“Mother of God!” cried Mariquita, impatiently, “we all know thou art daft about that witch!  And we know how she looks.  Tell us the story.”

“Hush thy voice or thou wilt hear nothing.  It is this way.  La Tulita have the castanets and just float up and down the sala, while all stand back and no breathe only when they shout.  I am in the garden in the middle the house, and I stand on a box and look through the doors.  Ay, the roses and the nasturtiums smell so sweet in that little garden!  Well!  She dance so beautiful, I think the roof go to jump off so she can float up and live on one the gold stars all by herself.  Her little feet just twinkle!  Well!  The door open and Lieutenant Ord come in.  He have with him another young man, not so handsome, but so straight, so sharp eye and tight mouth.  He look at La Tulita like he think she belong to America and is for him.  Lieutenant Ord go up to Dona Maria and say, so polite:  ’I take the liberty to bring Lieutenant’—­I no can remember that name, so American!  ’He come to-day from San Diego and will stay with us for a while.’  And Dona Maria, she smile and say, very sweet, ’Very glad when I have met all of our conquerors.’  And he turn red and speak very bad Spanish and look, look, at La Tulita.  Then Lieutenant Ord speak to him in English and he nod the head, and Lieutenant Ord tell Dona Maria that his friend like be introduced to La Tulita, and she say, ’Very well,’ and take him over to her who is now sit down.  He ask her to waltz right away, and he waltz very well, and then they dance again, and once more.  And then they sit down and talk, talk.  God of my soul, but the caballeros are mad!  And Dona Maria!  By and by she can stand it no more and she go up to La Tulita and take away from the American and say, ’Do you forget—­and for a bandolero—­that you are engage to my nephew?’ And La Tulita toss the head and say:  ’How can I remember Ramon Garcia when he is in Yerba Buena?  I forget he is alive.’  And Dona Maria is very angry.  The eyes snap.  But just then the little sister of La Tulita run into the sala, the face red like the American flag.  ‘Ay, Herminia!’ she just gasp.  ‘The donas!  The donas!  It has come!’”

“The donas!” cried the washing-women, old and young.  “Didst thou see it, Faquita?  Oh, surely.  Tell us, what did he send?  Is he a generous bridegroom?  Were there jewels?  And satins?  Of what was the rosary?”

“Hush the voice or you will hear nothing.  The girls all jump and clap their hands and they cry:  ’Come, Herminia.  Come quick!  Let us go and see.’  Only La Tulita hold the head very high and look like the donas is nothing to her, and the Lieutenant look very surprise, and she talk to him very fast like she no want him to know what they mean.  But the girls just take her hands and pull her out the house.  I am after.  La Tulita look very mad, but she cannot help, and in five minutes we are at the Casa Rivera, and the girls scream and clap the hands in the sala for Dona Carmen she have unpack the donas and the beautiful things are on the tables and the sofas and the chairs, Mother of God!”