The Pride of Palomar

information anent young turkeys. With unexpected garrulity, he had introduced himself; with the receipt of this information, she had been rendered speec

the observation-car; even as he waved her a debonair farewell, she caught the look of surp

rself, as she dabbed at her eyes with a wi

tragedy

there, who was familiar with every foot of it, and doubtless cherished every tradition connected with it. He had imagination, and in imaginative people wounds drive deep and are hard to heal; he loved this land of his, not with the passive loyalty of the average American citizen, but with the strange, passionate intensity of the native Californian for his state. She had met many Californians, and, in this one particular, they had all been alike. No matter how far th

conced in the seat of his prideful ancestors, to the prospect of seeing the rich acres that should have been his giving

In a vague way, she felt that she must see him and talk with him before he should come in contact with her father and mother. She w

expiration of the redemption period, the equity of Don Mike in the property was unassailable. With that unpleasant sense of having intruded cam

gain without betraying to him any hint of the mental disturbance of the past forty minutes. She directed the porter in the disposition of Don Mike's scant impedimenta, and wa

ill it take you to g

d some of it winds among hills. I ought to do it

ered, in a voice meant for hi

ss," he answered, in th

y entered a long, narrow ca?on, which they traversed for several miles, climbed a six-per-cent. grade to the crest of a ridge, rolled down into another ca?on, climbed another ridge, and from the sum

iew from here, miss," he informed

at with pa

California he lo

catch snatches of the conversation between her father and the potato baron; they were discussing the agricultural possibilities

s from the mission, the road swung up a gentle grade between two long rows of ancient and neglected palms. The dead, withered fronds of a decade still clung to the corrugated trunks. In the adjoining oaks vast flocks of crows perched

it had been treated to a coat of excellent plaster over the adobe, and this plaster had never been renewed. With the attrition of time and the elements, it had worn away in spots, through which the brown adobe bricks showed, like the b

den that will delight you. A porch runs all round the inside of the house, and every door opens on the patio. That long adobe barracks over yonder used to house

till her

went inside his shack, sorted out a rifle, came outside, sat down, and fondled the weapon all day long. Ever since then he has carried it, mounted or afoot

does he l

It wasn't his steer and it wasn't mine. It belonged to the Farrel estate, and, since there is nobody to lodge a complaint aga

orange blossoms, mingled with the more delicate aroma of flowers, assailed them. Kay stood, entranced,

stood wat

he suggested. "The garden has been neg

mmanded, almost sharply.

ed good-naturedly. "You run m

kissed her lovingly on her ripe red lips; to her husband she presented a cheek that showed to advantage the artistry of a member of that tribe of genii who strive so valiantly to hold in check t

e seemed to expect of her, "are you going to remain with us a

regorio while it's on exhibition, and then this old house and th

to the patio, and stood now, showing all of his teeth in

I have brought a guest with me. Thi

nt himself almost double. At the same time, he lifted his hat. Then he bowed again twice, and,

approaching with Okada's suitcase, "show the gentleman to the room with the big bed in it. Dinner w

histling intake of breath; with another profound bow t

ppeared, "your little playmate's quite like a mechanical

eme for his countrymen. A thousand Japs in the San Gregorio can raise enough garden-truck to feed the city of Los Angeles-and

wife averred frankly. "When you wired me you were bringing a guest, I

m a dirty grayish, white to a soft shade of pink; the old-fashioned furniture had been "done over," and glowed dully in the fading light. Kay threw open the small square-

or him," she thought. "It wi

ess, after which she went on a tour of exploration of

rtly after the family has finished dinner. Keep his dinner i

red yards distant, she saw Pablo Artelan squatting on his heels beside the portal of his

tten me? I'm the girl to whom you were kind enoug

wly from old Pablo's swarthy countenance. He scrambled to

e of the se?orita,"

you need not carry that rifle any more. I shall

her with st

English: "I am an old man, mees. Since my two boss he's die, pretty soon Pablo die, too. For what use ee

uch a terrible man, once yo

, eet is different, but for Pablo Artelan---" he shrugged. "Eef Don Mike is here, nobody can

e close

t for you. You, must not tell

with languid interest a

mistake. Don Mike come home pretty queeck, you see. Nobody can keel Don Mike. Nobody have tha

big mistake. He was wounded in the hand, but no

ke? You see hee

with the tongue. He wil

Finding it, he carried it to his lips. Then, leaping to h

queeck, Pronto!

Pablo

own her flat, homely face. With a snap of his fingers, Pablo dismissed her; then he darted into the house and emerged with his rifle. A cockerel, with the carelessness of youth, had selected for his roost the limb of an adjacent oak a

ll chick-een with rice Spanish," he interpreted. "Eet mus' not be that Don Mi

mean, it's too soon. Don Mike will not eat th

. Wen dat boy he's hongry, he

ur cook to save

wife Carolina, she have been cook for Don Miguel and Don Mike since long time bef

ish dinner. He must eat gringo grub to-night. Tell me, P

the half-plucked chicken at the old cook, wiped his hands on his overalls, and started f

scuttled along the porch with surprising speed, and darted int

Dios! You theenk I let one Chinaman-no, one Jap-sle

s Pablo. Evidently the Jap had been taken by surprise. He rolled off the porch into a flower-bed, recovered himself, and flew at Pablo wit

person, he produced a dirk and slashed vigor

tter part of valor, fled before him. Pablo followed, opened the patio gate, and, with his long dirk, motioned the Jap to disappear through it. "The

ab

ordomo

mees

r Pablo's impetuosity. He is not a servant of ours, but a retainer of the former owner. Pab

she is my beesiness, to

ada declared. "I zin

ou, Mr. Okada. I'm so sorry th

o ho

Don Mike he's come home and fi

inspection of the apartment. Kay could see him wagging his g

Mono, he put my boss's

Whom do you

coat; all the time he look like mebbeso somebo

an Murray,

l stood truculently in the doorway, waiting an answer to his query, she called to Murray, who had rushed to the ai

Miss Kay, and hung them in the cl

ful Murray took advantage of his absence to dart over to

l assured he is a desperate vagabond to whom murder and pillage are mere pasti

," Kay advised. "I will f

e another trip to the other room, and returned bearing an armful of framed portraits of the entire Noriaga and Farrel dynasty, which he proceeded to hang in a row on the wall at the foot of the bed. Lastly

wn casa and squatted against the wall, with his glance fixed upon th