Mistress of Monterey
VIRGINIA STIVERS BARTLETT
© Virginia Stivers Bartlett ^^WNt ^ r.i~*
CHAPTER XVII—Continued
—14—
When next Pedro Fages heard of
Junipero Serra, he was already bur
ied. The days that had elapsed
from the hour that he had said an
embittered farewell to Francisco
Palou, riding through the rain to the
side of his dying brother, the Gov
I emor had spent in a silence so
' great that no one had dared disturb
it. No ne knew how far, or where,
he traveled with only his horse as
companion. But he was seen, a
lonely figure, tragic, aloof, along
the bleak crags; sometimes walk
ing, one hand tugging his beard, the
other clenched behind him, the
faithful horse following with bent
neck, cropping at the scant grasses;
or riding furiously with the wind.
On the night of the christening.
La Gobernadora took her to her
bed and did not rise from it for
days, defending herself from the
Governor’s black mood and despair
with a fever that burned her hollow
eyed. The people of the Presidio of
San Francicso trod softly during the
crises of their Governor and his
(lady. The women whispered, as
kance, in corners, and took the part
of La Gobernadora in her attitude
toward her husband. But the men
remained silent, or cursed softly
when the lady’s name was men
tioned.
As though to mock Don Pedro,
when the news of the Padre Presi
dente’s death arrived, the day was
clear, sparkling, as sometimes the
days are in the San Francisco coun
try, in late August and early Sep
tember.
When he received the message,
Don Pedro went straight to La Gob
ernadora’s room for the first time
in days, and stood before her for
mally.
"He is dead,” he said curtly.
Eulalia closed her eyes. Still the
Governor stood silently, awaiting
some word from his wife. After a
g while she opened her eyes.
“I am sorry,” she said softly. “It
must be a relief to you to know
that it is over.” She tried to sit up
right. "‘Will you help me? she
asked. "I think I should like to get
up today. It is the first time I have
seen the sun for such a long time.”
"I will call Angustias . . .”
"No, please. You can wrap me in
a cover, and carry jne outside, if
you will.” He bundled her into a
quilt, and took her in his arms with
out altering his expression. Light
as a child she was, as he carried
her outdoors, and into the golden
sunlight. Servants hurried with
chairs, Angustias followed with the
baby.
Then the people of the presidio
were amazed to see the Governor,
his youngest-born in his arms, sit
ting quietly beside his lady, taking
• the air.
"She has won him over, our beau
• tiful Gobernadora!” whispered the
women happily. "Gracias a Dios!”
But the men glowered at the do
mestic scene, and muttered, "She
has won, the zorra!”
Then all uncovered and knelt hast
ily as the bells began tolling for
the passing of Junipero Serra.
Both men and women were wrong.
A few days later a small package
and a letter were brought to the
Governor. It was the last letter
Junipero Serra had written, to be
opened after his death. And the
package . . . Pedro Fages opened
it before he opened the letter. He
found a small square of grayish
brown cloth, coarse and worn thin,
made into a scapular. He did not
need Francisco Palou's accompany
ing note to tell him what it was, but
held it in his hands a moment, then
opening the throat of his leather
jerkin, slipped the scapular around
his neck by its cord until the blessed
scrap of Junipero Serra’s robe rest
ed on the strong arch of his breast.
Then he picked up the letter and
read the opening words, “My be
loved son . .
It was obviously the letter of a
very sick man; one at the point of
death. The thought rambled; the
sentences staggered up- and down
hill. He spoke of hours they had
spent together on the march, of
the hundred little black heaps, scat
tered the length of California which
had been camp-fires they had
shared.
“If I had been a soldier, or you a
priest,” he had written at one point,
“I could have understood you bet
ter, Pedro my son, but I could not
have loved you more.”
During all the perusal, the Gov
ernor’s eyes had been filled with
tears, so that he had many times
to dry them. But at the last para
graph a flash of rage dried the
tears . . .
“When all else had fallen away
from me,” said the faint lines, "I
had hoped that your faithful wife
could accomplish that which was
impossible. In our talks together
she had promised that she would
intercede with you for our friend
ship, and for the founding of the
Mission of Santa Barbara. But that
has failed, for you have made no
sign. And that is not Dona Eula
lia’s fault, for she has tried. I had
hoped you would listen to her when
she told you the messages I have
sent; of my trust, and confidence in
you . .
The Governor read no further, but
crumpling the letter in his hand
went to seek his wife. He found her
leaning over the crude cradle, filled
inconsistently with laces and pillows
where lay his little daughter.
Roughly he pulled Eulalia away
from the infant, and stood before
the cradle.
“You have no right to touch that
child!” he said, his face working
with rage. “You a deceitful, lying
woman, lower than the low!”
Eulalia put both hands to her face
as she staggered back.
“What do you mean? What is it?
What has happened?”
Pedro Pages stretched the letter
toward her. “Read it, read every
word ..."
She read rapidly until she reached
the words that had sent the Gover
nor raging to her. She let the letter
slip to the floor as she stood with
trembling lips, her hands pressed
over her heart, staring at her hus
band.
“You made promises to him . . .
to help him when he was desperate!
You kept me from him when he was
sick, dying! You kept me from him
when he was laid in the grave. You
drove him to that grave with your
false friendship and your empty
promises. God knows what your
plots and schemes were, but they
The Governor Seized the Count’s
Hand Gratefully.
will never succeed, for you are a
murderess!” He stopped as though
the word choked him, then putting
his hand to his throat, flung the ac
cusation at her again.
“Murderess!”
Eulalia took a wavering step to
ward him, her hands outstretched
as though to ward off bludgeons,
then sank at his feet.
CHAPTER XVIII
The Lady Governor, La Gober
nadora, returned to Monterey with
her husband in a pleased, unusual
and utterly unaccountable state of
complete subjugation.
Unaccountable, at least, to his
Excellency: If Dona Eulalia had a
confidante, and having one, confided
in her, much might have been
learned. But the Governor went his
way with a little sense of guilt after
his outburst in San Francisco, and
enjoyed the favors of his docile wife
greatly. He enjoyed watching her
nurse the child, who flourished like
a wild-flower; he enjoyed seeing her
beauty re-blossom; and watched the
airs of the Monterey peninsula give
his lady’s cheeks a clarity and glow
that had never graced them before.
The lady herself drifted for two
whole years in this state of docility.
She even grew to enjoy the simple
social pleasures of the presidio; the
clam bakes and the dances, the gos
sip with other women of the colony.
Sometimes in the midst of some
simple gaiety she would pause, and
her mind would grope as though to
remember something. Then she
would recall her grievance, and
withdraw into herself.
California! Here she was, after
two years! And she had vowed she
would be in Mexico City before
that! She would wring her hands
helplessly. There was nothing to do.
Nowhere to turn. Junipero Serra
. . . she shuddered. He was in his
grave. And Nicolas Soler, with his
wild dreams of the governorship,
had slowly but surely gone blind
and returned to Mexico. Surely, all
who had crossed Junipero Serra suf
fered.
And Indizuela often she
looked al the girl, lissome, brown,
mysterious, who served her master
the Governor, like a dog, and won
dered. Something might be done
there . . .
But days, months, years slipped
by, and nothing happened
Nothing happened to Eulalia She
sat in front of her mirror and
scanned her black tresses for silver
threads, frowning, with a sick fear
at her heart.
But events marched, nevertheless,
around the lady. And though she
was unaware of them, their influ
ence reached her, penetrated her
defenses.
Eulalia Celis de Fages found the
white hair she had feared finding,
set her teeth, pulled it, then wept
on her husband's breast in the gub
ernatorial bed. And the Governor
smiled, and liked it.
Pedro Fages went about long de
layed and heart-breaking plans for
the mission to Santa Barbara, and
still another. Mission La Purisima.
He wrote scathing diatribes on the
laziness, bestiality, gambling, prof
ligacy and immorality of a little
pueblo, El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora
de Porciuncula la Reina de Los An
geles, which the natives called Los
Angeles. (The diatribes did no
good.)
On a bright sunny day in August,
1784, about the time that Eulalia
gave birth to her California flower,
there was a great hubbub in the
harbor of New York city. All the
notables of the new nation were at
hand to greet a distinguished visi
tor, who, with a love for the young
country in his young heart, had
traveled across the ocean to pay a
visit of congratulation. There were
public receptions, congressional
honors. George Washington extend
ed the hospitality of Mount Vernon
to the guest.
From France came Marie Jean
Paul Roch Yves Guilbert Motier,
Marquis de La Fayette, general and
statesman.
Two years and a month later two
ships sailed grandly into the Bay of
Monterey, as whales frisked and
blew around them. France was won
dering about America . . . thought
ful abput what country lay west of
that nation visited by the Marquis
de La Fayette. Dreaming, perhaps,
that another empire might lie be
yond the mountains and inland seas,
the deserts and plains, west of the
mighty Father of Waters.
So His Most Christian Majesty
Louis XVI of France sent two ships
around the world, to visit Califor
nia, under the leadership of an ac
complished scientist and gallant
gentleman, the Comte Jean Fran
cois Galaup de La Perouse.
"it happened one gray morning in
September that Don Esteban Marti
nez, commanding two Spanish frig
ates, the old San Carlos and the
Princesa, that lay in the Bay of
Monterey, saw two lofty ships loom
out of the fog for a moment, be
fore disappearing. Then they were
reported by a lookout on shore, and
all day watchers saw them glide
like phantom ships out of the mists.
At night they disappeared entirely.
Morning brought sunshine, and a
closer view of the ships. Don Pedro
ordered Don Esteban to send out
two pilots, and watched the little
pilot boat put out toward the drift
ing strangers. Through his glasses
he strove to make out the flags they
flew.
“What are they? Who are they?”
breathed Eulalia eagerly, her chin
on his shoulder.
He propped the glasses before her
eyes, holding her in his arm.
“Look and see, perhaps you can
tell better than I.”
“I see! . . . Oh! A fleur de 11s! ...
"Frenchmen! Yes, you are right!
That will be the expedition of whom
I have been advised by the Viceroy.
La ... La ... La Perouse . . .
the Conde de La Perouse.”
“A count!" shrilled Eulalia. She
snatched the glasses from him and
pointed them as though she expected
to see the French gentleman smile
at her.
“Ah!” she said after a long un
satisfying look. “We must prepare
to entertain them I suppose.” She
said it very calmly, but her heart
was aflutter. Two shiploads of
French gentlemen, and a count; to
her that meant news of the world
for which she longed, news of la
belle France, of Spain, of opera,
books, theater, coiffures, modes . . .
As she rode back to the presidio
to prepare for the entertainment of
mind ran over the articles of her
own wardrobe, Jewels and cosmet
ics.
“Now,” she sang, “praise God,
something will happen!”
It was late afternoon before the
frigates, the Astrolabe and the
Boussole were safely at anchor, and
the Governor, who had not left off
watching, saw two long-boats put
out for shore, seeming to thread
their way among the whales diving
and spouting about them.
As the boats landed, strong bare
legged Indians assisting the sailors
who leaped into the water, Pedro
Fage stepped forward to greet a
pleasant round-faced officer, in im
maculate epauletted uniform and
white curled peruke, and accom
panied by several other gentlemen.
For an instant, even while he had
his hand stretched in welcome, he
had a moment’s panic. These were
Frenchmen, and he spoke no
French, that is no decent French.
But the Comte de La Perouse was
-1_1.. —__ 4 : U
att uuvij fc»**-w***«o v»w>*
friendly Spanish, and the Governor
seized the Count’s hand gratefully.
When Don Pedro invited La Pe
rouse and his aide, Le Pante Dage
let, a young man who spoke no
Spanish at all, to dine with him,
saying that his wife expected them,
the stranger raised his eyebrows,
and accepted.
“His wife!” he said in French
aside to his aide. “Surely there are
no ladies here in this God forsaken
spot!”
As they entered the adobe palacio
they saw La Gobernadora framed in
candlelight.
La Perouse snatched his three
cornered gold-laced hat from his
faultless peruke. So did Le Pante
Dagelet. Both gentlemen bowed
from the hips, deeply, amazedly.
The lady greeted them In French,
with a slight hesitation and a tiny
accent of Castilian that the gentle
men found delightful.
All through the dinner, which,
though strange to their palates, they
relished, they watched La Goberna
dora in surprise. The deference,
their obvious curiosity told the lady
of their admiration with every look
and gesture. So, though she was
bursting with things to say—things
which must be said—she played
the part of the Lady Governor with
dignity and chaste smiles, keeping
a wifely silence while her lord and
master made speech with his
guests.
But when the Governor and his
guests pulled their chairs around
the open fire, La Perouse began
speaking.
“We have been here in your Cali
fornia but a few hours, Monsieur le
Gouverneur,” he said, "and have al
ready met many surprises. First, it
was a surprise to find the place.
What fogs! Is the weather this way
all the time? And then the whales!
Pof! I did not know they smelled
so badly, when they blow that beau
tiful geyser! It is a very bad per
fume.”
Pedro Fages laughed defensively.
“We do not smell that ashore here.”
La Gobernadora smiled.
“Very often,” she murmured soft
ly in French.
The Governor looked at her sharp
ly
La Perouse laughed. "It is to be
hoped not," he replied in the same
tongue.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
“From Halls of Montezuma,” Marines’
Fighting Song, Dates to Mexican War
The United States marines have
completed an investigation into the
origin of their famous song “From
the Halls of Montezuma,” which
they have made famous in almost
every part of the world.
The results of the investigation,
reports a San Francisco, Calif.,
United Press correspondent, show
that the song had its origin at the
time of the invasion of Mexico City
in September, 1847, near the close
of the Mexican war.
Elated with victory of American
arms over the Mexicans, an officer
sat down in the Aztec club and
scribbled the first verse of the pop
ular sea-soldier ballad
It is thus that the marines ac
count for the beginning of the
sprightly ballad which has since be
come a bulwark of their esprit de
corps. Later the song grew by leaps
and bounds, verse after verse be
ing added by some more or less in
spired “leatherneck.”
The investigation of the origui of
the song also developed the fact
that the music came from an old
French opera, “Genevieve de Bra
bant.”
Eventually, nowever, the number
of verses became so long that the
corps set in for a deliberate pruning
of everything that was not in ac
cordance with the traditions of
the corps. As the song now stands
it consists of only three stanzas
which begin with ‘Halls of Monte
zuma,” the place of origin and end
with the assurance that the marines
will be found guarding the streets
of heaven.
The song has been the battle cry
of marines in the Civil war, the
Spanish-Americati war, the World
war and in the scores of other in
ternational operations in which the
marines have participated.
Old Method to Test Gold
The ancient test stone, needles
and acid method of determining the
karat quality of gold never has been
improved upon as a convenient test.
Starting with the fact that pure gold
is called 24 karat; that less than
24 karats indicates the relative
amounts of gold and alloy in the
metal (18 karat gold is 18-24ths gold
and 6-24ths alloy); and that nitric
acid dissolves alloy but not gold, it
is seen readily why old methods are
still in use.
WHAT TO EAT AND WHY •
Food Provides the Key to
Mental and Physical Power
——————————•
You Can Be Strong, Beautiful, Wise, Rear Healthy Children
Only If You Know How to Combine the
Right Food Materials in the Diet
By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS
8 East 3»th Street, New York.
SINCE the world began, food has been man’s first con
sideration. For it he has fought and died. To find it he
has traveled over great continents and braved unknown
dangers. His quest for food has changed the map of the
world and colored the history of nations. But in all of these
historic struggles, he has been motivated solely by the desire
to get enough food to satisfy hunger.
Today, actual hunger is rare. But hundreds of thousands of
people starve in the midst of plenty because they do not realize the
tremendous poicer of food for good or for evil.
They do not realize that as a man eats, so he is, and that
his choice of food materials gives or takes away the power
to live vigorously—to think clearly—to feel warmly—to be
strong, healthy and wise. '
It can be truly said that
your food is your fate. It has
the power to shape your body
, —to make it strong and beau
tiful, or weak and ugly. It has
the power to influence your
I language, your gait, your tone
of voice, in short—your life.
With the right food, life be
comes a glorious adventure,
for <t increases your leader
ship, intensifies vour mag
netic qualities, strengthens your
morale, and increases your physi
cal defenses and resistance. With
out it, one drags through miser
able days—never realizing even
half of his potential mental and
physical powers.
Food—the Fuel of Life.
The human body is a machine,
far more complex than any ma
chine devised by the mind of man.
Food is the fuel which runs this
amazing machine. Food is also
the material used to repair worn
out parts, and to keep the intri
cate mechanism in good working
order.
The body machine cannot be
run efficiently without proper food
fuel any more than a car could
be run without gas, or a house
could be heated without oil, coal
or wood.
Food also has the power to speed up
or slow down the workings of the mind.
It likewise influences the state of our
nerves, the warmth of our affections, the
type of characters we possess.
Finally, the power to Have
strong, healthy children is based
on proper food. And nutritional
scientists have discovered that
the wrong food can even take
away from us the greatest bless
ing that Nature has bestowed—
our earthly immortality. For it
can deprive us of the ability to
bear children who will carry on
Six Groups of Food Substances.
What food substances are neces
sary to build and maintain top
health—to develop the greatest
physical and mental power?
There are six groups of food sub
stances which must be included in
the balanced diet which promises
increased health, happiness and
longevity:
1. PROTEINS which build
and repair body tissues. These
are found in such foods as
milk, eggs, meats, fish, cheese
and nuts.
2. FATS which yield heat
and energy. The fats are rep
resented by butter, cream, oils
and the fat of meats.
3. CARBOHYDRATES - the
starches and sugars. These
also supply heat and energy,
and are found chiefly in such
foods as bread, potatoes, cere
als and sweets.
4. MINERALS which build,
repair, protect and regulate.
Among the minerals which are
absolutely necessary to health
and vigor are calcium, phos
phorus, iron, copper, iodine,
sulphur, manganese, magne
sium, sodium and potassium.
These are found in varying
amounts in milk, eggs, fruits,
vegetables, whole grain cere
als and meats.
5. VITAMINS which are nec
essary for body regulation, and
as a protection against dread
deficiency diseases. Six have
been discovered to date—A, B.
C, D, E and G.
6. WATER which is a part of
all body tissue and must be
present in order to have the
other food elements function
properly.
.......
The ideal dietary is one that in
cludes a correct proportion of the
different food elements required
to supply bodily needs without any
of them being supplied in excess,
or in insufficient amounts.
Danger In Omitting One Essential
To illustrate how important it is
that not one of the necessary food
substances be omitted, let me tell
you how an eminent bio-chemist
proved in his experimental lab
oratory, in one of our leading uni
versities, that the difference be
tween stupidity and genius de
pended upon the presence or ab
sence of one vitamin.
He placed a pregnant animal
upon a diet adequate in every re
spect, except that it lacked one
of the six vitamins. As soon as
her young were born and weaned,
they were fed a completely ade
quate diet.
Then the scientist tested the
mentality of the young animals.
He wanted to find out whether or
not their mental power had been
injured in any way by the fact
that their mother—during preg
nancy—had been deprived of one
vital food element. So he put them
in a runway. To get out of this—
and reach a tasty morsel at the
other end—they had to make their
way through a series of passages.
He had already made this same
test on the same type of animals
born of properly fed mothers. He
knew that it never took them
more than 25 trials to learn their
way out of the maze. Most of
them had gotten out after 15 to
18 attempts.
n , ■ . • i m l.ill __
DUl Wliat idtn Ui oiviii waa
shown by the animals whose
mother had been deprived of
proper food! The stupidity of
these pathetic little creatures was
unbelievable. Some of them never
learned to thread the maze and
reach their goal, even after as
many as 250 trials. They were
being given—at the time—every
thing that was necessary to their
diet. But they had entered life
with minds totally unequipped to
cope with the world—because
their mother had not been prop
erly fed before they were born.
This is a striking example of
the power of food to make or mar
existence. I could cite hundreds
of other laboratory experiments,
many of which have been con
firmed by clinical experience.
Nor is this power of food to af
fect mental activity confined to
prenatal life. Even if a child en
ters this world with a strong body
and a clear mind—the wrong food
during childhood has the power
to wreck health.
Investigation after investiga
tion, by leading specialists
throughout the country, has prov
en that a surprising percentage of
retarded children—those who can
not keep up with their school
grades—do not really have infe
rior minds. They only seem stu
pid because the action of their
minds is clogged and slowed down
by sluggish, under-fed bodies.
Physical fitness is a fat ureater asset
than material possessions. For in limes
of stress and trouble, those who can
stand up under the physical strain win
the battle. For those who collapse, all
is lost.
The Homemaker’s Responsibility.
Every wife and mother is there
fore faced with the tremendous
responsibility of keeping her fam
ily mentally and physically fit.
Her husband must have the right
kind of food in order to earn a
living. Her own diet must be
adequate and well-balanced if
she is to have the energy, wis
dom, and patience required of a
C. Houston Goudiss, outstanding
food authority, author, and radio
lecturer, author of “What to Eat
and Why.” He knows food from
soil to serving, from table to tis
sue. Watch for his articles each
week.
mother at all hours of the day.
Her baby will not grow into f
healthy man or woman unless h«
or she has the right nourishment
from the moment of birth. And
school children can’t keep up with
their classes without the right
food.
If you will follow this series of
articles, and put into practice the
principles of correct eating that
I advocate, I can promise that
you will increase both mental and
physical efficiency, and as a re
sult. achieve greater health and
happiness for every member of
your family.
Food Affects Your Body and Mind
Each morning when you awake,
a new life is ahead of you.
Whether that day and the days to
follow will be better or worse
than those that went before, de
pends largely upon what you eat.
For nothing short of a miracle is
performed at every meal.
Within a few hours the bread,
meat, vegetables and liquids that
you swallow are transformed into
your personality. They begin to
think, feel and act. They become
YOU. What was food yesterday,
today is carrying on the impor
tant business of the world.
Each meal that you eat helps or hin
ders the efficiency and ease with which
these various duties are performed.
That is why it is true that as you eat, so
you are. And that is why I say that three
times a day, at your table, you SIT
DOirPil TO LIFE.
e WWU.-U Houston Ooudls*—1838.
How Often Should Your
Furniture Be Polished?
Housewives differ on the ques
tion of “when to polish their furni
ture.” Some have no set time for
it—polishing when they think of it
—or when, casting a glance about,
they decide that the furniture can
“stand it.” Others, polish every
cleaning day—which ordinarily
occurs once a week. Others dedi
cate but one day a year to this
important procedure. And still
others, polish the furniture in
their home regularly, once a
month. This last group is the
largest—but their schedule is not
sufficiently frequent. Furniture
can not be polished too often!
True, the outward benefit of the
best oil polish—the luster—will
last through a single week—and
more—but this same polish, with
its light oil base, preserves and
“feeds” the furniture, revives it,'
prolongs its life! So that every
application is highly beneficial to
woodwork and the various pieces
of fine wood in the home. Our
advice, therefore, for the sake of
endurance, as well as appear
ance, of your furniture, is “polish
up” with a good oil polish at least
twice a month!
O-CEDAR
CLEANS,
POLISHES/
PRESERVES
KEEPS
FURNITURE
LIKE NEW
__u
More women use O-Cedar
Polish and Mops than A
a any other kind—
for furniture
woodwork,
and floors.
Pepsodent Tooth Powder and Paste ALONE contain this I
thrilling new luster discovery
• It will make your eyes open wide)...
j When you see your own smile reveal
teeth that glisten and gleam with all their
glorious natural luster . . . after you’ve
used Pepsodent containing Iriuml
Stubborn, clinging surface-stains are
gently brushed away—as Pepsodent con
taining Irium goes to work! It works
speedily, thoroughly, too. . .yet is abso
lutely sateI Contains NO
BLEACH. NO GRIT. NO PUM
ICE. Try it yourself I
