CHAPTER VII
A TASTE OF GAYETY
May was beautiful enough to make the heart leap for joy. Rose-bushessent up spikes of pink and blood-red blossoms or clambered overhillocks, lilies stood up among the ferns and bushes, and the poppiesthat grew everywhere seemed to dance with joy, as they flung out theirsilken leaves in a dazzle, wooed by the wind. Bees were busy enoughwith their bustle and humming, birds were singing everywhere.Squirrels and rabbits scudded about, little harmless lizards came outand sunned themselves on the stones, and great flying iridescent bugsthat shot across the air with golden and green rays. Oh, howenchanting it all was. It stirred the little girl with unutterablethoughts.
"Laverne," Miss Holmes called. Oh, was it lesson time!
"Come, dear, Mrs. Personette has the carriage here, and we are goingto take a look at the great German Mayday festival. Come quick, andslip in another frock."
For what with building dams for waterfalls, making paths and rockeriesand flower beds, the little girl was not always in company trim.
"Oh, Uncle Jason was talking about that, and he was so sorry he couldnot get away, but some vessels were coming in. Oh, yes, I'll hurry."
There were baths and sundry conveniences in many of the houses in thisnew city. Perhaps no place in the world had ever worked such marvelsin five years. But Jason Chadsey had not come to luxuries yet.However, the little girl did very well without them. She washed anddressed in a trice.
Mrs. Personette and Olive were in the big carriage. Isabel and Howardhad taken the buggy. She greeted them cordially. Olive made room forLaverne, or rather beckoned her to her own seat.
The Germans were holding a grand festival at Russ's Garden. There wasa big flag flying from the great marquee, and numerous lesser ones.There were the park of shade trees, the houses of refreshment, thearches wreathed with flowers, and German flags vying with the Starsand Stripes. Gay beds of flowers were interspersed that lent richestcoloring. The broad driveway was thronged with carriages already, butnone were allowed inside.
The _Turner Gesang Verein_ was really the leader of the festivities.The members were dressed in brown linen, loose and baggy, and marchedfrom their headquarters with banners flying and the band playinginspiriting airs from Vaterland. And when they all assembled beforethe marquee, "_Das Deutsche Vaterland_" swelled out on the balmy airin a most rapturous manner. They were in their home atmosphere again,they hardly remembered the land giving them shelter. The grandchoruses went up in a shout. The instruments seemed fairly to beatwaves of music on the air.
It appeared, indeed, as if all the Germans in the city had gatheredthere, and even at this time there were about two thousand. And thenthe games began. They leaped and balanced, they performed variousathletic feats, the victor being crowned with shouts, as well aswinning a prize. They danced, the boys and men with each other, manyof them in native garments of the provinces from which they hademigrated, and some were amusing in motley array.
Outside there were booths with tables for refreshments, where wivesand children congregated, and the place was patrolled by policemen tokeep roughs away. The onlookers drove around or were on horseback;among them were the old Californians in leggings, sash, and sombrero,and a few Spaniards, who looked on haughtily at these people who werefast superseding the old stock.
There were not many places of amusement really proper for women andchildren of the better class. The circus had been the pioneerentertainment, then the theatre. Even at a concert of vocal musicgiven by the favorite, Stephen C. Massett, where front seats werereserved for ladies, only four were present. A neat little theatre hadbeen destroyed by fire; the Jenny Lind had shared the same fate, untila Mr. Maguire erected a large stone theatre destined for first-classamusements and that had been taken for the city hall. But the yearbefore Mr. and Mrs. Baker, fine actors, had succeeded in establishinga new era in the Californian drama, and given it a style andexcellence, and catered to the best class of people, who had begun togive tone to society.
Laverne hardly heeded Olive's chatter, she was so interested in thegay scene. There had never been anything like it to her. And the musicstirred her wonderfully. They drove slowly round and round, watchedthe athletes and held their breath at some of the daring feats.
"Oh, you should hear Howard talk of the circus performers and whatthey do," exclaimed Olive. "There's a flying leap when a man comesover the head of the audience, and catches a big hoop on the stage,and hangs suspended while the audience applauds, and a woman thatrides on two horses, changing about, and sometimes stands up. She's aforeigner of some sort."
"I should think they would be afraid;" and Laverne shuddered.
"Oh, no; they're trained, you see. And the races are splendid. We cango to them. And they used to have bull-baits at the Mission, but theydon't allow it now."
"Bull-baits?" echoed Laverne.
"Oh, bull-fights," laughed Olive. "That's real Spanish, you know. Why,it seems all right to them, of course. And there are dog-fights andcock-fights here--I don't see much difference, only the bulls arebigger and stronger."
Then a Turk halted at the carriage which had been stopped in thepress. He had a great clapper, which made a hideous noise, and a voicethat went through your ears. A tray was suspended from a leathernstrap that passed around his neck. He wore a gay fez, and a jacketembroidered with gold thread much tarnished, and full Turkish trousersof red silk so soiled one could hardly tell the color. His swarthyskin and long, waxed mustache gave him a fierce look.
"Oh, mother, get some candy," cried Olive, "I'm just dying for some."
Fortunately it was done up in a kind of soft Chinese paper, and sokept from the dust. Then in a jar he had some curious shredded stuffthat looked like creamy ravellings.
"Oh, we will drive around and get some at Winn's," said her mother.
"Oh, Laverne, don't you want some real Turkish candy?"
Laverne looked undecided.
"Oh, do, do," pleaded Olive, and Mrs. Personette yielded.
The ravelly stuff was very funny and melted in your mouth, and thecandy seemed saturated with all flavors.
"Of course, Winn's is much better," declared Olive, with an air. "Oh,mother, can't we go to Winn's and have some lunch!"
"I've been considering that," returned her mother.
The two friends had so much to talk about that the children's chatterhad not really reached them. Old times and beliefs that seemed of somebygone century rather than a decade or two, so utterly had thisWestern coast outgrown them.
"Have you seen Howard anywhere?" asked Mrs. Personette.
"No," returned Olive. Then in a lower tone--"They're off, having agood time, I know. Let Isabel alone for that; mother needn't thinkshe'll know everything," and the girl laughed.
They drove around once more. Now a good many were seated at therefreshment tables, smoking, drinking beer, and laughing over jokes ofthe old fatherland. Of course, before night they would be ratheruproarious. They had seen the best part of the celebration.
"I do wish we could find the children," said Mrs. Personette. "Wemight have lunch together."
At Washington and Montgomery Streets was the new establishment of Mr.Winn, who had been twice burned out and had not lost his courage. Itseemed the fate of nearly all of the old settlers, and would haveruined and discouraged a community with less pluck. For, after all,while there were no end of toughs and roughs and adventurers, therewas still some of the best blood of the Eastern cities, full ofknowledge and perseverance.
Winn's was a large refectory of the highest order. It was furnished inthe most elegant and tasteful manner, and the service was admirable.Indeed, it had come to be quite a calling place for the real societypeople, where they could meet a friend and sit over their tea orcoffee and exchange the news of the day, which meant more really thanin any other city. For every twenty-four hours something stirring washappening. Every fortnight now a steamship came in. New people, newgoods, letters from the States, messages to this one and that fromfriends
thousands of miles away.
The large rooms were connected by arches with costly draperies. Tableshere and there for guests, sofas, easy-chairs, a stand for flowers,the papers of the day and magazines that had to be old before theyreached these Western readers. Silks and satins rustled, skirts werebeginning to be voluminous, bonnets had wreaths of flowers under thebrim, and it was the day of shawls, India, cashmere, and lace. Now andthen a dark-eyed Senorita wore hers in some graceful folds that made apoint over the curls on her forehead. But women mostly had their hairbanded Madonna-wise that gave some faces a very serene and placidlook. Long ringlets were another style. Demi-trains were also invogue, and at Winn's at luncheon time, it had the appearance of afashionable reception. Children wore stiffly starched skirts and gypsyhats with wreaths of flowers. Laverne's were forget-me-nots, withstreamers of blue ribbon, and her soft light hair was braided in twotails, tied with a blue ribbon about halfway, the rest floating loose.
They had a dainty luncheon. Mrs. Personette received nods from thisone and that one, for already she was becoming quite well known.
"Oh," she said presently, "do you know the school children are to havetheir walk on Monday, a Mayday walk, quite an institution, I believe.And Laverne ought to go to school, do you not think so? And this is tobe quite an event. She must see it, and you as well."
"Alice Payne is to be Queen of the May, and seven maids of honor fromthe different schools," said Olive. "Why, I could take Laverne withme. You'd have to wear your white frock, that's all."
Laverne glanced up eagerly, with a dainty flush. Could she really takepart in it?
It was true Jason Chadsey had not been very anxious to push hislittle girl forward. They had lived too far from schools before, andshe was too much of a stranger to go around alone.
"It will be just splendid! And you will see so many girls. Of course,we have lived here a long while and know almost everybody."
"Of all the thousands," appended her mother, rather humorously. "Thenyou must be a 'Forty-niner.'"
Olive colored. "We're older than that," she answered, with some pride."Father is a real Californian."
"And you children will belong to the old aristocracy when birth beginsto count. I suppose that will come in presently."
"It always does," returned Miss Holmes. "Think of the pride of Bostonover her early immigrants."
They drove around the garden and then took the two guests home. MissHolmes expressed her pleasure warmly.
"Oh," laughed Mrs. Personette, "when we were on our long journey,coming to a strange land, who could have imagined that in so short atime I should be riding round in my carriage! And I seemed to have nospecial gift or attraction. Truly it is a Golden State."
Laverne had a great deal to tell Uncle Jason. She was so bright andhappy, and had seen so much. And then there was the procession forMonday. Could she go?
Certainly, it was not possible to deny the eager, appealing face andpleading voice.
After supper, when she was in bed and Uncle Jason reading his papers,Miss Holmes broached the subject of school.
The first schools, as happens in most new places, were privateenterprises. The earliest of all had been among the old residentsbefore the great influx, and in 1847 the old plain little schoolhousewas erected on Portsmouth Square. It was used for many purposes.Religious bodies held their first meetings here, and the early publicamusements were given, even political and benevolent assemblies. Itwas dignified as a Court House under Judge Almond, and at lengthturned into a station house until it went the way of transitorythings. To this effort for education succeeded a real public school,with a board of trustees of prominent men, there being sixty childrenof school age in a population of a little over eight hundred,including Indians. Then suddenly the gold fever swept the town likewildfire, the public-school project was dropped, and the Rev. AlbertWilliams collected twenty-five pupils into a pay-school. In the springof 1850, Mr. and Mrs. Pelton, who had succeeded the clergyman, andgathered in a large number of pupils, applied to the city for adequaterecompense, and it was virtually made a public school. In January, abeautiful lot at Spring Valley, on the Presidio Road, was purchased,and a school was built in a delightful road of evergreens.
Soon after this the city started again and in time had seven schools,though several private schools were in a very flourishing condition.But many children were sent East to finishing academies, or toMonterey and other Southern towns to convent schools. Still the causeof education began to demand more attention, as the necessity forgood citizenship became more strenuous.
Uncle Jason glanced up from his paper when Miss Holmes spoke of theschool.
"Not that I find it at all troublesome to teach her, and she is themost tractable child I ever saw. Then she is so eager to get to thevery foundation of things. Why, you would hardly believe how much sheknows about botany. I found an old book--but the flowers here are sodifferent. And I really love to teach now that I am well and strong. Icould almost go in school again."
"Oh, don't think of such a thing. We couldn't do without you," heexclaimed earnestly. "But you think--a school----" and he paused, hiseyes fixed on the floor as if he was ruminating.
"Laverne needs the companionship of children, comparing thoughts withthem, playing, the harmless rivalry of studying together. When itcomes to that, I could have a small school. You see she will begrowing older all the time."
"Frankly, which would be best? You are more capable of deciding, sinceyou have had a wider experience in this matter."
"Oh, the school. You see she must take a place with other people. Shehas no relatives, and friends must stand in their stead."
He turned back to his paper, but he was not reading. The little girlwas all his. He had a feeling when they left Maine that nothing and noone should come between them. Every thought, every desire shouldcluster about her. He would make a fortune for her. His first plan ingoing to California was to start to the gold fields for the sake ofadventures. He would cut loose from all old recollections. He wouldleave Laverne Westbury a comfortable and satisfied wife and mother. Hehad no bitterness against his rival now. It had all been so different.Many a night on shipboard he lived over those few sad weeks and huggedto his heart the consolation that she had loved him, and that fate hadbeen cruel to both. And then, conscious of the finer strain offatherhood that had so long lain fallow in his soul, the child slippedinto the place, and aims were changed for him. There would be enoughfor him to do in the new town where everything was needed, and hecould turn his hand to almost anything. But he must keep to her, shewas the apple of his eye, and he would go groping in sorrowfuldarkness without her.
He had a curious feeling at first that he must hide her away lest herfather should start up from somewhere and claim her, and was glad tolight on that out-of-the-way place. The long voyage had been likeliving in the same village with these people. The New Englandreticence of Miss Holmes appealed to him in a peculiar manner, he wasreticent himself. Then the child took the greatest fancy to her. Shewas rather timid about this new world while the others were ready foradventures. And when he offered her a home for the care of the childshe was very willing to accept it for the present. Her belief was thatwhen she was rested and in her usual health she should teach schoolagain.
Her two friends had teased her a little about finding a possiblelover in Jason Chadsey. She had the fine feminine delicacy that shrankfrom the faintest suspicion of putting herself in the way of such apossibility. He was a sturdy, upright, plain-spoken fellow, not at allher ideal, and she still had the romance of girlhood. She came to knowpresently by her womanly intuition that marriage had no place in histhoughts, that were centred in the little girl. Perhaps, her motherwas his only sister, a deserted wife, she gathered from childishprattle of Laverne's. She knew so little about her past. Uncle Jasonhad come when they were in great want, and her mother had died. Andnow, Jason Chadsey knew it would be best for this idea to gaincredence. He would always be her uncle.
But he had some du
ties toward her. She could not always remain achild, a plaything. That was the sorrow of it. There must be a rich,delightful life before her. She must have the joys her mother hadmissed, the prosperity that had not come to her.
He looked up from the paper presently.
"About the school," he began. "Yes, I have been considering it. Andyou will have quite enough to do to keep the house and have theoversight of her; I will make it an object for you to stay. We getalong comfortably together, though sometimes I feel I am a queerunsocial Dick, much occupied now with business. But it is all for her.She is the only thing out of a life that has been all ups and downs,but, please God, there'll be some clear sailing now. I like SanFrancisco. I like the rush and bustle and newness, the effort for afiner civilization that has strength and purpose in it. Heaven knowsthere is enough of the other sort, but the dross does get sifted outand the gold is left. It will be so here, and these earnest men tenyears hence will be proud of the city they are rearing."
He glanced at her steadily, forgetting he had wandered from the mainquestion.
"You will not leave us----"
"I? Oh, no;" yet she colored a little.
"There will be enough to do if the child does go to school. And youcan walk down for her in the afternoon, wherever it is, and havelittle outings. I am glad you are so fond of her, and she loves you.She isn't the kind to strew her love broadcast."
"Yes, I am very fond of her," was the reply.