Part 26 (1/2)
Out came Senor Valdez to receive them, a stately Spaniard, who furnished the boys with an ideal of perfect courtesy ever after. To the end of their days they remembered their first visit to the home of Senor Valdez. How they did enjoy their dinner that evening in the long, pleasantly lighted dining-room.
It was an excellent meal, with delicious soup, a salad garnished with peppers of the Spanish style, and garlic. Jim and Jo had never tasted anything equal to it. Besides there were frijoles and lamb, while the dessert was some slight and delicate confection of jelly and cream, made by the hands of the Senora Valdez.
”I feel wicked sitting here and eating this fine meal,” said Jo, addressing Jim in a low voice, ”when Tom and Juarez are being ill used and probably starved.”
”Well,” replied Jim, who was always practical, ”I think it is better to eat, and to keep my strength up.”
”I guess it won't fail,” commented Jo slyly.
The boys bore themselves well, and without any diffidence though Jim had a whimsical recollection of his bruised side face and blackened eye, and he tried to keep it turned from the Senora Valdez, the fragile little woman who sat at the end of the table opposite her husband. She had snow white hair, parted low over her ears and the pallid face was lined with years. Very gentle was the Senora Valdez, but she had in her time beheld scenes of carnage and terror, so Jim need not have worried about his bruised face. But the wise old lady noticed his solicitude and understanding, was the more gracious to the young Americano because of it.
That evening they sat on the piazza, that looked out towards the sea, the Spaniards smoking and Jim and Jo enjoying the music of a guitar played by a Mexican in a dim corner of the verandah and the boys heard a bit of important news.
”There was a mysterious s.h.i.+p put into sh.o.r.e several miles South of here, late last night, Senor,” said their host, ”one of my shepherds brought me word.”
”The first scent of the trail,” cried Jim eagerly. Then the Senor Sebastian explained to his friend more fully the objects of their search. Immediately the listener was deeply interested. Then he sent for an Indian, one of his trusted men, to come to him, and gave him minute instructions about some matters. Without a word the Indian turned and disappeared in the darkness, and in a short time there came the sound of a horse galloping full speed down the road.
”Tomorrow, Senor Darlington, this Indian will meet you at a point near the Puebla de los Angeles, which my friend knows and he will have all the information there is obtainable as to the location of this s.h.i.+p and its crew,” thus spoke the Senor Valdez. Jim thanked him with deep fervor for his unusual kindness, but the Spaniard made light of it.
CHAPTER XXVIII
A TALE OF YORE
As they sat there in the dusk of the verandah, Jim would have liked to ask his host to relate some of his experiences in southern California for he felt sure that the Senor Valdez had known something of adventure not only because those early days were full of marvels of interest, but there was something in the bearing of the old Spaniard that spoke of former days of romance and of stirring incidents.
Then, too, there was something in the after-dinner content and quiet, following the perilous adventure which they had been through that predisposed the boys to listen to a good story of adventure. Their friend, the Senor Sebastian, seemed to divine what was pa.s.sing through Jim's mind, for he suddenly spoke, breaking the meditative spell that had fallen upon the group on the piazza.
”It just occurred to me, Senor Valdez, that our friends here might like to hear something of the early days in this part of the country, for you of all men know it thoroughly and I am sure it would interest them.”
”Indeed, it would, Senor,” cried Jim enthusiastically, ”it was in my mind to ask Senor Valdez to tell us of the early days but I was afraid to impose upon him.”
”I feel greatly honored to think that you young men would care to hear anything my poor tongue could relate. It would hardly be worth your distinguished attention.” Jim made due allowance for the courteous exaggeration characteristic of the Spaniard.
”Try us, Senor,” he said briefly, ”we would want nothing better.”
”I will have the coffee brought first,” replied the Senor, ”that may serve to stimulate my dull imagination.”
In a short time a softly moving servant brought out a tray of coffee cups, and placed one before each guest on a small wicker table. Jim noticed these cups with immediate interest. They were certainly beautiful and he had never seen anything like them before. They were of a wonderful blue, each one, and had a coat of arms in gold with raised figures on it; a scroll above with a Latin motto, and beneath the representation of a wild animal couchant. The Senor Valdez was quick to see Jim's interest and respond to it. ”That is the coat of arms of my family,” he explained.
”I am not a scholar, Senor,” said Jim, ”and all I can make of the motto is that it has something to do with a lion.”
”You are quite right,” the ghost of a smile hovered around the white-fringed lips of the Spaniard, at Jim's innate boyishness.
”That figure does not look exactly like a lion,” remarked Jo frankly.
”Not like an African lion certainly,” replied the Spaniard, ”but a lion nevertheless, such as one finds yet in the mountain fastnesses of Spain, something like a panther only larger and much more fierce.”
”The lion seems to have a rope or chain around his neck,” commented Jim, ”and fastened to a collar.”