Richmond High School - Shield Yearbook (Richmond, CA)

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RICHMOND RODEO of Caravantez that darted forth like the strike of a rattler and brought the onset of the bull to a sudden termination, rolling him in the dust at the feet of the terrified but uninjured young lady. Quickly tying the enraged bull, Don Carlos caught the fieeing horse of Felicia, and bringing it up, helped her to mount. “‘Senor, I am deeply indebted to you. You have saved me from a horrible death. How can I ever repay you?’’ ‘“‘No need to think of such a thing, Senorita. It was a mere nothing,’’ replied Caravantez, with a low bow and a sweep of his sombrero. A strange embarrassment arose between the two. Caravan- tez, usually with a calm and ready wit, stood now at a loss, nervously fingering his hat. ‘“‘Tell me your name, please.’’ “Carlos Caravantez.’’ ‘Then you are the new owner of the ranch that joins my father’s,’ said Felicia, with feigned surprise. ‘‘I have the honor of being so near to you.’’ ‘But, Senor, I wish that I could repay such—”’ “Senorita Fernandez, allow me to assist you to a place of safety,’’ interrupted the evil-eyed Don Pedro, who had come up in time to hear the latter part of their conversation. He was inwardly cursing his luck, because he had not been quick enough to act in behalf of this young beauty. At this interruption Carlos bowed, muttered an adieu, and departed. As the afternoon wore on the vaqueros, every one of them having exhausted several horses, became dust-begrimed, hot and tired. Once in a while a lariat would fall short of its mark, the thrower too exhausted to control his rope. Don Pedro no- ticed a peon let a steer of his escape, whereupon he angrily struck at him with his quirt. Caravantez riding by noticed this outrage committed upon the tired vaquero, and launching his lariat through the air in pretense of catching a straying steer, he deftly caught Don Pedro around the shoulders, dragging 11

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RICHMOND RODEO terey, and Don Pedro, another rancher, the holder of Fernan- dez’ debt and the lover of his daughter. As they gazed at the mass of moving backs their attention was arrested by the graceful and daring work of one young Spaniard, wiry and slender, riding a coal-black mount. Dash- ing among the cattle he was quick to single out the ringleader in a ‘‘mill,’’ or pack, and belay him with his heavy quirt. Then wheeling, he was almost instantly off to another congesting part of the herd. ‘‘Who is this dashing prince of the saddle?’’ questioned Don Fernandez of Don Pedro. ‘‘That, Senor Fernandez, is Carlos Caravantez, who lately became owner of that small ranch which adjoins yours,’’ re- plied Don Pedro with a jealous sneer, for he thought himself a horseman of some note. In truth, this young rider was a Spaniard of good birth and small means, who had recently come from Monterey. He had been attracted by no less a person than the daughter of Senor Fernandez himself. Up to that time Caravantez had led a wild and reckless life, but seeing Senorita Fernandez, the only daughter of Don Fernandez, at a festival in Monterey, he had fallen deeply in love with her, and on finding out where she lived he had bought this small ranch next to her father’s for the purpose of settling down, and, if possible, winning the heart of the girl. It happened that Senorita Fernandez on horseback was also watching the rodeo from a safe position on a nearby mound. Here, blockaded by the heavy carritas in which they had come with tents and provisions for days of barbecues and merrymaking, the women from the different ranches held an advantageous position above the rope branding corral. Just now, wishing to speak to her father, Felicia spurred towards him, when she was suddenly thrown from her horse, who jumped to one side to avoid the horns of a straying bull. The bull, abandoning his pursuit of the horse, was about to charge upon the dismounted horsewoman. It was the prompt lariat 10

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RICHMOND RODEO him from his horse into the dust. Then with a quick flirt of his rope, he snapped it from the shoulders of Don Pedro, sprang from his horse, and helped him from the dust with profuse apologies concerning his intended accident. Mounting his horse and glancing angrily around, Don Pedro beheld grinning countenances on every side, but he could only throw a volley of curses at the disappearing horse- man, as he dusted his clothes. A rippling flow of girlish laugh- ter stung him to the heart, and suddenly looking up, he saw Felicia Fernandez. ‘‘Senor Caravantez is a clumsy fellow, is he not, Senor? I deeply sympathize with you,’’ said Felicia, with a knowing smile on her pretty face. That evening as Caravantez was coming home from the round up he met Felicia and her aunt. He was cordially greeted by Felicia, but the old aunt turned a hostile and haugh- ty eye upon him. Riding close by the aunt’s side, as he was introduced to her, he slipped out his sheeth knife and pricked her horse in the flank, which caused it to go galloping down the road, flopping the old aunt up and down like a sack of hay, while she screeched and hung to the saddle-horn like a leech. Thus Don Carlos was left alone with Felicia. Felicia laughingly said, ‘‘Senor, your wit is as ready as your lariat in behalf of the ladies.’’ “In behalf of a lady,’’ he corrected with the emphasis on a.’’ ‘‘Could you save a dance for me during our Independ- ence ball?’’ he asked abruptly. ‘‘Most certainly, Don Carlos,’’ said Felicia. Thanking her, he spurred his horse forward to stop the aunt’s palfrey, which was now not going faster than a jogging trot, although the screams of the old lady still cut the air. Reaching her, he grasped the aged skate by the bridle and brought it to a walk. The aunt began a flow of thanks to her “‘noble rescuer.’’ 6é