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Mistress of Monterey
VIRGINIA STIVERS BARTLETT - - ev ““
REVEILLE
In one of the annals of California
history, there are these paragraphs:
“Turn now to the Northern coasts, to
the Bay oj San Diego, whose waters had
lain for more than a century and a half
undisturbed by European keel, whose
shores had known no tread of iron heel
since Sebastian Vizcaino was there. 7 he
native inhabitants yet preserved a tradi¬
tional remembrance of white and bearded
visitors, kept alive perhaps by an occa¬ the
sional rumor wafted overland from the
southeast, and by distant glimpses of
white winged galleon which year after
year bore its oriental treasure down past
this port, which, so far as can be known,
seas never entered. And now the aborig¬
inal solitude is to he forever broken.
"... On the. 29th day of April, 1769,
the San Carlos, otherwise called the
Golden Fleece, comes in sight.
. . On board were Lieutenant I'edro
Fages,* with twenty-five Catalan volun¬
teers. . . .”
• Pronounced Fah'hays.
CHAPTER I
— 1 —
It was autumn of the year 1783.
Senor Don Pedro Fages, Civil
Governor of the Californias, Upper
and Lower, drank a toast to his
Most Catholic Majesty, King Carlos
III of Spain, then filled his cup and
raised it to the priest in Franciscan
robe and cowl sitting opposite him
across the hand-hewn table.
“To your Reverence!” he said.
“To Fray Junipero Serra, pious
priest, intrepid missionary, tireless
traveler, and if I may, good sol¬
dier!” He drained the cup, and
wiped his short mustaches and
beard with a brown hand.
Junipero Serra smiled slowly. “A
thousand thanks, Senor el Goberna-
dor,” he began ceremoniously. But
Fages stopped him with a twinkle
in his eye.
“No, no, Padre! None of that
when we are here alone. You and
I have enjoyed too many privations
together, have gone thirsty and hun¬
gry, have eaten mule meat, or
worse, too many times for us to
stand on ceremony when we are
by ourselves, even though you are
Padre Presidente of the Missions
in California, and I . . ."
“Governor of all the Californias,”
finished the priest. “But I had be¬
lieved . . . that is, it had come to
my attention, that his Excellency
believed there were times when he
was not greeted with the proper re¬
spect when he deigned to visit the
"Mission San Carlos at Carmel.”
Fages laughed. “Oh, that! That
complaint was simply necessary to
show some of these priests that a
healthier respect for the Crown was
a desirable trait in them. That
never applied to you, Padre.”
“We are in a country where we
are unable to demonstrate the rec¬
ognition due your worthy person.
The King himself would understand
the lack of these ceremonies. He
would not be displeased, however,
but edified, I believe, and he would
rejoice to witness that what is pos¬
sible to do is done.”
Fages still smiled, though the oth¬
er’s tone implied a rebuke.
“Scold me, Padre, if you will. I
deserve it, I suppose. But I have
been thinking of something ... de¬
ciding something. And today I have
sent messengers with the results of
my decisions to the Viceroy in Mex¬
ico. And what do you suppose the
message is?”
The priest caught his breath and
moved his fingers uneasily toward
his beads. Although he seemed to
be studying a corner of the brush
ceiling over the Governor’s head,
he was reading Fages, and Fages
knew it. Years of a wary com¬
radeship had taught Serra to read
every expression in the other’s face.
He had seen it light with a strange
inner fire when some vista of this
new California unrolled itself be¬
fore Fages; seen it grow lean and
tense through long days of starva¬
tion and burning heat, or gray and
drawn when the Governor's small
company of Catalonian soldiers fell,
one by one, prey to the scurvy. But
he could never quite tell whether the
lines that branched from the twin¬
kling brown eyes came from squint¬
ing against the blazing sun, or from
sudden rollicking laughter.
Now he realized he had never seen
quite this expression before. He felt
a little excitement communicated to
himself from Fages’ feverish eyes.
A little excitement, and quite a lit¬
tle fear. This message—had it to do
with him? Were some of his cher¬
ished plans for furthering the
Church in California to be frustrat¬
ed? He breathed heavily.
“I dare not suppose. You will
have to tell me.”
Fages pushed back his chair and
began pacing back and forth down
the dirt floor of the long room.
“I have been thinking, and I have
decided that it is not well for man
to live alone. That is natural, isn’t
it, Padre, and a teaching of the
Church? Ah; yes. So I have this
day sent word to the Viceroy that
I wish to have my wife join me
here.”
DADE COUNTY TIMES: THURSDAY. JANUARY 20, 1938
activity all around the mission es¬
tablishment. Indian neophytes were
going and coming on various er¬
rands. Up from the orchard came
a troupe of children, los pajareros,
whose miniature bows and arrows
had kept the predatory birds from
the fruit. In the vegetable garden
a few stooping Indian girls still dug
weeds, while others, who had fin¬
ished their stints, ran to join the
hoop-and-dart game with their fel¬
lows.
Fages drew a deep breath as he
looked about him and remained
quiet. But the priest’s eyes were
upon him with an unspoken entreaty
which he could not ignore.
“What worries you now, my good
Father?” he asked affectionately.
The missionary folded his hands
in the sleeves of his robe, and began
speaking.
“It is this. The fall of the year
is upon us. What crops we have
will soon be gathered, the fruit will
be dried, the corn stored. ‘And the
mountains shall drop down new
wine.’ A busy, happy time. But to
me, a sad and thoughtful time. It
is autumn, and nature prepares for
sleep. And I am recalled to my
long sleep, and my body’s mor¬
tality. Ai, my poor old body!”
Don Pedro looked at him quickly.
“You are not well? How is your
ulcered leg?”
“That is nothing. Since the young
mule driver put some of the oint¬
ment upon it that he uses on his
beasts I have not thought much
about it. But you must know I do
not regret my miserable carcass
its due infirmities. It is only that
I fear I shall be called to my un¬
deserved reward before I have fin¬
ished the tasks I have set myself
to do for the glory of God in Cali¬
fornia.”
“Padre mio, if you should be
taken frorr. us this night, which God
forbid, you have accomplished more
than seems humanly possible for
one man to do. You have per¬
formed miracles, wonders.”
The other groaned.
“Nothing! Nothing! A few hands-
ful of souls brought to salvation
when there are still thousands wan¬
dering in benighted darkness in this
California! It is not enough. Strong¬
er and stronger every day, every
hour, I hear the command to bring
in more souls. I seem to see whole
armies of dark unsaved spirits, their
arms lifted, begging, pleading, pray¬
ing for the Church to rescue them
from never-ending damnation!” He
raised his clasped hands toward
heaven, and gazed upward.
The Governor stared at the mis¬
sionary, then averted his eyes as
though embarrassed.
“Ah, my son,” the father contin-
Serra also rose to his feet. He
remembered now that he had seen
before the expression that smol¬
in the Governor’s eyes, but
in the eyes of other men.
“Ah!” he said softly. “Ah! Your
I see. So you want her in
with you. Naturally."
He walked to the low door and
thoughtfully at a group of
children, playing some ab¬
game with a hoop and a
while a circle of elders watched
lazily in the afternoon sun¬
“Strange, Pedro Fages. I always
of you as a man among men;
soldier, an explorer. A man’s
entirely. But of course you
married. It must be a long
since you have seen your wife,
“A long time,” he answered in a
voice. “A long, long time. Eight
I have a son, too, Padre.
the last time I saw him he was
few days old.
“Now that I feel I am going to
here, somehow the need for
son and his mother has become
than I can bear. And need¬
ing them so I must talk to you about
“There Are Still Thousands Wan¬
dering in Benighted Darkness
in This California.”
them. I think they can be happy
here. I am. The living quarters at
the presidio are not so bad, and
oh, Padre, what a garden I have
planted! Hundreds of peach trees,
and figs, and pears. And I have a
vineyard that is doing well in the
sandy soil around the presidio. Yes,
it is home to me, and must be to
them.”
“God grant that it may. And your
wife—she is not used to pioneer¬
ing?”
Fages frowned and began pluck¬
ing his beard.
“That’s the rub. She isn’t. But
I have written Viceroy Mayorga,
and Felipe de Neve, to persuade her
to come. She can not withstand
them. The Dona Eulalia, my wife,
is years younger than I, and when
we married in Barcelona, she was
a reigning belle. I never could un¬
derstand why she married a rough
old soldier like I am. But she did,
and here she must come.”
“Of course she must. And she
will. ‘Wives, submit yourselves to
your husbands.’ Ah, Senor el Gober-
nador! How easily your plans go
forward. You have but to com¬
mand, and lo, the deed you have
commanded is done, while I . .”
The Governor took the priest’s
arm, and the two walked out into
the little garden in front of the
priest’s quarters. There was great
Chemist Forecasts Man’s Life Will Be
Prolonged and Be Made More Comfortable
Man’s workaday life has become
increasingly dependent upon the
ability of chemical research work¬
ers to convert new scientific dis¬
coveries into practical necessities.
At the end of three centuries the
chemical industry in the United
States has reached major propor¬
tions. A. Cressy Morrison, in a 292-
page illustrated volume, “Man in a
Chemical World,” recently pub¬
lished by Charles Scribner’s Sons,
New York, reviews the position of
the chemical industry as it affects
modern routine existence.
Morrison’s account covers the ef¬
fect of chemical progress on indus¬
try, medicine, food, transportation,
television, home comforts and “the
more abundant life.” Looking for¬
ward Morrison believes that “it is
quite unnecessary to be led astray
by imagination’s will-o’-the-wisp to
feel that a very wonderful future
lies just ahead for the human race
through the continued progress of
OPJ sew
Ruth Wyeth Spears
A Bandanna Doll Has Old Time Charm
ued, “you love California. Why do
you stand in the way of her further
development? Why do you impede
the progress of Mother Church?
Why, oh, why, do you not lend
your assistance, your influence to
the founding of that mission on the
Santa Barbara Channel which is so
dear to my heart?”
He took a step toward the Gov¬
ernor, with outflung hands; impas¬
sioned, eloquent.
Fages avoided the missionary’s
eyes, which met his only at mo¬
ments like this, and which burned
with fanaticism unfathomable to the
soldier’s understanding. He felt mis¬
erable, small; a shriveled, cringing
monster groveling in the path of a
flaming archangel.
He rolled his eyes helplessly for
another point on which to rest them
than upon the fervid missionary. A
good, round soldier’s oath would
have helped him. He hesitated to
mouth it, but whispered it to him¬
self, gaining strength from its pun¬
gency.
“I can not promise you that mis¬
sion,” he replied shortly. “There is
already a presidio established at
Santa Barbara, and more soldiers
can not be spared for a mission.”
“And why not? Two soldiers out
of a whole garrison! Only two, to
establish a mission! What could be
more important?”
Fages’ patience fled.
“Good Father, you attend to your
affairs of the Church, and I will at¬
tend to mine of the State! ‘Only two
soldiers’ you say. I need every so-
dier in the province, and more be¬
sides to protect California.”
The priest turned on his heel, and
walked into his house. The Gover¬
nor followed him firmly.
Pio, an Indian boy, was lighting
the candles.
“Begone,” ordered the priest.
The boy cast a frightened look at
the angry faces distorted by the
candlelight, and scuttled out. Priest
and soldier faced each other across
the table.
“You know well I am a good
churchman,” continued the Gover¬
nor. “I am not a pious man by na¬
ture, but in my lenience with you
Franciscans in California I have al¬
most overstepped my authority.
Why, in Mexico, they call me a
frailero, a priest lover!”
“They do misjudge you,” mur¬
mured Serra with a touch of sar¬
casm.
“No more than you do. I have
done what I could for the Church,
and for these worthless Indians,
who, in my mind, seem better off
in their native savagery than living
under the yoke of slavery which the
Church has laid upon them.”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
a very
* doll, use two hanks of yarn and
the biggest red bandanna hand¬
kerchief you can find. Smaller
dolls made from one hank and a
medium size handkerchief are al¬
so attractive.
Tie the hank at the top as at A,
then cut it across the bottom.
Make the head by tying the yarn
in as at B, then separate part of
the strands at the sides and bind
them together to make the arms
as at C and D. Cut these strands
off as at E to make the hands.
Bind the rest of the yarn around
as at F to define the waistline.
Thread a large needle with white
darning cotton and make the
mouth and eyes with several
stitches made as shown here. Sew
small black buttons or beads in
the middle of the eyes.
Cut a square out of the center
of the handkerchief. The square
piece you cut out should* be big
enough so it may be cut through
the center from corner to corner
to make two triangles—one to be
used for the head kerchief for the
doll and one for the three cornered
shoulder kerchief. When this is
Information Not to Be
Found in Encyclopedia
Answers to a general knowledge
test such as these help turn the
teacher’s hair gray:
Period costumes are dresses all
covered with dots.
Shakespeare wrote tragedies,
comedies and errors.
The people of India are divided
into casts and outcasts.
Norway’s capital is called
Christianity.
Lipton is the capital of Ceylon.
A republic is a country where
no one can do anything in pri¬
vate.
A sheep is mutton covered with
wool.
A fakir is a Hindu twister.
chemical industry.” Some possible
future developments seen by him
include:
Further improvements in medi¬
cine, particularly in regard to the
two childhood scourges, scarlet fe¬
ver and infantile paralysis.
Food habits should change sharp¬
ly in coming years, with biologists
leading the way in developing new
species of edible plants and chem¬
ists synthesizing them to make them
easily available to all classes.
Continued study of chemically
controlled glands is apt to change
medical technique to the extent that
many surgical operations may in
the future be obsolete because of
the use of new synthetics.
Finally, Morrison forecasts, chem¬
ists not only will contribute substan¬
tially to the prolonging of man’*
life but will also aid in making hig
life richer, more comfortable and
more secure.
LISTEN COLD CATCHERS READ THIS
THANKS.TEACHER
THAT OLD HEAD
COLD FEELS BETTER
ALREADY
See All of It
There is only one way of see¬
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Truble From Excess
In everything the middle course
is best: all things in excess bring
trouble.—Plautus.
(V
AT
St.Joseph
GENUINE PURE ASPIRIN
YES, BUT YOU MUST USE
THIS EARLIER NEXT TIME*
IT HELPS PREVENT MANY;
COLDS
rpms specialized medication—
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8Sain ‘ JpNtl
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Aiding Others .
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n the blood. Thus o:t
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alotabs are cents for
y twenty-five ten cents L- ^
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