Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/57

46 46 "her." The manner in whicti the lady is referred to co-r-'^ys the -estimate in which she was held by the head of the .family, arid,, ^Ithpugb the young man's mother loved her only child with a devotioa only possible to a mother, yet even she is wiUing for her boy to joiii an expedition to New Spain rather than have him marry a despicable Moor. Strange how narrow minded people are! This is an example. It must first be noted tint in the fifteenth century there was located in Sai'smanca a celebrated college for Irish students. Here the wealthy Irish youth went to complete their educntion, more particularly if they were to lead an 0Gc]esin,Rt- ical life. This Irish institution still flourishes. To this school came the grandfather of our hero, and while attending the University formed an attachment for a Spanish maid who afterwards bscame his wife. The father of our hero forgot that his father was an Irishman, for had he been liberal minded he would have considered this when he so strenuously objected to his son going outside his own race to procure a mate. Had the father of Alonso stopiied for a few moments to commune vrith himself he would have had to admit that by the natural law his name should have been Fergis Geraldines, an old Irish name; but whenhis father proposed to Alonso's grandm<ither, her proud Spanish parents insisted that Mr. Geraldines must take the family name, for their daughter could not possibly have such an uncouth surname, and so by law he had his name changed from that of an Irishman to, one becoming an iristrocratic Spaniard.