'
'That's just what I'm coming to. I have such a bright idea. He said
that we might look in any of his books, but Geoff and Jack are at
them already, and I'd like a surprise. Now Juan Capistrano, an old
vaquero of Colonel Jackson's, is over here. He is a wonderful rider;
papa says that he could ride on a comet, if he could get a chance to
mount. It was he who told the boys that the rodeo was over. Now I
propose that we go and interview Pancho and Juan, and get them to
tell us some old California stories. They are both as stupid as they
can be, but they must have had some adventures, I suppose, somewhere,
sometime. I'll translate and write the things down, for my part, and
you and Margery can tell them.'
'Lovely! Oh, if we can only get an exciting grizzly story, so that
Every one's blood upon end it will stand,
And the hair run cold in their veins!
And was Dr. Paul out here when California was admitted into the
Union--1850, wasn't it?'
'Of course; why, my child, he was one of the delegates called by
General Riley, the military governor, to meet in convention at
Monterey and make a State constitution. That was September, too--the
first day of September 1849. He went back to the East some time
afterwards, and stayed ten or fifteen years; but he was a real
pioneer and "forty-niner" all the same.
The next night, September 9th, was so cool that the camp-fire was
more than ordinarily delightful; accordingly they piled on more wood
than usual, and prepared for a grand blaze.
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