Jovita (coldly). Adios, friend Diego. (Aside, hurriedly.) You will not expose my secret?
Sandy (aside). It ain't in me, miss. (To DON JOSE, going.) Adios, ole man. (Shouldering his pack.)
Don Jose. Adios, friend Diego. (Formally.) May good luck attend you! (Aside.) You understand, on your word asasasA GENTLEMAN!you have no further communication with this rancho, or aught that it contains.
Sandy (gravely). I hear ye, ole man. Adios. (Goes to gateway, but pauses at table, and begins to fill a glass of aguardiente.)
Don Jose (aside, looking at his daughter). I could embrace her now. She is truly a Castro. (Aloud to JOVITA.) Hark ye, little one! I have news that will please you, andwho knows? perhaps break up the monotony of the dull life of the rancho. To-night come to me two famous caballeros, Americanos, you understand: they will be here soon, even now. Retire, and make ready to receive them. [Exit JOVITA.
Don Jose (aside, looking at SANDY). He lingers. I shall not be satisfied until Concho has seen him safely beyond the Mission wall.
Enter CONCHO.
Concho. Two caballeros have dismounted in the corral, and seek the honor of Don Jose's presence.
Don Jose. Bueno! (Aside.) Follow that fellow beyond the Mission. (Aloud.) Admit the strangers. Did they give their names?
Concho. They did, Don Jose,Col. Culpepper Starbottle and the Don Alexandro Morton.
Sandy (dropping glass of aguardiente, and staggering stupidly to the centre, confronting DON JOSE and CONCHO, still holding bottle). Eh! Wot? Wot name did you say? (Looks stupidly and amazedly at CONCHO and DON JOSE, and then slowly passes his hand over his forehead. Then slowly and apologetically.) I axes your pardon, Don Jose, and yours, sir (to CONCHO), but I thought ye called me. No!that ezI meanI meanI'm a little off color here (pointing to his head). I don't follow suitIeheh! Oh!ye'll pardon me, sir, but thar's namesperhaps yer darter will remember that I was took a bit ago on a namethar's names sorter hangin' round me yer (pointing to his head), that I thinks I hearbut bein' drunkI hopes ye'll excoos me. Adios. (Staggers to gateway, CONCHO following.)
Concho (aside). There is something more in this than Don Jose would have known. I'll watch Diego, and keep an eye on Miss Jovita too.
Exit, following SANDY, who, in exit, jostles against COL. STARBOTTLE entering, who stops and leans exhaustedly at the wall to get his breath; following him closely, and oblivious of SANDY MORTON, ALEXANDER MORTON, sen. Enter COL. STARBOTTLE and ALEXANDER MORTON, sen.
SCENE 2.The Same.
Col. Starbottle (entering, to DON JOSE). Overlooking the insult oferinebriated individual, whose menial position in thisererhousehold precludes a demand for personal satisfaction, sir, I believe I have the honor of addressing Don Jose Castro. Very good, sir. Permit me, sir, to introduce myself as Col. Culpepper Starbottledemn me! the legal adviser of Mr. Alexander Morton, sen., and I may add, sir, the friend of that gentleman, and as such, sirererpersonallypersonally responsible.
Alexander Morton (puritanically and lugubriously). As a God-fearing man and forgiving Christian, Mr. Castro, I trust you will overlook the habitual profanity of the erring but well-meaning man, who, by the necessities of my situation, accompanies me. I am the persona helpless sinnermentioned in the letters which I believe have preceded me. As a professing member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, I have ventured, in the interest of works rather than faith, to overlook the plain doctrines of the church in claiming sympathy of a superstitious Papist.
Starbottle (interrupting, aside to ALEXANDER MORTON). Ahem! ahem! (Aloud to DON JOSE.) My friend's manner, sir, reminds me ofererRam Bootgum Sing, first secretary of Turkish legation at Washington in '45; most remarkable mandemn memost remarkableand warm personal friend. Challenged Tod Robinson for putting him next to Hebrew banker at dinner, with remarkdemn methat they were both believers in the profit! he, he! Amusing, perhaps; irreverent, certainly. Fought with cimeters. Second pass, Ram divided Tod in two piecesfact, sirjust here (pointing) inererregions of moral emotions. Upper half called to me,said to me warninglylast wordsnever forget it,"Star,"always called me Star,"Respect man's religious convictions." Legs dead; emotion confined to upper part of bodypathetic picture. Ged, sir, something to be remembered!
Don Jose (with grave Spanish courtesy). You are welcome, gentlemen, to the rancho of the Blessed Fisherman. Your letters, with their honorable report, are here. Believe me, senores, in your modesty you have forgotten to mention your strongest claim to the hospitality of my house,the royal right of strangers.
Morton. Angels before this have been entertained as strangers, says the Good Book; and that, I take it, is your authority for this ceremoniousness which else were but lip-service and Papist airs. But I am here in the performance of a duty, Mr. Castro,the duty of a Christian father. I am seeking a prodigal son. I am seeking him in his wine-husks and among his harl
Starbottle (interrupting). A single moment. (To DON JOSE.) Permit me toererexplain. As my friend Mr. Morton states, we are, in fact, at present engaged inererquesterpilgrimage that possibly to some, unless deterred by considerations of responsibilitypersonal responsibilitysirGed, sir, might be looked upon as visionary, enthusiastic, sentimental, fanatical. We are seeking a son, or, as my friend tersely and scripturally expresses itererprodigal son. I say scripturally, sir, and tersely, but not, you understand it, literally, nor I may add, sir, legally. Ged, sir, as a precedent, I admit we are wrong. To the best of my knowledge, sir, theerProdigal Son sought his own father. To be frank, sir,and Ged, sir, if Culpepper Starbottle has a fault, it is frankness, sir. As Nelse Buckthorne said to me in Nashville, in '47, "You would infer, Col. Starbottle, that I equivocate." I replied, "I do, sir; and permit me to add that equivocation has all the guilt of a lie, with cowardice superadded." The next morning at nine o'clock, Ged, sir, he gasped to mehe was lying on the ground, hole through his left lung just here (illustrating with DON JOSE'S coat),he gasped, "If you have a merit, Star, above others, it is frankness!" his last words, sir,demn me.... To be frank, sir, years ago, in the wild exuberance of youth, the son of this gentleman left hiserererboyhood's home, owing to an innocent but natural misunderstanding with the legal protector of his youth
Morton (interrupting gravely and demurely). Driven from home by my own sinful and then unregenerate hand
Starbottle (quickly). One moment, a simple moment. We will not weary you withererhistory, or the vagaries of youth. Heercame to California in '49. A year ago, touched byererparental emotion and solicitude, my friend resolved to seek him here. Believing that theererlawlessness ofereruntrammelled youth and boyish inexperience might have led him into some trifling indiscretion, we have sought him successively in hospitals, alms-houses, reformatories, State's prisons, lunatic and inebriate asylums, anderereven on the monumental inscriptions of theerercountry churchyards. We have thus far, I grieve to say, although acquiring much and valuable information of a varied character and interest, as far as the direct matter of our search,we have been, I think I may say, unsuccessful. Our search has been attended with theerdisbursement of some capital under myererdirection, which, though large, represents quite inadequately theererearnestness of our endeavors.