distraction, I wouldn't stand this sort of
thing a minute longer. God!" he cried, glancing heavenward, "you'll be
the death of me yet."
"Have you forgotten, Mr. Yankton?" she asked calmly, her face turning a
delicate crimson.
"Then read--read!" he cried in desperation, scarcely able to control
himself. She knew it could not last much longer. She slowly unfolded the
large sheets of paper and began to read their contents in the moonlight.
"Aloud, please," he said.
"Why aloud?"
"Oh, just as you please!"
"Very well, if you wish it. 'Dear Dick,' she began with a slight
hesitancy. 'When this reaches you I shall have passed over the border to
that unknown range from whence nobody ever returns. Enclosed you will
find the record of Don Felipe Ramirez's and Pepita Delaguerra's
marriage which, at Don Felipe's instigation, I stole from the register
in the church at Onava, giving him a copy of the same which he
destroyed, believing it to be the original. I did this with the
intention of extorting money from him later on. I and Joaquin Flores and
his wife were the only witnesses to the marriage. But there is a sequel.
Pepita gave birth to a child, a girl, after Felipe deserted her. I
learned later that Chiquita and the two Flores concealed it somewhere in
one of the Indian _pueblos_ near La Jara, as they feared Don Felipe
would make way with the child should he learn of its existence.'
"How strange!" exclaimed Bessie excitedly. "Why, that was Don Felipe's
own child which he introduced this evening and said was Chiquita's."
"Exactly," said Dick, quietly.
"But I don't see what all this has to do with me," she added.
"Proceed, please," he answered. "That's not the only surprise his letter
contains."
Glancing down at the sheets once more she resumed:
"'You will also be greatly surprised to learn that the young lady who
was present on the day you saved my life and whose name I asked, is my
sister.'
"The insinuation is infamous!" she cried, letting the papers fall to the
ground.
"Miss Van Ashton," he interrupted, calmly stooping and picking up the
papers and handing them to her again, "you forget--you are reading the
confession of a dying man."
"His sister!" she continued indignantly. "It can't be possible--I never
had a brother!"
"Please proceed, Miss Van Ashton," he replied. Amazed and bewildered,
Bessie excitedly resumed the reading of the strange letter.
"'My sister never knew me because I left home shortly after she was
born; but, notwithstanding, I recognized her the instant I set eyes on
her, not only owing to the presence of my father that day, but to the
remarkable resemblance she bears to my mother. She is the living image
of her.'" Bessie paused, overcome with agitation.
"How very remarkable," she said, as if to herself. "Every one who knew
my mother says we resemble one another very closely in manner as well as
in looks. My father always keeps our photographs placed side by side on
his desk at home. Except for the difference in the style of dress, it is
almost impossible to tell which is which. What he says does sound true,"
she admitted. "Yet--"
"There can be no doubt of it," broke in Dick. Again Bessie looked down
at the papers and resumed:
"'Before I breathe my last, Dick, I want to tell you that I have
discovered the lead to the old Esmeralda mine; the enclosed chart will
guide you to it. Tell my sister that half of it belongs to her and the
other half to Pepita's child if you are able to find her. Perhaps this
one and only generous act of my selfish life will atone somewhat for my
many misdeeds. Good-by, Dick, and God bless you.'"
"You needn't read that!" he interrupted. But without heeding him, she
continued:
"'You are the best and bravest fellow alive. Good-by, Dick, again, for
the last time.
"'Harry Van Ashton, better known to the world as Bob Carlton, gambler
and--'" The letter ended abruptly. A sob broke from Bessie. Two bright
tears glistened like jewels in the moonlight on her long lashes and then
stole silently down her cheeks.
"Don't take it so hard, Miss Van Ashton," he said. "Your brother was
wild, but not so bad as the world thought him."
"My poor brother!" she murmured.
"I am sure," he resumed after a little, "that when your brother looked
into your eyes that day, his manhood reasserted itself; that he repented
and threw off his past life like an old garment, and from that moment,
stood prepared to enter the presence of his Maker."
"You are very good to say that," she answered, looking up at him with
shining eyes.
"No, it's not good of me at all," he returned. "I love you too much to
say anything but what I know to be true." She did not reply, but
remained lost in thought, her eyes cast on the ground.
"Bessie!" he exclaimed passionately, drawing nearer to her. "Why do you
hesitate? You know that I understand you better than any one else ever
could. You know you love me!" She knew her moment had come; that she
must answer him for all time, and strive as she would, she could not
conceal her confusion. He did not know how intense was the struggle
going on within her, nor realize what it meant to her to give up the
life she had known always.
"And what if I told you," she said at length, her eyes still downcast,
"that I care more for you than anything else in this world, Dick?"
pronouncing his name aloud for the first time. "What would you say
then?"
"That I will love you for all time, Sweetheart! That I will make you the
happiest woman in the world!" he cried, his arms closing about her, and
kissing her full on the lips.
"When we are married," he said at last, "we'll start in search of the
Esmeralda, the famous old Spanish mine that was destroyed by the
earthquake, and if, as your brother said, he really found the lead
again, you and Don Felipe's child will be the two richest women in
Chihuahua."
"Then let it be soon, Dick!" she answered. "Oh! I know I've been
perfectly horrid!" she cried, flinging her arms about his neck in a
fresh outburst, and kissing him again and again. "But I'll make it up to
you, Dick! I'll show you how Bessie Van Ashton can love!" There was
another long silence, during which each could hear the beating of the
other's heart. Then looking up with a pained, disheartened expression on
her face, she said: "I'm sorry I can't come to you with a fortune, Dick.
My father will cast me off, and all I now possess in this world are you
and the clothes on my back."
"Why, you sweet, pathetic little beggar!" he exclaimed, sealing her lips
with a kiss.
"He said he would rather see me dead at his feet than married to you,"
she went on. "Of course, if you were immensely wealthy, he might learn
to tolerate you in time. We're all like that, you know, but as things
are, we'll have to shift as best we can."
"Well, I don't lay claim to much," he said, restraining his mirth with
difficulty. "There's the Esmeralda, you know, but even if that fails us,
there's no cause for immediate worry. We'll find a modest little hovel
somewhere that is large enough to contain our love." And then he laughed
long and loud, laughed as he had never laughed before.
"What are you laughing at?" she inquired, with a dawning suspicion that
he was keeping something from her.
"Oh, nothing," he answered at length. "You'll forgive me, I'm sure, when
I say, that I can't help thinking what an ass your father is!" And
Bessie Van Ashton stepped into a bigger life than she had ever known.
XXXV
Perhaps all was not yet lost. The Padre's words and attitude acted like
a wonderful elixir upon Chiquita. They buoyed her up, lifted her soul
from the dust where it had been flung and trampled upon.
The house oppressed her, and sleep being impossible, she opened the door
and stepped out into the garden and wandered along the paths that led in
and out among the flowers and shrubs, inhaling the delicious night air,
faintly perfumed with the delicate fragrance of mignonette and
heliotrope and a few last roses.
The fresh air and the beauty and quiet of the night soothed her. She
felt her strength return, and a great calm took possession of her as she
moved to and fro in the moonlight, now casting her eyes toward the
stars, now downward at the wan, drooping heads of the flowers which
swayed gently in the faint night breeze. Her face radiantly beautiful,
her jewels flashing against the pale white setting of her dress and her
tawny skin, she resembled more the lovely ghost of some long-departed
Spanish woman that had returned to earth to revisit familiar haunts,
than one still among the living.
What was he doing now? she asked herself. It was impossible that he
should continue to believe in her. It was more than could be expected;
no one but Padre Antonio was capable of that. Just then she heard the
sound of footsteps on the walk outside the wall and a moment later, the
click of the latch on the gate as it swung open. She thought it must be
Padre Antonio come back again, and she turned to meet him. A faint,
suppressed cry escaped her, for there, just inside the gate, stood
Captain Forest.
He had evidently not yet seen her and paused as if uncertain whether to
advance. She stood in the open space beside the bench, just off the
pathway leading from the gate to the house, along which he must advance
should he decide to proceed farther. A pale, plumy spray of tamarisk
intervened between them, otherwise he must have seen her. For some time
he stood silent and motionless as if uncertain what to do, then he began
to advance slowly in her direction.
What did he want? Why had he come at this hour? Her heart beat high and
she began to tremble with excitement as she watched him coming toward
her.
Her wan, pale dress so closely resembled the moonlight in the shadow of
the tamarisk that he might have passed her unnoticed had she not
unconsciously closed her half-open fan which she was nervously clasping
in both hands. It shut with a soft, faint snap, causing him to stop and
turn in her direction.
"Chiquita!" he cried, and springing forward, had her in his arms before
she could prevent it.
"No, no; you must not!" she cried, overcome by his suddenness and vainly
struggling to free herself.
"Chiquita," he went on without heeding her, "I could not wait until
morning, and came to tell you again that I believe in you--that I love
you--that nothing but death can separate us in this life!"
She saw and felt the uselessness of struggling against his great
strength and will, so she relaxed her efforts and became quite passive
in his arms, her face cast down. Besides, it seemed as though all her
strength had left her. She trembled so violently and felt so weak that
she must have sunk to the ground had he not supported her.
"Sweetheart!" he cried more passionately than ever. "What do we care for
the world? Look up and say you will come with me!" Her soul thrilled
with the rapture his words caused her.
"Jack," she said at length, raising her head and looking up into his
face, "I love you too much to do that. Not until my name has been
cleared--" They heard a rustling sound on the other side of the
tamarisk. Another moment, and the long, plumy sprays parted and Don
Felipe stepped into the pathway. His face was ashen pale and wore the
look of a thoroughly desperate man.
"Captain Forest," he began, breaking the painful silence that ensued, "I
have vowed that you shall never marry her. I give you one more chance,"
and he raised his right arm and pointed toward the gate. "Go, while
there is yet time!" he commanded, his voice vibrant with passion. "Go
back to the _Posada_ at once and saddle your horse and leave the country
this very night. If you do not--"
"You think to intimidate me?" interrupted the Captain, quietly
releasing Chiquita from his arms and confronting him.
"Once more--will you go?" demanded Don Felipe in a harsh, fierce voice.
"No!" answered the Captain.
"Then your blood be upon your own head!" he cried, and without a
moment's warning, he drew a long knife from his inner breast pocket and
rushed furiously upon him.
"Coward, to attack an unarmed man!" cried the Captain, springing aside
just in time to avoid his thrust. Without replying, Don Felipe whirled
with the swiftness of a cat and rushed at him again. The Captain glanced
hurriedly about him in search of some weapon of defense. Close at hand
he espied a small, fragile, gilt chair that had been left there by
chance during the day. Seizing it by the back with both hands he raised
it aloft and aimed a swift blow at his adversary, but the latter
cleverly dodged it by dropping on one knee. The chair crashed to the
ground with terrific force, its fragments flying in all directions.
Captain Forest was a wonderfully active man for his size. Before Don
Felipe was on his feet again, he sprang forward and seized his right
arm. The two men grappled desperately for some moments, but what was Don
Felipe in the hands of a giant. Suddenly the knife went whirling back
over the Captain's shoulder, forming a glittering half-circle in the
moonlight as it fell among the flowers. Then Captain Forest lifted Don
Felipe with both hands as easily as he would have lifted a child and
hurled him violently to the ground several feet away. A smothered cry of
pain escaped him.
"Lie there, dog!" said the Captain, contemptuously.
"Not so, Captain Forest--we're not done yet!" answered Don Felipe,
rising with difficulty on one knee. From his hip pocket he drew a
pistol.
"Don Felipe Ramirez!" came Chiquita's voice, ringing clear; but he did
not heed the warning. Instantly her hand went to her breast and there
were two almost simultaneous shots. Don Felipe sprang into the air with
a loud cry, alighting upright upon both feet. He gasped, staggered
forward a pace, and then sank down on his knees. Again he gasped,
clutched desperately at his heart with his left hand, and then, with a
last supreme effort, slowly raised his weapon with his trembling hand
and once more took aim at the Captain. There was another quick flash and
report, and Don Felipe Ramirez lay dead on the ground between them.
In silence they gazed at one another across Don Felipe's body. The
Captain was about to speak when they were startled by a low moan just
behind them, and, turning, they saw Blanch sink slowly to the bench in a
sitting posture, her head resting on her arm across the back of the
bench. In an instant they were at her side.
[Illustration: "They were startled by a low moan and saw Blanch sink
slowly to the bench."]
"Blanch!" cried the Captain in consternation at the sight of the blood
that was oozing slowly from her left side, and which Chiquita was vainly
endeavoring to stanch with her handkerchief. At the sound of his voice,
she slowly opened her eyes.
"Forgive me," she whispered in an almost inaudible tone, as they knelt
on either side of her, supporting her. For some moments she lay quite
motionless, then a slight tremor passed through her and with a little
sigh like that of a child's, her head slipped down upon Chiquita's
breast. The bullet which Don Felipe had intended for the Captain had
passed through her heart; the penalty she paid for giving the signal in
the _patio_.
The moonlight fell full across her face, which, contrary to what one
might suppose, wore an expression of peace and calm, almost a smile,
like one in a dream.
"How beautiful she is!" murmured Chiquita, holding her tenderly in her
arms.
"Would to God she had been spared!" answered the Captain, his voice
choking with emotion. Yet each felt as they gazed on her upturned face,
whose expression was rather that of sleep than of death, that she was
better off thus; for what did life hold for her?
XXXVI
For most men death ends all things, but for those whose souls are
illumined by the unquenchable flame of faith, death is but the beginning
of life.
The news of the tragedy, following swift upon that of Juan Ramon's
death, spread like wildfire, fairly taking the people's breath away, and
throwing the community into a tumult of excitement. Not since the days
when the victorious American armies had entered Mexico and laid waste
the land, had there been such a commotion in the old town.
The community was shaken to its center. What would happen next? Old
women paused in the midst of their chatter and, crossing themselves,
said an extra _ave_ as a protection against the Evil One; for no one
knew who would be taken next.
Don Felipe Ramirez, the handsomest and wealthiest and most influential
man in Chihuahua, dead--at the hand of a woman--an Indian!
Most people admitted that he had merited death. That his end was a just
punishment for his misdeeds, but then, had it not been for the woman who
had wrecked his life, how different his end might have been!
Juan Ramon would be missed for a day at the gaming tables, but the
beautiful American Señorita--why should she have paid the price of
blood? It was too much. The popular outburst was tremendous, quite
beyond Padre Antonio's influence or control. The evil and tragedy which
the witch seemed to draw with her in her train far outweighed the good
she had accomplished since her advent in the town. And if the grand
Señor, Captain Forest, of an alien race, still chose to remain in the
place, why, let him look to his personal safety if he still set store
upon his life.
Such was popular sentiment, and out of the countless maledictions that
were heaped upon the dark woman and the man she had bewitched, there
grew that sullen and ominous silence of presentiment like that preceding
a storm, and which boded but one end to them both--death.
José and Dick were the first to apprise the Captain of the true state of
affairs, although he had not remained insensible to the threatening
looks and dark, sullen faces that greeted him on every hand.
"The place has become too hot to hold you, old man," said Dick. "You and
Chiquita had better go somewhere for a little _pasear_. You'll find the
air in the mountains more salubrious than here; in fact--_vamos_, as the
Spaniards say. Go to Padre Antonio's house at once," he continued. "It's
a sort of a sanctuary, you know; you'll be safe there to-day. If you
value your life, don't set foot outside the place, and I'd even be chary
about picking flowers in the garden," he added in his droll way.
"To-night, José and I will have your horses ready and waiting for you in
the cañon at the foot of the trail which leads to the top of the _mesa_
overlooking the valley. You must get away under cover of the dusk
before the moon rises. Old Manuela will give you the signal when to
depart."
"Dick, you are the most ingenious mortal in the world," answered the
Captain. "You are as good as a mother to me. How did you ever think of
it?"
"Oh! don't thank me," returned Dick. "I didn't think of it; I never have
any ideas. It's José's plan entirely."
"The deuce! It does sound like you, _camarada_!" he ejaculated, turning
to José who had smoked his _cigarillo_ in silence while listening to
Dick's words. "The scheme sounds well," he continued after some moments'
reflection. "And yet it seems to me you have overlooked something--the
most important thing of all."
"What?" asked Dick.
"How are you going to get the horses there without attracting attention?
It's just possible that the entire populace might escort you there and
then hang all four of us when Chiquita and I arrive."
"Ah! I never thought of that," replied Dick, flicking the ash from his
cigar and exchanging glances with José. "I always said you had the
imagination of a poet, Jack. But it takes an Indian to think of such
things; the horses are concealed already in the cañon, a quarter of a
mile from the trail."
"_Si, Capitan._ I took them there last night," said José.
"Last night?"
"Yes. You see, it was this way. I saw the fight last night--"
"You did?"
"_Si, Capitan._ It was a glorious fight, the greatest fight I ever saw.
I followed Don Felipe last night and surely would have killed him had I
not seen the Señorita draw her weapon. I knew that it was her right to
kill him."
"You observe José's exquisite sense of discrimination," interrupted
Dick. "It's the etiquette of the land," he added with a twinkle in his
eye, his face betraying not so much as the suggestion of a smile.
Captain Forest could have laughed at Dick's irresistible humor were it
not for the terrible tragedy which rested heavily upon him.
"Well," continued José, "while you and the Señorita stood beside the
beautiful _Americana_, I bethought me that it was about time we were
leaving this place. You did not know that the two women, Manuela and
Juana, and the Padre's gardener, Sebastiano, also witnessed the
shooting. I told Sebastiano to get the Señorita's horse out of the
stable at once and wait outside in the shadow of the wall on the far
side of the garden until I returned. I then hurried back here and got
away unobserved with our horses, picking up the Señorita's and
Sebastiano on the way to the cañon where I left them in the latter's
charge. They will hardly be missed to-day, I think," he added; "the
excitement is too great. Go now quietly to Padre Antonio's and wait
there until Manuela gives you the word to depart." José paused. Then
casting a quick glance about him, he took a fresh puff at his
_cigarillo_ and said: "Until then, _á Dios_, Señor _Capitan_!" and
assuming an indifferent air, as though nothing unusual had occurred, he
sauntered quietly away.
"That man's a genius!" said Dick, looking after him until he disappeared
around the corner of the house.
"It was a lucky day for you when you picked him up. If you get away at
all to-night, you'll owe your lives to him. Nothing but his wits could
have saved you. You had better be going now," he added. "Go directly to
the Padre's and attract as little attention as possible on the way.
"_Este noche, amigo mio_--to-night, my friend," he concluded in Spanish,
and turning, lounged carelessly through the doorway into the house.
XXXVII
"I hear nothing," said José, rising from the ground where he had been
lying flat with his ear close to the earth.
"They have given us up!" exclaimed the Captain, turning in the saddle
and addressing Chiquita who also had been scanning their back trail in
the effort to discover a sign of their lost pursuers.
"We have tired them out," she answered, lowering her hand from her eyes.
They had escaped--they were free. Padre Antonio had married them on the
afternoon of the previous day.
"If I am still alive, and God grant that it may be so," he said on
parting, "I shall see you next spring when I visit the Missions in the
North."
The flight had been a swift and perilous one. They had traveled the
entire night and day, pausing only long enough to allow their horses
short breathing spells and time to slake their thirst at the springs and
streams they encountered in their flight. Like their horses, all three
were thoroughly tired, and their clothes torn and dust begrimed.
"We'll camp yonder, José," said the Captain, pointing to a thick group
of pines that grew on the opposite side of the stream on whose bank they
had halted. They had arrived at the foot of the Sierra Madres from
whose side the stream burst and along whose banks their trail led to
the upper world where it dropped down again on the other side of the
great mountainous divide into Sonora.
"It's like the old days!" cried Chiquita, laughing as they splashed
through the stream to the opposite bank, the water rising to their
saddle-girths. Drawing rein at the outer rim of the pines, they
dismounted and removed their saddles and packs, the latter consisting of
a pair of blankets apiece and a week's rations equally distributed among
them; coffee, sugar, bacon, beans and flour and a few necessary
utensils. These they carried into the center of the grove and deposited
in a circle on the ground.
José led away the horses and while he was occupied in picketing them,
the Captain gathered an armful of dry wood for the fire, and then
picking up a canvas bucket, strolled to the river and filled it with
water.
Chiquita had already lit the fire when he returned. She filled the
coffee pot with water, cut some slices of bacon and tossed them into a
pan which she placed on the fire and then began to mix some flour and
water. The Captain leaned against the trunk of one of the trees and
rolling a cigarette, lit it, watching her the while. Chiquita laughed
softly, but said nothing while engaged in the process of bread-making.
This homely touch of camp-life told plainer than words how thoroughly
they had come down to earth and again were facing the wholesome
realities of life. When the dough was of the right consistency, she
molded it into biscuits, placed them in a deep pan, and raking some
coals from the fire, set the pan upon them, also depositing some coals
on the top of the cover. After giving the bacon a final turn in the pan,
she set it to one side close to the fire where it would keep warm.
She then rose to her feet and stood erect. As she did so, one of the
great strands of her hair which had become loosened during their flight,
fell in a soft curling mass of blue jet down her back to within a few
inches of her ankles. Captain Forest did not know then that it was a
sign of her royal lineage.
Once upon a time in the dim past, so far back that nobody could remember
when it had occurred, a Tewana woman had given birth to a beautiful girl
child with wonderful hair in the same year that a wandering star with a
great tail had appeared in the heavens. The coincidence seemed nothing
short of miraculous to the people. The Sachems of the tribe pronounced
the child to be consecrated and chosen to rule over them by the gods. So
it had been decreed, and ever since then, all Tewana women who had ruled
over the people had possessed this distinctive mark of their royal
lineage and bore the name, "Flaming Star."
Chiquita crossed over to where the Captain still stood leaning against
the tree and, pausing before him, looked up into his face and said:
"What are you thinking of, Sweetheart?" He flung his arms about her and
kissed her.
"I am still wondering," he answered, "how it all happened. It seems so
strange, and yet so natural."
"Just what I, too, have been thinking," she returned. "And yet it is no
more remarkable than what our entire lives have been. It could not be
otherwise."
"No," he replied. "I would not have it different for worlds. It's just
as it should be--just as it has been decreed."
"Come!" she said, leading him over to where her pack lay on the ground.
"I've got something for you," and kneeling on the ground, she began
unrolling her blankets, out of which she took a small package which, on
being opened, contained two pairs of beautifully beaded moccasins; one
pair of which she handed to him.
"It's just like you, Chiquita _mia_!" he exclaimed. "I always wear them
in camp, but in the hurry to get away, I forgot mine. I'm glad I forgot
them though," he added, holding up the moccasins and admiring them. "How
did you come to think of them?"
"I can't say," she answered. "One afternoon about a month ago while at
the _Posada_, I noticed your footprint in the gravel path in the garden
where you had been talking to the girls but a few moments before.
Things, as you know, were rather uncertain then, nevertheless, something
impelled me to take the measure and make them; thinking that possibly
you might want them some day. Besides, it was such sweet work, you
know," she added with a little laugh.
"Chiquita--you're a wonderful woman! You not only seem to be able to do
everything, but you think of everything as well," and kneeling on the
ground before her, he drew off her riding boots and slipped her
moccasins on her feet.
"It is the bridal gift of an Indian girl to her husband," she said
caressingly. "And signifies that they shall tread the same path together
through life."
"What could be more beautiful!" he returned, pulling off his boots and
drawing on his own. "Ah!" he continued, "it was worth waiting for you
Chiquita _mia_! The long years of uncertainty and suffering seem as
nothing, now that I look back upon them and you have come into my life."
Just then José returned from the work of picketing the horses and the
three sat down to supper.
XXXVIII
"Isn't it strange how easily one can return to the natural life if one
has known it before?" said Chiquita later in the evening, as the three
lay stretched on their blankets around the small fire which José had
kindled in the center of the grove, and watched the flickering flames
and dancing shadows against the dark pine boughs surrounding them.
"The life of yesterday has fallen from me," she continued, gazing
pensively into the fire whose red glare illumined her beautiful bronze
features.
"Yes, you are an Indian once more, Chiquita _mia_," said the Captain.
"Ah! you are as much of an Indian as José or myself!" she retorted
gayly. "What a pity you didn't know the life before the land was
conquered and tamed by the White man! Verily, a glory has passed from
this earth!" A peculiar light shone in José's eyes as he listened to her
words. He seemed on the point of speaking, but did not. He smiled and
rolled a fresh _cigarillo_, lighting it with a pine twig which he took
from the fire.
"Tell me why you insisted on our coming this way, Chiquita?" asked the
Captain, disposing himself comfortably on his blanket.
"Because I want to see my people again. They are the strongest and most
advanced people in Mexico, and we will be safe with them until things
have quieted down. Because I wanted you to see where I came from and how
I lived before Padre Antonio introduced me to a new world and made of me
a woman that you could love. Besides, we can start from their country on
our camping trip as well as from any other place. My people are not
quite the savages you probably think them. But there is something else,"
she continued after a pause. "I was impelled, drawn this way. Why, I can
not say, but something always kept pointing me toward the northwest. I
feel as though the climax of our lives is yet to come; that we are on
the verge of something great; that our work in life may begin with
them."
"Perhaps it may be so!" interrupted José, no longer able to conceal the
agitation her words aroused in him. "That is, if the vision of the White
Cloud prove to be true. At any rate, my people await your coming," he
added. At the mention of the White Cloud, Chiquita sat bolt upright,
regarding José intently the while--then rose to her feet.
"The White Cloud? Your people?" she repeated excitedly. "Then you are a
Tewana?" José also had risen from his sitting posture, and dropping on
one knee with face downward and both arms extended straight out before
him with the palms of the hands turned downward, he exclaimed in the
Tewana tongue: "Princess, Flaming Star--I greet you! I am Onakipo, the
Pine Tree, son of Ixlao, the Swan!" José's attitude and manner of speech
formed a most striking picture. He had not even revealed his true
identity to the Captain.
Chiquita had noticed the furtive, stolen glances he had cast at her from
time to time during the journey, a thing strange in an Indian, and it
caused her some uneasiness, but now she understood. He had just
acknowledged her by his attitude of submission and the salute common to
his people, as their tribal head.
"You and I, Princess, were the sole survivors of that last battle in
which your father's band was annihilated," continued José in Spanish,
seating himself once more on the ground on the other side of the fire
opposite Chiquita who again had taken her place beside the Captain.
"I do not wonder that you did not recognize me," he went on after a
pause, during which he rolled and lit a fresh _cigarillo_. "I was a mere
boy at the time. The battle, you will remember, took place just before
sunset, and when the enemy charged our camp, I was struck on the head,
as you see by the scar over my left eye. I fell over a ledge of rock
into a gully below, alighting in a thick clump of bushes, breaking my
fall and saving my life. Fortunately the bushes concealed me from view,
causing the enemy to overlook me, else they certainly had finished me
before departing. I lay unconscious all that night until noon of the
following day, when I awoke. For a long time after awakening I was too
weak to rise, but finally I managed to crawl to the little stream that
ran at the bottom of the gully just below me. There I slaked my thirst
and washed my face and wound and bound it up as best I could. All that
afternoon I lay by the stream, drinking and dipping my head in the water
until evening, when I regained sufficient strength to crawl back to the
top of the great rock where we made our last stand.
"There, a ghastly sight met my eyes. With his back against a large
bowlder where the enemy had placed him, sat your father, the Whirlwind,
still dressed in his war regalia and around him, just as they had
fallen, lay our dead comrades. I counted them. There were forty-eight in
all, and as you were not among the dead, I rightly conjectured, as it
soon afterward proved, that you had been taken prisoner. Three weeks
later I succeeded in reaching our people and told the news. A war party
was organized immediately, and I guided it back to the land of the
Ispali where after a battle, we learned of your capture and escape from
several of the Ispali whom we succeeded in capturing.
"That was ten years ago, and ever since then, we have sent out runners
each year to visit the towns and villages throughout the land in the
hope of finding you and bringing you back again to rule over us; for as
you know, Princess, you are the last of the royal blood. But in vain. In
spite of the fact that the White Cloud, our great Sachem, said you were
still alive, that he repeatedly saw you among the living in his visions
and predicted your return, we found no trace of you. That was because we
had overlooked Santa Fé. It lies so far east of our country that it
escaped our notice. We never imagined that you had crossed the Sierra
Madres in your flight, and had I not chanced to enter the Captain's
service, we probably never would have heard of you again.
"But now I understand that it was so intended--that the time was not yet
ripe. That the Great Spirit had ordained you should not return to your
people until you had become worthy of the charge which is about to be
conferred upon you, and which, as you shall presently learn, goes to
prove the truth of the subsequent prophecies the White Cloud made
concerning you." He paused and for some minutes gazed silently into the
fire. He had accompanied his narrative with intense, dramatic gestures
and expressions illustrative of its incidents; a characteristic common
to his race. Presently a smile lit up his face and looking up once more,
he resumed.
"You remember, Princess, how the White Cloud counseled us to accept the
terms of the Government, bad though they were, and make peace, and
prophesied that disaster would befall us if we refused. Well, then as
now, events have proved the truth of his words. As the years went by and
no further trace of you could be found, the people lost hope of ever
seeing you again and said you were dead. But the White Cloud maintained
that you were still alive; that the day of your return was drawing ever
nearer; that he heard the song of birds and the sound of laughing waters
and beheld the desert carpeted with flowers in his vision and you in
their midst coming towards them, which typified the renewal of life and
rebirth of the nation. But when he announced that he always saw you in
the company of a white man who later should rule over us, they laughed
at his prophecies.
"'A white man rule over the Tewana? How absurd--impossible!' They shook
their heads and said: 'The White Cloud is old--his vision has become
dim, impaired through age!'"
The Captain and Chiquita were too amazed by José's words to venture a
reply, and sat gazing alternately at one another and then at the
speaker.
"When I first met the Captain," continued José, "I wondered greatly why
I was so drawn toward him. True, he was a man to my liking and I was
doubly grateful to him for saving my life, but that did not wholly
account for my attachment. I was drawn to him irresistibly as by an
invisible power. I could not leave him; and when I again saw you,
Princess, on the day that you and the beautiful Señorita met for the
first time and heard from your own lips who you were as well as your
avowal of love for my Master, I knew then that the White Cloud had read
rightly the future; that my Master, the Grand Señor, had been chosen by
the Great Spirit to rule with you over our people.
"It was then that I learned how you had come to Padre Antonio, after
which I returned to our people and told them what I knew; that I had
found not only you, but also the White Chief whom the White Cloud had
seen in his vision, and that, if you returned to them at all, it would
surely be as his bride. At first they would not believe me, but when I
persisted and reminded them of the disasters that had befallen us in the
past for our failure to heed the White Cloud's councils, they at last
yielded and called a grand council and decided to send a deputation
composed of the leading men of the nation to verify my statements.
"It was not so much the news that you were still alive that was so
difficult for them to believe, but that a white man should rule over
them--a thing impossible and past all belief; besides, they would not
have it. However, when I conducted the deputation, consisting of six of
our leading men, to Santa Fé and they secretly beheld you, Princess,
they one and all exclaimed as with one breath: ''Tis she, the
Princess--the Flaming Star! How like her father, the Whirlwind, she is!'
"They wanted to disclose their identity to you then and there and exhort
you to return with them to your people, but I persuaded them to wait,
reminding them that the White Cloud's prophecy was not yet entirely
fulfilled. I then showed you to them, Master," he went on, addressing
the Captain, "and although they acknowledged that you were a magnificent
specimen of a man and had the appearance of one born to command, they
shook their heads and said it was impossible--that a White Chief could
never rule over the Tewana.
"'Of a truth,' I answered, 'the black-robed Padres are right! You are a
stiff-necked people who persist in following in the footsteps of our
forefathers who, we all know, were unable to lead the people to the
light. Only the White Cloud was able to foresee the future; grasp the
significance of both the Padres' and our ancient Sachems' teachings.
That the old order of things had come to an end. That the time had come
when strife must cease among men; that the tidings were now to be
fulfilled which the White Child with a face like the sun had brought to
the world, and whose coming our ancient Sachems had predicted in the
ancient days. Know also, that the Princess has seen the great world
which you have not seen; that in many ways she is more like a white
woman than one of our race; that she is wiser than you are; that the
Great Spirit has shown her the things that are good for us, and if she
becomes the wife of the White Chief, you must accept him if you accept
her, for without him she will never return to you. Besides, the White
Chief is the wisest of us all. In his sight both we and most of the men
of his own race are as children.'
"They could not find a fitting answer to my words and returned to our
people. Ever since then runners have been coming and going constantly
between us. They have been apprised of our coming and await us." José
ceased speaking and sat gazing meditatively into the fire where he
watched the pink and violet flames leap upward and lose themselves in
the thin wreath of white smoke which slowly ascended and floated away
over the tree tops. For some time no one spoke, then Captain Forest
finally broke the silence.
"What you say, José, is truly wonderful; but know, that we have no more
desire to rule the Tewana than to rule other men. But should they, like
the rest of the world, fail to heed our example, they shall perish in
their ignorance." He leaned forward and tossed some fresh sticks of wood
on the fire.
"It is time for the first watch, José," he continued, rising to his
feet and glancing up at the stars visible above the tree tops. "Call me
when the Great Bear has half circled the Pole Star. I'll keep the second
watch."
XXXIX
José brought in the horses and he and the Captain saddled and packed
them; after which they silently broke camp in the light of the stars and
the waning moon. José took his place at the head of the little
cavalcade, Chiquita following him and the Captain bringing up the rear;
he and Chiquita casting a last look at their first camp as they rode
away.
No one spoke. Save for the measured tread of the horses and noise of the
rushing stream along which the trail led upwards, no sounds disturbed
the silence of the night. Now and then an occasional spark, struck from
the horses' iron-rimmed hoofs, flashed for an instant in the darkness
along the trail.
The Captain's gaze was riveted upon Chiquita's tall, erect figure in
front of him who ever and anon turned in the saddle and smiled, her
beautiful, lustrous eyes flashing like stars in the moon-fire.
Higher and higher they mounted, pausing occasionally to allow the horses
time to draw breath, until they at length drew rein on the summit of the
Sierra Madres. Here a wonderful sight met their eyes, poised as they
were upon the rim of the earth and gazing off into star-strewn space.
Dawn was just breaking, suffusing the long line of the eastern horizon
with a soft, rosy glow which crept swiftly towards them over the
gray-green, purple plains that swept away from the mountains' base like
vast undulating stretches of ocean; the golden shafts of the on-coming
dawn driving the paling stars before them like a shepherd his flocks to
the hills. North and south, as far as the eye could reach, stretched the
broken and many crested length of the great Sierra Madre range; its
sides clothed with dark forests of cedar and pine and chaparral, its
secluded recesses obscured in the gloom; its highest peaks glowing with
golden, pink and violet tints. In the west, surrounded by a host of
golden stars that still glittered in the purple black depths of
vanishing night, the silver moon hung half-way dipped as it slowly sank
behind the towering crest of the Sahuaripa range, an isolated spur of
the Sierra Madres. A vast plain intervened between them and the distant
Sierras at whose foot dwelt the Tewana.
Far below them, from out the shadowy depths on either side of the range,
arose faint sounds of awakening life. The breeze began to sigh among the
tree tops, while high above them they heard the wild scream of eagles
that soared in great circles with widespread pinions in their morning
flight to greet the sun. Great waves of indefinable melody, more subtle
and exquisite than music, swept over them, causing their souls to
quicken and tingle in the freshening dawn as the Day Star rose to hold
again his sway over earth. His mighty splendor and effulgence swept
through and over them, their souls vibrating with renewed life and vigor
as they felt and recognized God's sign and immanence as in the days
when man first walked with Him in the cool of the morning.
They realized that they had entered upon the new life. The promise was
fulfilled--the veil was lifted. The scroll of human destiny seemed to
unroll itself from out the dim traditions of the past, and they beheld
as in a dream the life that was when first the children of men roamed
the earth and established the Kingdom of God which was intended from the
beginning. In the picture of the golden childhood of the race, they
beheld reflected in the new light of the future, the vision of the
emancipated, delivered man, guided by the lessons still to be learned
from the great Book of Nature lying open before him, and the accumulated
wisdom of past ages, handed down to him by his forefathers through
travail and suffering and in legend and song from those ancient days of
suns and nights of stars when the earth and man were young. A freeborn
race of men who are joint tenants of the soil, sharing all things in
common with which their bountiful Mother, the Earth, has provided them.
A race of men, athletic in body as they are able in mind, and spiritual
and courageous, recognizing no laws but those of Nature's or God's.
In silence and with bared heads they gazed upon the grandeur of the
scene that lay spread out before them. It was as though they looked back
upon the old life from another world. It lay so far behind them that it
seemed but a memory; not a vestige of it clung to them, so filled were
they with new hopes and aspirations.
"Behold!" cried José excitedly, pointing toward the west. And looking in
the direction indicated by his outstretched arm, they beheld in the dim
distance numerous columns of smoke rising heavenward in the clear
morning air from the tops of the _mesas_ that dotted the plain.
"'Tis the sign of your coming, Princess!" he continued. "The people have
bowed to the will of the White Cloud--acknowledged the authority of the
White Chief."
Parrakeets began to twitter among the branches of the trees on every
hand during their descent of the western slope. Ravens croaked and
called from the heart of the forest, and the owl flitted by on silent
wing. Black birds with orange heads and throats and splashed with
scarlet on their wings, greeted them at the foot of the mountain among
the reeds which grew along the stream they were following. Deer broke
from the willow copse and bounded away, while grouse rose on whirring
wings from under the horses' hoofs as they emerged upon the plain where
the wild cry of the curlew rang clear and sharp on the morning. They
were free and breathed deep of the spirit of freedom; listened to the
old primeval song of nature's myriad voices; gazed long upon the
pristine loveliness of earth.
All that day and the three following, the columns of smoke continued to
rise heavenward as they pursued their journey. At night, pillars of fire
took the place of the smoke, and all the while, save for an occasional
glimpse in the distance of a solitary horseman who faded specterlike
from view on their approach, they saw not a soul.
The Spirit of the Great Mystery brooded over the land, and they rode as
in a dream. The fragrant cedar and piñon-scented smoke mingled with the
soft, thin haze of the Indian summer which veiled the land in its golden
glow of mystery; the sacred incense, the Red men say, of the gods,
burned on their altars in ancient days; a sign to the people to gather
each year on the hilltops and _mesas_, and in the forests and plains
during the moon of falling leaves, and celebrate in prayer and sacred
dance and song, the advent of the gods.
The wind was hushed and all things seemed to sleep and dream, and they
seemed to draw nearer to the heart of things. The great change that had
come into their lives was, after all, no more wonderful than the changes
which they saw had taken place in nature about them. A luxuriant growth
of tropical vegetation, succeeded by vast forests of conifers, a remnant
of which still survived upon the mountains, once flourished in the
semi-desert through which they traveled. An occasional broken,
half-buried pillar, or the remains of a crumbling wall that had
witnessed the passing of the ages and listened to the tales borne on the
winds, marked the existence of vanished civilizations of which men
to-day know naught. All things appeared to change and fade, nothing
seemed permanent, not even the ideal; the morrow was but a forgetting.
Beneath them they felt the Earth, ponderous and weighty and crushing in
its immensity to the imagination, and whose existence seemed of little
moment in comparison to the countless worlds that filled the universe
about them. Yet, insignificant though it appeared, was it not a link in
the great universal scheme of matter, and did it not stand in the same
relation to the universe as their individual lives to the human race?
Like two stars their souls had rushed together from the uttermost
confines of space. She had been led into his world, and he compelled to
retrace his steps to almost primitive conditions in order that they
might find one another and together take up the thread of their common
destiny. Clearly, they were children of destiny upon whose brows God had
set His seal. They realized that the path which lay before them was not
one entirely strewn with flowers. That between the chosen ones, life
meant something more than the love of a man for a woman, or a woman's
for a man. That they still stood with their feet in the flame; that
earth's cup of joy for them must still remain one of bitter-sweet; that
they must go on to the end in order that men might see and hear; that
the new order of things must spring from them.
Gay was the Princess. She laughed and talked and related incidents of
her life and her people; the silvery tinkle of the bells on her spurs,
accompanying every movement of her horse, chimed sweetly with her mood.
In the raven folds of her blue-black hair, she wore again the red
berries as on the day when first he beheld her. She seemed a part of
that tawny landscape, splashed with great patches of crimson and gold
and gray and purple--the spirit and incarnation of the Indian summer.
As he gazed upon her and listened to her words, the wild refrain of
those familiar lines recurred to him:
"I will wed some savage woman; she shall rear my dusky race:
Iron-jointed, supple-sinewed, they shall dive and they shall run,
Catch the wild goat by the hair, and hurl their lances in the sun,
Whistle back the parrot's call,--leap the rainbows of the brooks,--"
The woman of the ages had come back again. Lilith and Eve and Isis and
Venus, the foam-kissed, and Erda, the dreaming one. The vision of the
ancient world rose before him; virgin forests and plains and mighty
rivers and mountains; the ancient temples of the Nile and the Ganges,
Hellas' fanes and Druidic monoliths and sacred groves, and voices of
strange peoples mingled with the soft notes of reed and lute.
Within the unending circle of life and death, of love and hatred, of joy
and sorrow and remorse which mark the rise and passing of the
civilizations, he beheld the sacred ash and pine, and starry lotus
afloat upon the face of moonlit waters in which were mirrored the palm
and papyrus and acanthus, and stood face to face with the serpent and
wolf, the winged horse and sphinx, and the dragon and the griffin when
their secret origins and significance were known unto men. The sounds of
harps and cymbals and lyres and timbrels blended with those of
conch-shells and antelope horns. Sighs and laughter and curses and
weeping mingled with the wild strains of Homeric song and mystic rites
of Chaldea and Babylon, and the sacred chant of Isis. The Voodoo danced
to the rattle of shells and antelope hoofs before the shrines of
Ethiopia's dark woman, crowned with the sickle moon, and vast multitudes
knelt and lay prostrate before the car of Juggernaut and the passing
image of Pracriti of Asia, the many-breasted, the Goddess of Abundance.
Sun and Fire worshipers tore the hearts and scalps from living victims
and held them aloft to the rising sun, and men and wild beasts fought in
arenas amid the acclamations of the people.
He beheld the milk-white bullocks of the Druid, garlanded with flowers,
heading the procession that entered the dark groves in search of the
sacred mistletoe-bearing oak; the processions of Pan and Odin, and Siva
and Vishnu and Baal, and Venus and Bacchus. Nymphs and fauns and dryads
and hamadryads called from the depths of the forest, and youths and
maidens and shepherds with vine-wreathed brows danced in the sunlit
glades and on the hills where the white flocks roamed, to the plaintive
notes of the mystic pipes of Pan. He beheld the flaunting banners and
flashing steel of victorious hosts and heard the wild, weird chants of
wandering, barbaric hordes that conquered and destroyed. The flash and
roar of artillery of recent times but intensified the gloom that brooded
over the world. The struggle was unending. Men still remained the
victims and slaves of passion and desire. Their sighs and curses and
groans and cries of hatred and despair increased with the years; the
smoke of their torment blackened the face of the sun.
The waves of human harmony and discord swept over him like the sounds of
mighty rushing winds and waters, and he beheld the race to-day, as in
the past, in the plains and on the high tops, prostrate and erect with
hands outstretched toward the heavens, crying for release. And yet
through it and beneath it and above it all, he heard a ringing note of
triumph that swelled onward and upward until the vision shone clear, and
the true import of their lives stood revealed. They had overcome the
world; broken the fiery chains of desire.
The heavens of the old world rolled together like a scroll, and the sun
and the moon and the stars and the earth fell into the burning sea of
man's worldliness, but out of the chaos that followed, the earth emerged
once more, green and beautiful, and grain waved upon its face, and the
voice of the Angel rang clear, crying aloud and mightily:
"Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen! Babylon, the woman mounted upon
the scarlet beast and arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked
with gold and precious stones and pearls, and having a golden cup in her
hand full of abominations.... Babylon upon whose forehead is written,
'Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of
the Earth.' Babylon drunk with wine and the blood of those who stood for
the truth. Babylon, of whose wine and delights all men have drunk and
with whom all the nations of the Earth have committed fornication.
Babylon whose sins have reached unto heaven; who hath glorified herself
and lived deliciously and who said in her heart: 'I sit a queen, and am
no widow, and shall know no sorrow; my joy shall continue forever!'
"Her plagues shall come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and
she shall be utterly burned with fire. And the kings and the rulers of
earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the mighty men, and the
chief Captains, and the bondsmen, and the free-men who have lived
deliciously with her and who bear the mark of the beast in their hands
and upon their foreheads shall bewail her and lament for her, crying:
"'Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city!'
"And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no
man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold and
silver and precious stones, and of pearls and fine linen, and purple,
and silk and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of
ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass and
iron and marble. And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and
frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts,
and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men....
"The fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all
things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou
shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things which were
made rich by her shall stand afar off ... weeping and wailing and
saying: 'Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen and
purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and
pearls....' And every ship master and all the company in ships, and
sailors, and as many as trade by sea ... shall cry when they see the
smoke of her burning, saying: 'What city is like unto this great city?'
And they shall cast dust on their heads, and weeping and wailing, cry:
'Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships
in the sea by reason of her costliness!'
"Babylon, Babylon, thine idols and graven images of gods shall be cast
down and shattered utterly and forever! The voice of harpers, and
musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all
in thee; and no craftsman of whatsoever craft he be shall be found any
more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all
in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee;
and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more
at all in thee; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for
by thy sorceries were all nations of the earth deceived!"
Babylon, Babylon, thou fair city, thou proud world, thou wonderful
emanation of men's minds, thou fair wanton, thou beauteous licentious
harlot of gold and gems, and white linen, and silks, and of henna, and
myrrh, and frankincense, and sweet-smelling herbs, no more shall thy
sons and daughters rejoice in thee and worship thee! Thy grass shall be
withered and thy fig trees shall cast their figs, and thy gold and
silver, and thy diamonds, and rubies, and sapphires, and turquoise, and
emeralds, and opals, and pearls, and topaz, shall lie scattered and in
heaps for him to take who wisheth them, but none shall desire them.
No more shall thy daughters sit in the shadow of thy vines where nesteth
the dove, and glorify thee in idle jest and laughter and song, and
longingly wait for the coming of the night, for they shall be bereft of
their silks, and their girdles, and anklets, and bracelets of gold and
jewels. Thy songs and pæans of triumph and victory shall cease with the
tainted stream of thy desires, and the walls of thy temples shall
crumble to dust. Thy stars shall pale, and the sun and the moon shall
illumine thee no longer, for the day approacheth when thy blandishments
shall fail to allure.
Babylon, Babylon, thou proud city, thou who sitteth upon many waters,
thou whose sway encompasseth the earth, how hast thou fallen!
XL
On the afternoon of the fifth day they drew rein on a high, shelving,
terracelike stretch of ground overlooking a broad valley, and almost
opposite the chief Tewana village which nestled at the foot of the
Sahuaripa range, running north and south until lost on the horizon.
Back of the village a cataract flung itself downward over the mountain's
side into the valley, its clouds of spray reflecting innumerable rainbow
tints in the sunshine. Great forests, abounding in wild animal life,
clothed the mountain's slopes.
It was a peaceful, fruitful valley upon which they gazed; the land where
Chiquita formerly dwelt. The grass grew knee-deep in the meadows.
Willows and water-birch and sycamore and alders and poplars,
interspersed with pines and oaks, grew in clusters along the banks of
the broad, rushing stream that ran between them and the distant village
whose low, vine-clad walls glowed golden and rose and purple and gray in
the rays of the afternoon sun. The diminutive city was a mass of trees
and foliage and seemed a part of the landscape; so small were the houses
and so harmonious its setting. Fields of flax and melons, and beans and
squash, and corn and tobacco, and small orchards and vineyards already
harvested, dotted the valley close to the meadows which bordered the
tree-fringed stream. Herds of horses and cattle and flocks of sheep and
goats, intermingled with wild herds of deer and antelope, browsed on the
meadows and slopes above the river where they stood. Wild ducks and
geese and swan swam in the river, and grouse and wild turkeys and quail
and plover roamed the forests and uplands. There was no promiscuous
killing of wild animals allowed among the Tewana; they were shared in
common like the domesticated animals. Innumerable canoes, used for
fishing, were drawn up on the banks of the river.
The Tewana were an independent, self-supporting people. At all seasons
of the year were heard the sounds of the hand-loom and the smith's
anvil--the fashioners of iron and precious metals. The weavers of cloth
and baskets, and potters and tanners fashioned their wares in the open
in the shade of their walls and trees.
The life these people led, free from the harassing cares and anxieties
of the White man, was almost ideal. During the spring and summer months
they tended their fields, and after the harvests were gathered in the
autumn and the surplus produce stored in public granaries, they engaged
in the chase; hunting only with the bow and spear--camping in the open,
in the forests and plains until the advent of winter. During the ensuing
months, until the coming of spring, the children were instructed by
their parents in the industrial arts; taught the traditions of their
people, and how to read and write, and to observe the courses of the
stars and to forecast the weather and predict the nature of the seasons.
With the coming of the seedtime, they entered the fields with their
elders and learned to sow and tend and reap the crops.
Thus, by the time the child had attained the age of sixteen, he was
thoroughly conversant with all that was necessary to meet the demands of
life. He became an independent, self-supporting unit, while his constant
contact with nature not only revealed the latter's secrets and the laws
governing natural phenomena, but developed him physically and
spiritually as only nature can. All orphaned children were adopted by
the different families, and consequently, there were no outcasts or poor
and ignorant among the people.
Every house was surrounded by a small plot of ground sufficient to
supply the family with fruit, poultry, grain and vegetables; from two to
three acres in extent. Their herds were held in common and permitted to
run at will like the deer; requiring but little care.
The Tewana only produced enough to feed and clothe themselves. The use
of money was forbidden among them, and trade and barter limited
practically to the individual who, desiring something particular from
his neighbor, procured the latter an equivalent in return.
They regarded material things as merely a means to an end, and
considered it a disgrace for any one to accumulate wealth; for it was
noted that one's spiritual development declined in the same ratio that
his material possessions increased. Like the land, they held the forests
and minerals and waters and animals in common. These were the sacred
things, the gift of nature, and could not be bartered or sold. In their
eyes, only the depraved soul of a peddler ever could have conceived the
idea of turning them into merchandise. Naturally it had taken centuries
of evolution to create this attitude--but they had attained. There was,
however, no need of wealth. Since they enjoyed the earth's natural
resources in common, there was enough and an abundance for all; placing
the high and the low on a footing of material equality.
Four months' energetic labor was all that was required to produce the
annual necessities of life, allowing the individual the greater portion
of his days to devote to the development of his natural capacities.
There were no idlers, the women sharing the responsibilities of life the
same as the men. All contributed their services to that which was
required for the good of the community; the maintenance of aqueducts and
roads in the towns and the guarding of the herds. Aside from these
slight duties, the individual was free to follow the bent of his
desires. Those who refused to contribute such services were driven from
the community and became nomads, but such instances were rare; all
preferring to enjoy the benefits which civilization, combined with the
greatest amount of liberty, bestowed upon the individual.
Opposite the chief _pueblo_, on the same side of the river occupied by
themselves, stood the ruins of another town in a fair state of
preservation. It differed greatly in appearance from the one opposite.
It was compactly built, resembling more a modern Mexican town than the
pure type of Indian _pueblo_. In answer to the Captain's inquiries
concerning it, Chiquita smiled and said: "Originally there were sixty
_pueblos_, averaging from two to three thousand inhabitants each; the
number of inhabitants to which the size of our towns are limited. Owing
to the new ideas that were introduced among us by the priests and
traders that were permitted to visit us from time to time, many of our
people sought to establish a new order of things; like that prevailing
throughout the greater part of the world to-day. But in order that I may
make clear what I am about to say, I must first tell you, that the
Tewana are as quick to recognize and encourage talent and genius as were
the ancient Greeks--that there are many artists among my people who have
developed their arts to a high degree of perfection--poets, painters,
sculptors and musicians.
"These artists, especially, became imbued with the new ideas, and
instead of continuing to create for art's sake only, as had been the
custom of their fathers, embellishing their houses and articles of use
with their artistic creations, or spreading their poetry and music and
national sagas abroad after the manner of the Minnesingers of old, they,
with the others who had become affected, began to adopt new customs--to
build churches and temples in which to worship and preserve their arts,
and sought to introduce money and taxation and all that they entail
among the people in order that the new institutions might be maintained.
"The disaffection became widespread, affecting about half the people.
The White Cloud and my father did all in their power to persuade the
renegades, as they were called, to return to the old ways again;
maintaining that God dwelt in the open, not in temples, and that the
works of man which entailed the burden of taxation for their
maintenance, depriving man of his freedom, were not worth retaining.
That it was not economy, but extravagance to maintain them, and an
unnecessary waste of energy; for the instant man, in his material
evolution, goes beyond the procuring of the necessities of life, he
becomes immeshed in the creations of his own world and a slave to them.
But in vain. They refused to listen to the wisdom of their words and
only laughed in answer to their pleadings. Whereupon, the most terrible
battles ensued; costing the lives of fifty thousand of our best fighting
men and women; for among us, the women, like the men, are warriors, and
quite as capable of self-defense. They likewise take part in all our
games. In fact, they receive the same training in all things as the men
in order that they may be equally fitted to bear the responsibilities of
citizenship.
"Our women are trained for battle, not particularly to make warriors of
them, but for the same reason that the Greeks placed athletics before
all else. Not that they considered athletics superior to the other arts
and sciences, but without physical perfection, they realized there could
be no proper mental poise, no balance between mind and body. When you
see our youth, our young men and women, contest for the honors in our
games and military exercises you'll realize the truth of this. The
entire nation gathers together once a year to witness these sports and
exercises and judge the skill of the contestants. No Olympic games ever
surpassed them. You shall see wonderfully beautiful men and women, the
result of their training. Men and women who grow naturally from the
ground up, like the tree or the flower. Believe me, your people don't
know what it is to really live, to taste of the true joys of life; they
only exist.
"Owing to the terrific loss we sustained during the rebellion, we were
forced to make terms with the Mexican Government and pay an annual
tribute like the rest of her people. It was my first introduction to
battle. I don't think I shall ever forget those terrible days of
slaughter. No quarter was shown, for we knew that defeat meant the
extermination of our race. There ought to be about a hundred thousand of
us left," she continued. "Twenty _pueblos_, in all were destroyed, and
may their ruins long continue to stand as monuments of the folly of
men!"
"But how about your schools and hospitals and asylums and prisons?"
asked the Captain.
"Men who lead natural lives have no need of such things," she answered.
"Nature is all sufficient and has provided all things for man's proper
development. The man or woman who can not instruct a child in the things
that are worth knowing and necessary to meet the demands of life, is a
barbarian and only half civilized. Once a man becomes civilized, the
civilizing process ends. A man's spiritual growth is not dependent upon
his inventions, his sciences or his arts, but is a thing apart from
mental growth. If this were not so, his hope of ultimate deliverance
would be a delusion. Contagious diseases were unknown to us until
introduced among us by white men. As for criminals, they are very rare
among us. When all men have an equal opportunity in life there is no
incentive to commit crime. Acts that are the result of sudden fits of
passion, are not the acts of criminals, but the righting of a supposed
wrong done the individual. But even these are rare. Should any one
transgress the law, he is punished, not imprisoned. Only a fool would go
to the trouble and expense of keeping a man imprisoned. A delinquent is
punished so severely that he will not transgress the law a second time;
for a second serious offense against society is punished usually with
death. From what I have told you, you can gather that we are not the
savages the world imagines men to be who lead a natural existence. You
can see how easily we, with our knowledge and theirs, could lead them to
the light."
"Is there nothing between the picture your people present and the world
we know?"
"Nothing! What else could there be? After the final appraisement of
things has been taken and they have been weighed in the balance and
adjudged, this is the condition that must confront mankind, for no other
condition offers man such unlimited scope for the development of his
higher nature. What you see is the true picture of the delivered man.
The Golden Age, or the Garden of Eden is no myth. Men once were free and
remained so until they gave way to desire and established for themselves
a world of delusion in which there is no permanency either of thought or
possession. The traditions of all nations and all peoples, from time
immemorial, tell of this state when men were free. They also predict
the destruction of present-day society. The Utopias and Golden Ages
depicted by poets and dreamers, though beautiful to dwell upon in fancy,
are of the tissue of dreams. They will not bear analysis. They are
merely other names for different forms of bondage; the same old romantic
fallacies which we are forever meeting in works of fiction."
"And how long shall the world we know continue until the new
dispensation comes to pass?"
"Until men overcome the fear of death! Then shall they be born anew and
come into their rightful heritage. Then shall they grasp the spiritual
significance of the Golden Age as voiced by the Prophet: When first the
foundations of the Earth were laid; when the morning stars sang together
and all the Sons of God shouted for joy, for we are they!"
XLI
On either side of the village, forming a vast semicircle, stood
innumerable lodges and hogans, temporary structures erected by the
inhabitants of the other villages, who had come to show homage to the
Princess and the White Chief, as the Captain was called.
While gazing in the direction of the village which was too far distant
for them to distinguish more than an indistinct outline of objects, they
beheld two dark columns of horsemen issue forth from the center of the
great semicircle of lodges and move slowly in their direction. Chiquita
guessed their meaning. As a child she had witnessed the ceremony when
her father, the Whirlwind, was proclaimed Chief of the nation.
Without pausing, they came trailing across the valley in two separate
columns, thousands of horsemen and women, the men on the right hand, the
women on the left; all riding bareback with simple _riatas_ twisted
around the horse's lower jaw. Save for their sandals and the skins of
the panther and ocelot and jaguar, the Mexican leopard, which they wore
clasped at the left shoulder by a golden, jeweled clasp, and which fell
diagonally down across the body to the right knee, leaving the arms and
shoulders and the greater part of the body bare and the left leg exposed
to the hip, the women were as naked as the men who wore sandals and
loin-skins only. Heavy clasps and bracelets and girdles of gold and
silver, set with pearls and opals, and turquoise and topaz, and emeralds
and sapphires, adorned their arms and waists.
Among the Tewana there was no distinction in authority between man and
woman. Like the Amazons of old, the women carried long steel-tipped
lances and shields and bows and quivers of arrows slung across their
backs as did the men. The head of each Cacique or Chieftain of a hundred
warriors or Amazons was adorned with a circlet of gold with a clasp of
precious stones on the left side of the head holding a single eagle's
feather that slanted downward across the left shoulder.
On they came, the half-wild horses prancing and plunging and snorting
and neighing, their manes and the long black hair and braids of the men
and women flying in the breeze; the lance tips and jewels and their
naked, bronze bodies flashing and glistening in the sun; a wonderful,
wild, picturesque, barbaric pageant, a voice from the past; magnificent
specimens of manhood and womanhood; free men, exemplifying the fullness
of life--the life that is worth living. The jewels and precious metals
which they wore represented incredible wealth, but were regarded by them
as objects of beauty only, for these were the Tewana, the people, who
for the sake of freedom, had trampled material wealth under foot; had
held Montezuma in check and resisted the encroachments of the Spaniard
ever since the days of Cortez, knowing themselves to be a superior
people and of more ancient origin.
A wild, weird chant that rolled and swelled in great undulatory waves of
melody down the long lines of warriors, was borne to them on the breeze.
The whole valley was filled with the song, the hills and mountains,
reverberating and resounding, echoed back the refrain.
"'Tis the ancient chant of the kings!" explained Chiquita. "Of course we
no longer go to war thus. Nevertheless, it is the ancient rite that must
be performed so long as the Tewana remain a nation."
Nearer and nearer drew the advancing host, the volume of sound swelling
and increasing, until splashing through the river and sweeping up the
slope to where they stood, the leaders drew rein before them, and
raising their lances on high, a mighty shout burst from the throats of
the warriors, interrupting the song. Again and again the valley and
mountains echoed and reverberated with the prolonged shouts and
acclamations until the chant was taken up once more.
An eagle with widespread wings soared above them in the blue of heaven
and seemed to accompany them as they swept along between the lines in
the direction of the village; each company of warriors and Amazons,
without interrupting the chant, raising their lances in salute as they
passed. There was no doubt in the minds of the Tewana regarding Captain
Forest's ability to rule as they gazed upon the man and the horse he
rode. He was as tall and deep chested as the Whirlwind, while his
piercing, hawklike gaze and face shone with the strength and
determination of one born to command. The Chestnut tossed his great
white mane in the air and neighed and plunged and curveted between the
lines.
Truly the White Cloud had read the future well--the White Chief had come
with the Princess.
On they rode, the song and acclamations of the warriors ringing in their
ears, their gaze now scanning the faces of these wonderful people, now
lifted heavenward to the eagle which floated overhead and continued to
accompany them. Their souls thrilled with the exquisite joy of living
which the scene and the surroundings inspired in them. A scene which men
have dreamed of during moments of spiritual uplift, and have longed to
behold and imitate and become a part of, and escape from the sordidness
and pettiness of mundane existence and live the life of men where life
is life and every breath is freedom; where the desire to live is
dominant and the future holds no terrors, and each new day and sun and
moon and procession of the stars are greeted with the joy that is born
of living and hailed as emblems of the creative force that marks and
animates the passing of the seasons.
At the end of the lines, on a slight eminence before the village, in
front of a great gathering of aged men and women and children, stood the
tall, erect figure of an ancient warrior and patriarch with long,
snow-white hair that fell over his shoulders. Like the Amazons, he was
clad in a jaguar's skin held in place by a golden girdle and clasps
studded with jewels, and wore sandals on his feet. A circlet of gold
wrought with runic symbols, to the left side of which was attached a
raven's wing, encircled his head, while in his right hand he held a
long willow staff or wand to which were attached seven eagle feathers
that fluttered in the breeze.
It was the great Sachem, the White Cloud. A hundred winters sat upon his
clear, broad arching brow, and yet the years seemed to rest lightly upon
him. His benign, beaming countenance shone with an almost supernatural
radiance that bespoke the gift of the seer. Without altering his
position, he quietly signed to Chiquita and the Captain to dismount and
approach. Meanwhile the warriors had gathered in a great semicircle in
front of them. For some time the White Cloud continued to gaze at them
in silent scrutiny, his large, dark, piercing eyes roving from
Chiquita's face to the Captain's, in the seeming effort to fathom their
thoughts and the very depths of their souls, as though to reassure
himself of the truth of his prophecy.
"It is done. You have come at last, my children--the prophecy is
fulfilled!" he began at length. Then, raising the staff which he held in
his right hand and pointing directly upward to where the eagle continued
to soar in great circles, he cried in a deep sonorous voice that all
might hear: "Behold the sacred bird, God's sign and symbol; the sacred
witness to the consecration of His chosen ones! For was it not written
in the ancient runes that, after the coming of the White Child with a
face like the sun, the ancient spirit of Hiawatha, the Red Man's
Messiah, would revisit the world of men once more upon the back of an
eagle to verify the truth of those words uttered by the White Child?
"Since the dawn of man's birth the centuries have waited for this day!
Henceforth," he continued, addressing the Captain, "you shall be known
unto all men as Soaring Eagle, the Winged Spirit! And you, Flaming Star,
as the Giver of Life!" Then, planting the wand upright in the ground
between them, he bade them take hold of it; Chiquita with the left hand
and the Captain with the right, his hand above hers.
"By the power and sacred symbolism represented by this staff," he
continued, "I invest you both with the supreme authority. And further, I
call all men to witness that, the hand of Soaring Eagle rests above that
of the Giver of Life, which signifies that his word shall outweigh all
others in the Councils of the People." He ceased speaking and turned to
the Captain as if awaiting his reply.
A prolonged silence ensued, during which the latter's gaze swept the
vast conclave of horsemen and forest of lances that glittered in the
sunlight and the wild mountains beyond which towered above the valley
and had looked down upon the Tewana in the ancient days when _his_ race
was in the cradle of its infancy. Beside him stood the beauteous woman
who seemed endowed with all the wit and graces the poets of the ages had
attributed to the ideal woman. An inspiring, uplifting spectacle, far
surpassing in its reality the vision of his dreams.
He had attained the goal. The responsibility had been laid upon him, and
without hesitation he accepted the charge, and spake; his words being
translated by Chiquita, were repeated in turn to the multitude by the
White Cloud.
"Tewana, we accept the charge which you have imposed in us," he began
quietly. "But understand, we come not to rule you; we come to guide you.
It is time that you should learn to rule yourselves.
"The days of rulers have passed. Woe unto them that seek to rule, and
woe unto the people that bows its neck to rulers! The message which we
have come to deliver unto you, we deliver likewise unto all men and it
shall go forth unto the uttermost confines of the earth." He paused,
then raising his voice on high once more, he continued:
"Tewana, do you accept the terms? We come to guide you, not to rule
you!"
A profound silence followed his speech. No sound was heard save the
sighing of the wind among the warriors' lance tips and shields and their
arrow-filled quivers, and the rustling of the seven eagle feathers
attached to the White Cloud's staff.
"Tewana," he asked again. "Do you accept the terms?"
Again all was silence. Then, all of a sudden, a vibrant, ringing note,
audible to all, the scream of the eagle, came floating downward, clear
and bell-like, from out the sky.
"'Tis the warning voice of the bird; the wisdom of the Ancient Ones!"
cried the White Cloud. "The spirit of the Great Mystery has spoken once
more!
"We accept--we accept!" And seizing the staff with his right hand, he
raised it and made the sign of the cross above their heads. Then turning
and facing the warriors, he raised the staff on high once more and cried
in a loud voice:
"Tewana, earth-born Children of the Sun, salute your Chieftains!" A
mighty shout went up from the entire multitude. Ten thousand bow-strings
twanged on the air, and ten thousand arrows flew upward toward the sun.
Again and again the shouts of acclamation broke from the assembled
multitude and swept over them in great waves of sound until valley and
hills and mountains resounded with the cry, and then the people again
took up the ancient chant of the kings whose refrain, filling the
valley, swelled ever outward and upward to the great sacred bird that
soared high aloft with widespread pinions in the pale azure of heaven.
"It is done--it is done!" echoed and reëchoed the refrain. Few there are
to whom the vision has been given, and fewer still that heed it.
THE END
Transcriber's note:
Minor typographical corrections are documented in the associated
HTML version.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of When Dreams Come True, by Ritter Brown
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE ***
***** This file should be named 28593-8.txt or 28593-8.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/8/5/9/28593/
Produced by David Clarke, Linda Hamilton and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project
Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you
do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is
subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
redistribution.
*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
http://gutenberg.org/license).
Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works
1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works. See paragraph 1.E below.
1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the
collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an
individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in
a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check
the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning
the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
States.
1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
copied or distributed:
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
1.E.9.
1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked
to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg-tm License.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or
distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
that
- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is
owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments
must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
License. You must require such a user to return or
destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
Project Gutenberg-tm works.
- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
of receipt of the work.
- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the
Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
1.F.
1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
your equipment.
1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with
the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy
is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any
provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists
because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation
The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at
809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
[email protected]. Email contact links and up to date contact
information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
page at http://pglaf.org
For additional contact information:
Dr. Gregory B. Newby
Chief Executive and Director
[email protected]
Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation
Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.
The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To
SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
particular state visit http://pglaf.org
While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.
International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
works.
Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily
keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
http://www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
