CHAPTER VIII
GIRLS AND GIRLS
They rambled over the hills on Sunday, for Miss Holmes had given herankle a little wrench and was applying hot fomentations. Up there wasthe Presidio, and over here the beautiful ocean, blue as the skyto-day, except where the swells drove up on the rocks and, catchingthe sun, made spray of all colors. The ground squirrels ran about,scudding at the slightest sound of human beings, which they seemed todistinguish from the rustling and whispering of the trees, or thetinkle of a little stream over the stones. It ran under a crevice inthe rock that was splitting apart now by some of Nature's handiworkand came out over west of their house where it dropped into a littlebasin. Here was a blasted pine that had been struck by some freak ofrare lightning, then piles of sand over which cactus crept. And herewas a deer-trail, though civilization had pretty well scared themaway.
But the birds! Here was the jay with his scolding tongue, the swallowsdarting to and fro in a swift dazzle, the martins in bluish purple,the tanager in his brilliant red, the robin, thrush, meadowlark, theoriole, and the mocking birds that filled the air with melody this MaySunday. And nearly every foot of ground was covered with bloom. Nowand then the little girl hopped over a tuft that she might not crushthe beautiful things. Great clouds of syringas and clusters of whitelilies filled the air with a delicious fragrance. And the wild lilacwith its spikes of bloom nodding to the faintest breeze. Wild barleyand wild oats, and a curious kind of clover, and further down thecoarse salt grass with its spear-like blades.
They sat down on some stones and glanced over the ocean. There weretwo vessels coming up the coast and some seamews were screaming. Itwas all wild and strange, almost weird, and no little girl could havedreamed that in a few years streets would be stretching out here. Asfor trolleys going to and fro, even grown people would have laughed atsuch a thing.
They talked of the great procession that was to be the next day. Andthen Uncle Jason wondered how she would like going to schoolregularly.
"I shall like girls," she said. "There are no boys where Olive goes.She thinks boys are more fun."
"But you don't go to school for the mere fun."
"They make so much noise in the street. And some times they sing suchfunny songs. But they were nice about sledding back home, only there'sno snow here."
"Are you ever homesick?"
"You know I was sick sometimes on the ship."
"But to go back, I mean."
"There wouldn't be any one--I've almost forgotten who were there.Mother, you know----" with a pitiful sort of retrospection.
"Yes, yes," hurriedly.
"Would you want to go?"
"Oh, no, no!" with some vehemence.
She came and leaned against his knee, put her arms about his neck, andher soft cheek against his weather-beaten one.
"I should never want to go anywhere without you," she replied, withgrave sweetness.
"You are all I have, my little darling."
"And I haven't any one else. Olive has such a lot of cousins. She goesover to Oaklands to see them."
There was a long pause and the wind rushed by laden with perfumes.They heard the lapping of the surf against the rocks. The strangebeauty penetrated both souls that were not so far apart after all.
"Uncle Jason, did you ever have a wife?" she asked, with a child'sinnocence.
"No, dear." Sometime he would tell her the story of his love for hermother.
"Then you won't want to marry any one?"
"Marry! I?" Had that Personette girl put some nonsense into her headabout Miss Holmes? He colored under the weather-browned skin.
"You see, Mr. Personette's wife had died, and I suppose he had tomarry some one again to look after the children."
"Would you like me to marry some one to look after you?" in a halfhumorous tone.
"Why, Miss Holmes can do that," she returned, in surprise.
"She seems to do it very well." There was a lurking smile about thecorners of his mouth.
"I like her. No, I shouldn't like any one else coming in. Perhaps shewould not stay. No, Uncle Jason, I don't want you to marry any one,"she said, simply. "And when I get old I shall not marry, though Carmenmeans to. And we will live together always. Oh," with a bright littlelaugh, "let's promise. Put your little finger--so." She hooked hers init. "Now, you must say: Honest and true, I love but you!"
He uttered it solemnly. He had said it to one other little girl whenhe was a big boy.
Then she repeated it, looking out of clear, earnest eyes.
After that she gathered a great armful of flowers and they rambled offhome.
"Who do you think has been here?" inquired Miss Holmes, with a laughin her very voice.
"Who--Olive, perhaps. Or, maybe, Dick Folsom."
"No. Guess again."
She cudgelled her wits. "Not Snippy?"
"Yes, Snippy. He actually came into the house and looked so sharply atme that I told him you would be home about noon. Then I gave him a bitof cracker, and when he had eaten a little he scampered off with therest. I think he has been planning a house near us."
"Oh, wouldn't that be splendid! I'm just going to scatter a path ofcracker bits as Hop o' my Thumb did."
"But if he eats them up how much wiser will you be?"
Laverne looked nonplussed. "Well, he will have them at any rate," andshe nodded her head with satisfaction.
Pablo had built a stone fireplace and was roasting some ducks out ofdoors. He was sure he couldn't do it any other way.
"I must go and view the camping process," and Uncle Jason laughed."How is your ankle?"
"Oh, quite on the mend," she answered.
Pablo had built a stone fireplace and was roasting the ducks over agreat bed of coals that he was burning at one side. It might bewasteful, as when the Chinaman first roasted his pig, but it wasfilling the air with a savory smell, and they were browned to a turn.
"They look just delicious," announced Laverne. She took the platterout and Pablo carried them in with a proud air.
And delicious they certainly were. The little girl was hungry, andUncle Jason said he had not enjoyed anything so much in a long while.She insisted she should wash up the dishes while Uncle Jason took hisusual nap. Then she went out and dropped some cracker crumbs andstrictly forbade Bruno to touch them.
"If you would like to go down to the Estenegas I will get one of thehorses," Uncle Jason said. His Sundays were always devoted to her.
So she went out and talked to Pelajo while Pablo harnessed him. Hesaid very plainly that she had quite neglected him of late and he didnot like it. He did not want to be thrown over for new friends.
All along the road the beauty of the May met them, and it stirred bothriders, making them respond to the joy of motion and the sweetness ofall blooming things, the merriment of the birds, the touch of the windin the trees as a voice playing on a flute. He thought it was all thedelight of owning the little girl who would always be his. How hewould care for her in old age, and he quite forgot that he would bethere decades and decades first. But he suddenly felt so young, withall these signs of youth about him, the magnetism of the air in thiswondrous land.
Here was the old house. They were straightening the road, digging awayhills, filling up hollows, and a corner of it had tumbled down. Thereseemed a damp, marshy smell of the newly turned earth, and two treeshad fallen and begun to wither up. The wood doves were callingplaintively.
"Oh, I wouldn't come back for anything!" cried Laverne. "Did we havenice times here, and did we really like it?"
"This is the hand of improvement. Sometime, when we are trotting overa nice level road, with pretty houses and grounds, we shall admire itagain."
But it was lovely enough at the Estenegas, out of doors. The childrenwere wild with delight. It seemed as if Carmencita had suddenly shotup into a tall girl. And in the autumn she was to go to Monterey, tothe old convent, where Dona Conceptione de Arguello had gone after herRussian lover had been killed, and where she had fin
ally become MotherSuperior and lived to old age, always praying for his soul.
"But I am going only for accomplishments. And it seems the distantcousin of the Estenegas wishes a wife who will grace the great houseand carry on the honors. Mamacita is very proud that he made theoffer. And the children will go up to the Mission to stay all the weekat the Sisters' School."
"And they must visit me sometimes. The new home is so much pleasanter.I am going to school also, and I have some new friends. It is splendidto be in the heart of the city." Then she told them about the day atRuss's garden, and that on to-morrow, Monday, she was going out towalk with hundreds of children.
The Spanish girl's eyes grew larger and larger at all the wonders.They walked up and down with their arms about each other and were fullof childish happiness. Then Senora Estenega summoned them torefreshments on the balcony, now a wilderness of roses. Uncle Jasondid not care much for the Spanish sweetmeats and candied fruits, thefreshly ripened ones were more to his taste and he had been quitespoiled again by New England living. But he knew how to be polite.
It was quite dusk when they reached home. Olive Personette had beenover. They would call for her to-morrow, and she was to be dressed inwhite, sure. It would be a greater thing than the German Festival.
And great it surely was! There had never been such an event in SanFrancisco. There were over a thousand children, and each one carried abouquet of flowers. Miss Holmes had found some white ribbon andtrimmed her gypsy hat, and the little girl with her fair hair lookedlike a lily. There were crowds of people in the streets to see them,proud mothers and aunts. Each school had a distinctive banner, andthere was a band of music. The Queen of May wore a wreath, and so didher maids of honor.
When they had gone through the principal thoroughfares and beencheered enthusiastically, they moved to the schoolhouse on Broadway,where they had a little sort of play dialogue, and sang some beautifulsongs. A few brief addresses were made, and San Francisco declareditself proud of its children that day, the children who were to be thefuture men and women of the city.
Then there was quite a feast, which the young people enjoyed mightily.How they laughed and talked and declared they would not have missed itfor anything.
Afterward they dispersed. The Personette carriage was waiting, withinstructions to take home all it would hold, so they crowded in. Andat the gate stood Uncle Jason.
"Oh," the little girl exclaimed, with a tired sigh, "it was justsplendid. If you had only been there!"
"Do you think I would have missed it? I came up to see the processionand I picked you out, walking with Olive. Why, I was as proud of youas if you had been the Queen."
"But the Queen was lovely. And the play! I couldn't hear all of it,there was such a crowd, and I had to stand up to see. Wasn't it goodof Olive to ask me! And she wanted to take me home to dinner."
"I couldn't have eaten dinner without you." He kissed her over andover again. He was so glad to see her happy. Not that she was ever asad little girl.
Miss Holmes was very much improved and regretted she could not havegone out to see the procession. Snippy had called, and all the crackerbits were gone, but she had seen the wood doves carrying off some ofthe crumbs.
"I guess Snippy has moved for good," said Uncle Jason. "It's ratherfunny, too. You must have charmed him."
She gave a pleased laugh.
Nearly midnight of that happy day the bells rang out with theirdreadful alarm. Uncle Jason sprang up, and before he was dressed hesaw the blaze. Citizens turned out _en masse_. The Rassete House onSansome Street was in a sheet of flame. A fine five-story hotel, fullof lodgers, who had to flee for their lives. The firemen were quitewell organized now and made great efforts to keep it from spreading,remembering the former big fires. In this they were quite successful.Other generous people were taking in the four hundred homeless ones,and it was found the next day that no lives had been lost, which was asource of thanksgiving.
A little later there were some imposing ceremonies near the Presidio,just at the foot of the hill. This was the commencement of theMountain Lake Water Works, a much-needed project. There were variousartesian wells, and water was brought in tanks from Sausalito, but thesupply was inadequate in case of fires and the city was growing sorapidly. The rather curious Mountain Lake was not large, but a shortdistance from its northern margin a stream of water gushed through theground, which was a great spring or a subterranean river from theopposite shores. It was begun with great rejoicing, but like all largeundertakings it had progressed slowly.
Indeed, San Francisco had so many things on its hands. There wereplans for the State Marine Hospital and other benevolent institutions.Churches too were urging demands on a generous people who felt theymust make an effort to redeem the standing of the city. The toughs hadbeen somewhat restrained, but the continual influx of miners withtheir pouches of gold, ready for any orgies after having been deprivedof the amenities of social life, and the emigration from nearly allquarters of the globe constituted a class very difficult to govern,who drank, gambled, frequented dance houses, quarrelled, and scruplednot at murder.
But of this side the little girl was to hear nothing, though UncleJason was often shocked in spite of all his experiences. He was havinga warehouse down on the bay, fitting out vessels, disposing ofcargoes, and keeping the peace with one of those imperturbabletemperaments, grown wise by training of various sorts, and the deepsettled endeavor to make a fortune for the Little Girl. It did notmatter so much now, but when she grew up she should be a lady and haveeverything heart could desire.
In a short street that came to be called Pine afterward, and was atthe head of the streets that were to be named after trees, there stoodquite a substantial brick building with some fine grounds. Here a Mrs.Goddart and her sister, Miss Bain, kept a school for young girls andsmaller children, and had a few boarding scholars. The Personettegirls had gone there because it was near by, and out of the range ofthe noisier part of the city. Howard was at the San Francisco Academy,kept by a Mr. Prevaux, in quite a different direction. There was aplan for a new public school on Telegraph Hill, but these were morelargely filled with boys, as is often the case in the youth of towns.
So the little girl went to Mrs. Goddart's and quite surprised herteachers by her acquirements and her love of study. Perhaps, if shehad not lived so much alone she would have been more interested inplay and childish gossip. And her walks with Uncle Jason had broughther into companionship not only with trees and flowers, but withdifferent countries of the world, and their products. Uncle Jason hadgrafted upon a boy's common education the intelligence that travel andbusiness give, and though a quiet man he had taken a keen interest notonly in the resources of countries, but their governments as well, andthese things were the little girl's fairy stories. She would find theplaces on the map, the Orient, the northern coast of Africa, thecountry of the Turks, Arabia, India. A trading vessel goes from portto port.
She liked her school very much, though she was rather shy of thegirls. Some of them called her a little prig because she would nottalk and was correct in her deportment. She found in the course of afew days that Olive "squirmed" out of some things and did not alwaystell the truth. Back in Maine children had been soundly whipped fortelling falsehoods and it was considered shameful; Miss Holmes was avery upright person, of the old Puritan strain.
She was not finding fault, but she did want to know if a prig wassomething rather disgraceful.
"It is never disgraceful to be honest in word and deed, to obeywhatever rules are set before you, to study honestly and not shirk. Ithink the prig would set himself above his neighbors for this, but yousee he would only be doing his duty, he would have no extra claim.But when he set himself up to be better than his neighbors andtriumphed over them, he would be a prig."
Her delicately pencilled brows worked a little.
"Some of them are ever so much prettier than I am," she saidinnocently, "and they say such funny things, and their clothes arevery nice. Well, I like
them. We have such fun playing at recess."
He remembered about the clothes and spoke to Miss Holmes.
"I do not think it best to dress a child so much for school. What willshe have afterward? And it does fill their heads with vanity."
He had given her a pretty ring for a birthday, and she had hergrandmother's string of gold beads that had come over from London withsome great, great-grandmother.
Snippy had settled himself quite comfortably, just where they couldnot tell, and he had evidently coaxed his wife to emigrate. She wasnot quite as handsome as he. Dick Folsom, who ran up every now andthen, said he was what was called a hare squirrel, on account of hissplendid feathery tail, though why, he couldn't see, as hares hadscarcely any tail at all. Snippy was so tame now, or else he was soglad to be near the little girl, that he was not much afraid ofstrangers if they did not offer to touch him. He would run aroundUncle Jason, and nose in his pockets until he found nuts or crumbs.But he didn't like tobacco a bit and scolded in his funny way when hecame across that.
Pelajo was not forgotten, though he sometimes complained a little.Uncle Jason said Miss Holmes must learn to ride. The big dray horsewas not fit for a lady, and though the Mexican and Indian women rodemules and were very expert, they were not considered quite the thing.
There was a stream coming out in a sort of split rock up above theplace, and it made a kind of pool just below. In the autumn rains itran along down the slope of the ground, tumbling over the stones thatwere in its way. Pablo and the little girl had made quite a prettywaterfall and a new pond where the ducks could swim about. The upperone they covered over and had for family use. Springs were not veryplentiful, and Uncle Jason believed this a little underground spur ofthe Mountain Lake, as it never quite dried up.
And one Saturday, when Laverne was working at her stream, meaning tomake it more extensive when the rainy season set in, a great whitesomething fell at her very feet and gave such a screech that shestarted and ran. It lay on the ground and fluttered and cried, so sheknew it was some kind of a bird and came nearer. It looked up at herout of frightened black eyes, rose on one foot, flapped one wing, andfell over again. Was it really a gull?
She called Pablo.
"Yes, Senorita, it is a gull. I never could get nearby one unless itwas shot. They are the wildest things. This have a leg broke," and hepicked up the limp member.
"Oh, the poor thing," softly stroking it.
"And wing too, see? Better kill it."
"Oh, no, no! Poor thing," she cried, full of sympathy.
"What then? He must die. He starve."
"No, we can feed him."
"But he eat fish."
"So do we. There is plenty of fish. And you catch so many. Can't youdo anything for him?"
Pablo lifted the leg again, and examined it.
"No--shot!" he exclaimed, shaking his head.
"Why couldn't you do it up in splints?"
"Not worth it," and he shook his head decisively. "And the wing too.Yes, that's shot."
Laverne patted the poor thing, who screeched and tried to rise. Howsoft the feathers were and snowy white, except about the neck that hadthe faintest shade of blue. Then, suddenly, she picked it up in herskirt, though it struggled. How light it was for such a large thing.She had taken off her shoes and stockings while she was paddling inthe stream, and she ran down to the house not minding the rough path.
"Oh, see this poor gull!" she cried. "It just dropped down--out of theclouds, I guess. There were no others around."
She laid it down on the patch of grass Miss Holmes took great painswith for a bleachery.
"Poor thing!" said the lady pityingly.
"Better end him," and Pablo took hold of his neck.
"No, no, no! You shall not kill him. Poor fellow!" she cried.
He was gasping now, and then he lay quite still, exhausted.
"You could splint up his leg," said Miss Holmes. "You did the duck,you know."
"That good for something. He squak and squak."
"Yes, you must splint it up," Laverne said, with decision. "I can findsome cord, and--what will you have?"
Pablo shrugged his shoulders and said something just under his breathin pure Mexican, not quite the thing for a little girl to hear.
"And when Uncle Jason comes home we will see about the wing. Won'tthis old basket make splints?"
Pablo went about his job unwillingly. Laverne wrapped him up so thathe could not kick with the other leg, and presently they had thewounded member bandaged. The gull lay quite still, but Laverne saw thefrightened heart beat through the feathers.
Pablo raised the wing and shook his head dubiously.
"Uncle Jason is coming home early with the horses, you know," she saidto Miss Holmes. "Oh, my shoes and stockings!" and off she ran to thespot where they had been at work. "Pablo can go on clearing this out,"she said to herself. "It will be all ready when the rainy season setsin. Oh, the poor flowers! Sun, why do you scorch them up so! And inMaine the summer is so delightful. But the winter, oh!" and she made ahalf wry, half amused face.
She was all ready when Uncle Jason came up the street on one horse andleading the other; and all eagerness, she was telling her story whilehe dismounted and fastened them both.
"That's funny," he said. "Next a black bear will come knocking at yourdoor. Or you might snare a silver-gray fox and have a tippet made ofhis skin."
"As if I could be so cruel!"
The gull had hardly moved. Now, it seemed frightened at the strangeface and struggled. Uncle Jason spoke softly, and lifted the woundedwing which was considerably shattered.
"I suppose it _could_ be mended, but there are hundreds of gulls."
"This one came straight to me. Why, he fairly asked me to take pity onhim;" and she drew an eager breath.
She was a very sympathetic little girl, and he smiled.
Some shot had better be taken out. He opened the small blade of hisknife. It was not a really fresh wound, for the blood was dry. Hepicked out the shot, scraped the pieces of bone a trifle, and studiedhow they were to go together, Pablo holding the body tight. He pulledout some of the downy feathers, pinched the skin together, wound itwith threads of soft silk and then bound it up with splints.
"Poor thing," he said.
"Don't you believe he will get over it? Oh, what if he never could flyagain."
"Then he will have to live with you."
"Oh, I should like that if he would only be content."
Then they put him in a tub so he could not flounder around much, andlaid some bits of meat near him. Pablo was to keep watch so that noevil would happen.
Miss Holmes had hardly mounted a horse since girlhood. She did feel alittle timid.
"She's a lady's mount and very gentle. Old knowledge soon comes backto one," Uncle Jason said, with an encouraging smile.
They took their way up on the cliff, where there was a pretence of aroad that long afterward was to be magnificent. From here the townwas a succession of terraces to the bay. The houses were in manyinstances hidden, but here and there a high one, or a church, loomedup.
On the ocean side it was simply magnificent. The wave-washed rocksglinting in the brilliant sunlight, the seals diving, swimming aboutas if they were at play, then coming up to sun themselves, the flocksof gulls, the terns, the murres, and the fulmars, who expertly catchfish from the gulls, the auks, diving and swimming about. To-dayalmost every variety seemed out.
The air was like the wine of a new life and made the blood tingle inthe veins. The midday heat was over, the west wind bore the tang ofthe broad ocean. Miss Holmes wondered if she had ever known beforethis just what life was, and the joy of living.