The Splendid Idle Forties: Stories of Old CaliforniaAtherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
History
The Splendid Idle Forties: Stories of Old California
Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
California -- History -- To 1846 -- Fiction; Historical fiction, American; Spaniards -- California -- Fiction
"I run to the window and whatte I see?--Indians, Indians, Indians,
thick like black ants on hill, jus race for the house, yelling like the
horses' backs been fule de pins; and Don Carlos and the two vaqueros run
like they have wings for the kitchen door, so can get in and get the
guns and fight from the windows. I know whatte they want, so I run to
the door to throw wide, and whatte I see but that devil Franco lock it
and stan in front. I jump on him so can scratch his eyes out, but he
keeck me in the estomac and for few minutes I no know it nothing.
"When I opa my eyes, the room is fule de Indians, and in the iron the
house I hear my señora and Doña Ester scream, scream, scream. I crawl up
by the window-seat and look out, and there--ay, Madre de Dios!--see on
the groun my señor dead, stuck fule de arrows; and the vaqueros, too,
of course. That maka me crazy and I run among the Indians, hitting them
with my fists, to my señora and my señoritas. Jus as I run into the sala
they go to killing my señora, but I snatch the knife and fall down on
my knees and beg and cry they no hurcha her, and bime by they say all
right. But--santa Dios!--whatte you think they do it? They tear all the
closes offa her till she is naked like my ban, and drive her out the
house with the reatas. They no letting me follow and I look out the
window and see her reel like she is drunk down the valley and scream,
scream!--Ay, Dios!
"Ester, she faint and no know it nothing. Beatriz, she have kill one
Indian with her pistol, but they take way from her, and she stan look
like the dead woman with eyes that have been in hell, in front the
chief, who looka her very hard. He is very fine look, that chief, so
tall and strong, like he can kill by sweep his arm roun, and he have
fierce black eyes and no bad nose for Indian, with nostrils that jump.
His mouth no is cruel like mos the bad Indians, nor the forehead so low.
He wear the crown de feathers, and botas, and scrape de goaskin; the
others no wear much at all. In a minute he pick up Beatriz and fling her
over his shoulder like she is the dead deer, and he tell other do the
same by Ester, and he stalk out and ride away hard. The others set fire
everything, then ride after him. They no care for me and I stand there
shriek after my señoritas and the beautiful housses burn up.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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