San Diego State University - Del Sudoeste Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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peacefulness in the village was but assumed. and that beneath it smouldered the desire for revenge. only awaiting an occasion to break forth. They wished to kill Padre Xipem, for it was he who made them work unwillingly. They would be content with his death alone. but if occasion arose. they would not hesitate to take more lives. And so what was to he done would have to he accomplished quietly and quickly. Nipn knew this well. Yet he must save his masterls life. Creeping 2110111; in the shadow of the eolonnade to avoid attracting the attention of the hidden Indian. the hay came to the end of the corridor. His alert eyes traced the stealthy movements of his foe. as he. tun. moved cau- tiously nearer the door. It would he a question. when the Indian saw him. as to who should reach that door tirst. And so. in the calm, still night. the friend and the foe 0f the master crept nearer. while he sat busily writing, unconscious 0f danger. XVhen Nipn reached the edge of the protecting shadow, he brushed against a bush. and the sound attracted the attention of the Indian. Turning, he spied Nipo, who at the same instant darted across the moon-lit space. But the Indian, quick as a flash. sprang after him. Nipn reached the study dour just in time to feel a cold knife hlade touch his shoulder. Bounding into the room, and gasping the word Master he fell down at the fathers feet as the Indiaifs knife struck into him. Padre Xipem sprang up and instantly pulled a heavy cord which hung beside him. Immediately a deep sound broke upon the stillness 0f the night. The Indian. having,r recovered his knife. was standingr with it poised for another blow. but the sound of the bell startled his superstitious nature: he hesitated, and was lost. For in that fraction of a second, Nipo. wnunded as he was. sprang to his feet. and snatched the knife, and then the padres came rushing into the mom. The bell was Nipem's signal of danger. and the men came in with drawn swords. more like soldiers than peaceful padres. In the confusion whieh attended the capture and disposal of the rebellious neophyte. poor Nipu was nverlooked. In a little while. all was again quiet. The night was as calm and peace- ful as if nothing had happened. Out in the eunrt. the light breeze played on the wishing fountain, just breaking it into silver light. ladre Nipem passed with a quick step down the court and entered the Chapel. 'llhrough the stained glass of the window. the rays of the moon threw their light upon the altar and upon a little figure lyingr before it. But Nipo was not prayingr now. The father. guilt;r nearer and bending over him. wiped away the mist frum his eyes. HPoor boy? he murmured. he was willing to give his own life to save mine. His was true devotion. Outside the night wind sighed in the palms. A white cloud passed over the face of the moon. A little agitation and tremm'sthen all was calm again. And oblivious of life. the moon shone down upon the earth. Place: Mrs. Cnldwell's umee temptyl. Stage properties: Long mirmr 011 west wall. Time: Any time. Dramatis Persnnae: Prexy; Student. tFnter llrexyt. uXVith cat-like tread up to the glass he steals. In silence dread, for each new hair he feels, No sound at all. he never says a wnrd. For down the hall the students step is heardfl Notes in Seventh Gtade Cookery Hunk: Protein funds build tissue and repair the waist ill the body. 24

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l l l The padres of the mission, and the neophytes in their village, had gath- ered into little groups. and were quietly enjoying the beauty of the evening. The palms of the court waved softly, like whispers in the night air. From somewhere in the shadows of the corridors, the plaintive notes of a stringed instrument sounded. The padres smiled; it was Nipo. They had intrusted the precious instrument brought from Spain into his hands, and he had learned to play it, and to love it, almost next to his master, Padre Nipero. As the night advanced the people gradually left the court, and went indoors. Finally, only Nipo and Padre Xipero were left. The latteris face was serene now; the lines of care and anxiety had vanished. He had been down again in the evening to see the Indians. and they had seemed perfectly peaceful and contented. They had regained their former attitude of friendliness, just as they had done so many times before. All was well again. Nipo, creeping up to the father, read this in his face. But Nipo. with the suspicious and alert nature .of the Indian, wished to make certain for himself. So he silently left the master and disappeared from the court. Outside of the wall that surrounded the mission, he took the road that led down to the group of adobe houses where the Indians lived. Padre Nipero still sat in the moonlight. which was shining brilliantly down into the Patio. Finally. rousing himself. he got up and went down along the corridor to the door of his private study. He entered the room, similar in construction to all the other rooms. save for its smaller size, and for the shelves along one side containing books. These were at the farthest end of the room, and beneath them was a table, on which burned a small lamp. tieside the table was placed a single chair. Such was the study of the father of the mission. Padre Nipero sat tlUVVll at the table, and pickingr 11p a quill, hastily began to write. There was important business which must be attended to before the night closed. Long he sat at the table. The room was in utter silence save for the scratching of the pen upon the paper. Outside, no sound broke the stillness, nor marred the beauty of the night. There was no sound. hit a little figure sat rigidly still in the shadow of a column. dividing his attention between the door of his master's study and a dark object by a clump of bushes at the far end of the court. That silent figure was Nipo. He had been down to the Indian Village. and all had seemed quiet enough. lut his observing eyes had missed one of the neophytes, who was a leader in their rebellions. As all of them, with the exception of Nipo, and a few other trusty ones, were locked out of the mission proper after nightfall, they were supposed to be in their own village. Nipo searched everywhere, but could not find the missingr lndian. Coming back and beingr admitted by the trusted Indian, who guarded the oaken gates of the wall. he remained for a time in the court. He was think- ing deeply, for he feared something was wrong. And so it happened that his quick eye. lrmking' over the garden. had caught an almost imperceptible movement in a dark clump of bushes at some distance down the court. llis suspicions aroused. he sat watching the dark shapeless object. now and then glancing at the dim light which shone from the partly open door of his masteris study. If that dark object should prove to be the missing Indian, his master was probably in great danger. XYhatever the shapeless form was. it was nearer his master's study than he was. it would be necessary for him to creep around the corridor in the shade. and then dash across the moon-lit space of the court before he could reach the room. Just then there was a slight movement in the bushes. aml in the fraev tion of a second. Nino saw a face appear and disappear. It was the Indian. creeping toward Padre Niperds door. What should Nipo do? He must save his master If he should cry out in warning. the Tndians, who might be waiting for such a signal. would break into the mission and massacre the inhabitants. For Nipo understood that the 23

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win ! CHAPTERS FROM THE LIFE OF BILLY. By Alberta Filson Watson. CHAPTER I. ILLY came to sehuol two years late. It is an awful thing in llelleview School to be two minutes late; but two years late! what could Billy expect? One glance at the lirst grade teacher told him to expect nothing; his dealings with erabbetl old cow punchers and surly Pima chiefs had taught him not to expect things of people with frowns like hers. The teacher on her part looked at Billy and expected trouble. In the first place, he was two years too old for that grade; in the second place, he was as awkward and restless as a lmlg-earetl colt. llis eight years of life had been spent cracking the long blacksnakes and throwing his lariat in imitation of the cowboys at the mund-up. XYhat had he to th with schools and women? But now the ranch was gone and his father was gone, and his mother had come with him to this far-away California city to live. So here he was in the red brick school-house. He wished he were back home, on the wild eolt's back, or even in the corral with the long-lmrned steers, instead of here before this big woman with the frown; but here he was and here he had to stay. As soon as all the children were in their places, the teacher called nAtten- tion! ' Then she rapped with her pencil and looked straight at Billy. Billy. not knowing what else to do, looked straight back at the teacher. She frowned still more deeply and bore down upon him. Stooping over, she seized his hands and folded them on the edge of the desk, and planted his feet upon the floor under his desk as if she were screwing him down. That is position? she told him. Glancing around Billy saw forty pairs of hands folded on forty desk- tops, and forty pairs of feet planted under the desks in the, same screwed- down position. Forty rigid backs held forty rigid heads upright, and liilly tried to make his back stiff and his head rigid also. Thus he sat and waited. He tried very hard to listen to what the teacher was saying. but it took all of his mind to think of his hands and legs. lle hatl to think very hard about them to keep them still. All his hard little muscles were twitching and crawling under his skin. Those stout arms were used to twirling the long lasso and snapping the leaded whips; those sinewy legs were used to striding the bucking calves and running wild 0n the mesas. Never before hatl llilly been called upon to keep still, and he had to think very hard about his hands and feet. to keep them just as the teacher had put them. The very toes he thought hardest about squirmetl and cried loudest to turn up and wiggle. He fastened his mind on the most refractory leg. but the more he thuught about it the more it wanted to move. Creepy sensations began to wriggle up and down it, crawling and squirming into his very bones. lvhen he could no longer stand the itching, he seized the opportunity to stretch out his legs. while the teacher was writingr 0n the blackboard. She whirled amuml and glared at him and Billy was firmly convinced that she saw out of the back of her head. For a while he kept himself busy trying to figure out how she managed it; but after a time his eyes fell to his folded hands, and immediately thuse interlaced fiingers took a frantic notion to spread themselves. Then his arms began to burn and itch, and his elbow joint gnawed to be straightened out. The teacher was reading, and only the twp of her head was visible as i she pored over the page on her desk. Again to relieve his wretched body. Billy risked her frown. He slid away down in his seat and spread out his -legs and stretched his arms. The teachers voice stopped with a jolt, as if it had been jammed back into her mouth. The next instant she had him by 25