The Doomswoman: An Historical Romance of Old California

  XIII.

  The family retired early in its brief seasons of reclusion, and at teno'clock Casa Grande was dark and quiet. Reinaldo opened his door andlistened cautiously, then stepped softly to the green bench and feltbeneath for the lump of tallow. It was there. He returned to his roomand swung himself from his window into the yard, about which wereirregularly disposed the manufactories of the Indians, a high wallprotecting the small town. All was quiet here, and had been for hours.He stole to the wooden tower and mounted a ladder, lifting it fromstory to story until he reached the attic under the pointed roof. Thenhe lit a candle, and, removing a board from the floor, peered downinto the room whose door was always so securely locked. The starsshone through the uncurtained windows and were no yellower than thegold coins heaped on the large table and overflowing the baskets.Reinaldo took a long pole from a corner and applied to one end a pieceof the soft tallow. He lowered the pole and pressed it firmly into thepile of gold on the table. The pole was withdrawn, and this ingeniousfisherman removed a large gold fish from the bait. He fished patientlyfor an hour, then filled a bag he had brought for the purpose, andreturned as he had come. Not to his bed, however. Once more he openedhis door and stole forth, this time to the town, to hold high revelaround the gaming-table, where he was welcomed hilariously by his booncompanions.

  A wild fandango in a neighboring booth provided relaxation for thegamblers. In an hour or two Reinaldo found his way to this well-knownhaven. Black-eyed dancing-girls in short skirts of tawdry satintrimmed with cotton lace, mock jewels on their bare necks and in theircoarse black hair, flew about the room and screamed with delight asReinaldo flung gold pieces among them. The excitement continued in allits variations until morning. Men bet and lost all the gold they hadbrought with them, then sold horse, serape, and sombrero to themen who neither drank nor gambled, but came prepared for close andprofitable bargains. Reinaldo lost his purloins, won them again, stoodupon the table and spoke with torrential eloquence of his wrongs andvirtues, kissed all the girls, and when by easy and rapid stages hehad succeeded in converting himself into a tank of aguardiente, he wascarried home and put to bed by such of his companions as were soberenough to make no noise.