Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/318



fingers are  as  dancing  points  of  thought ;  she  whose  feet upon the  sward  are  Hghter  than  the  soft  south  wind ; she whose  voice  is  angels'  music  singing  whence  she came ; she  whose  charms  are  crowned  by  goodness and sweet,  gentle  sympathy;  such  is  gentle,  virtuou-s woman.

Spaniards who  had  wives  in  Spain  were  forbidden by King  Ferdinand  to  reside  in  any  of  the  colonies ; they must  go  after  them. There were  no  King- Ferdinands to  make  the  men  of  California  bring  out their wives. At first  wives  were  few,  but  houris  in abundance  came  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth, whose beauty  and  virginity,  like  the  black-eyed  dam- sels of paradise,  were,  in  the  eyes  of  the  soiled  and solitary Californians,  renewable  at  pleasure. Of these, as the  Koran  tells  of  the  houris  in  paradise,  each  wo- man-worshipper, if he  possessed  sufficient  gold-dust, might have  seventy-two. So that  for  women,  the mines became  like  Torquemada's  fabulous  Lizard  is- lands, a retreat  for  outcast  damsels  of  every  species.

In the  cities,  particularly,  and  sometimes  in  the mines, there  were  not  lacking  Aspasias  of  the  superior t3^pe, refined  and  cultivated  women  whom  sinuous  cir- cumstances had driven  from  the  garden  of  chastity, and whose  intellectual  attractions  were  surpassed  only by their  personal  charms. When, however,  the  young men began  to  think  of  making  this  country  their home, they  longed  for  home  comforts  and  happiness, chief among  which  was  a  wife. Whereupon they, some of  them,  marry  and  are  soon  led  to  thank  God for the  blessing  of  no  children.

How often  when  deatli's  tidings  came  of  a  loved one gone,  father,  mother,  wife,  or  child,  has  the  soli- tary mourner withdrawn  from  his  boisterous  compan- ions, retired to  the  woods  or  to  the  hill-side,  and  there held his  lonely  funeral. The hope  of  his  life,  perhaps, his morning  and  evening  star,  that  for  which  he  had come hither,  the  main-spring  and  motive  of  all  his toil, suddenly  destroyed. Oh ! God, is  it  n