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Rezanov by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
page 117 of 289 (40%)
So it proved. At a few minutes before nine the
Senora Arguello, clad in her best black skirt and
jacket, a red shawl embroidered with yellow draped
over her bust with unconquerable grace, and a black
reboso folded about her fine proud head, rode down
to the beach with Ana Paula on the aquera behind
and Gertrudis Rudisinda on her arm. The boys
howled on the corridor, but the good senora felt
she could not too liberally construe the kind invita-
tion of a chamberlain of the Russian Court.

Behind her rode Concha, in white with a pink
reboso; Rafaella Sal, Carolina Xime'no, Herminia
Lopez, Delfina Rivera, the only other girls at the
Presidio old enough to grace such an occasion;
Sturgis, who happened to have spent the night at
the Presidio, Gervasio, Santiago and Lieutenant
Rivera. Castro had returned to Monterey, Sal was
officer of the day, and the other young men had
sulkily declined to be the guests of a man who looked
as haughty as the Tsar himself and betrayed no dis-
position to recognize in Spain the first nation of
Europe. But no one missed them. The girls, in
their flowered muslins and bright rebosos, the men
in gay serapes and embroidered botas, looked a
fine mass of color as they galloped down to the
beach and laughed and chattered as youth must on
so glorious a morning. Even Sturgis, always care-
ful to be as nearly one with these people as his dif-
ferent appearance and temperament would permit,
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