Darrell's advice being to "keep quiet," the meeting soon broke up and the settlers went home by their separate ways, all more or less persuaded that, after all, peace was the best thing all around. Old Mr.

Hancock gave utterance to this sentiment as he stopped by the gate of the Darrell garden to say good-night to his neighbors.

"I heard the Don say that he does not blame us settlers so much for taking his land as he blames our law-givers for those laws which induce us to do so-laws which are bound to array one class of citizens against another class, and set us all by the ears," Romeo said.

"Yes, I heard him say about the same thing, but I thought he said it because he was a hypocrite, and to keep us from shooting his cattle,"

Gasbang added.

"No matter what might be his motive, the sentiment is kind anyway,"

Hancock, senior, said.

"Perhaps," said the others, still unwilling to yield.

CHAPTER XXIII.-_Home Again._

On the 25th day of May, of '74, Elvira and Mercedes found themselves again under the paternal roof of their California home, in the Alamar rancho. They could have arrived ten days sooner had they left New York on the first of the month, as was first intended. This they were not allowed to do, because when Mrs. L. Mechlin heard that Mercedes'

birthday would be on the 5th of May, she immediately said she could not and would not think of allowing Mercedes to spend her eighteenth birthday in the cars. Consequently, invitations would be issued the following day (which was the 22d of April) for "_A fete in celebration of Miss Alamar's birthday, on the 5th day of May_."

The invitations were issued thus early to prevent friends of Mrs.

Mechlin's from going into the country for the summer, as many of them did every year, in May. All, however, accepted, and waited most graciously.

The season was already too far advanced, and the nights were getting too warm to enjoy dancing, so Mrs. Mechlin thought it would be better to have an excursion to West Point; to charter a river steamer, and thus pass the day on the water; to take breakfast on board on the way to the Point; visit the Post; see the cadets drill and review; and re-embark; take dinner on board, and then the young people dance on deck, as there would be a full band to give them music.

This was the programme-which though decided upon hurriedly, on their return from Baltimore, where they had been visiting-was carried out successfully. All their pleasure excursions had been equally delightful.

They had visited Boston first, then they went to Philadelphia, intending to remain only three or four days, but when they were there, Mrs.

Mechlin's relatives in Baltimore sent urgent invitations to visit them, so there was nothing else to do but accept. Thus the jaunt to Philadelphia was extended to Baltimore, and might have been prolonged, had not Elvira refused to be separated from George one day more. This young gentleman, on his part, seemed to have thought, too, that Elvira had been away long enough. For as the party were waiting for the train to move out of the depot who should come aboard but this same young gentleman, George Mechlin.

"The darling," said Elvira, perfectly overjoyed at the sight of that beloved apparition, throwing her arms about his neck.

"Precious," said he, clasping her to his heart.

And now Elvira and Mercedes, surrounded by their beloved family, were relating this episode and many other occurrences of their eastern visit, all sitting in their favorite front veranda.

The Holman girls were there, too. They had made several visits to Carlota and Rosario within the last ten months, but this time they came to see Elvira and Mercedes. Mr. Holman himself had accompanied them, that being a good pretext to question George closely regarding Texas Pacific matters. Mr. Holman had invested all his ready money in San Diego, placing implicit faith in the fact that the building of the Texas Pacific was a measure of national importance so manifest that Congress would never have the hardihood to deny it assistance, nor would be so lacking in sense of honor, sense of justice, as to deprive millions of American people of a railway so much needed. These had been the reasons, he alleged, for plunging headlong into real estate speculations, followed closely by his friends, Don Mariano and Mr. James Mechlin.

These three gentlemen now sat at the eastern end of the veranda, listening to what George said that he and his uncle had learned in Washington regarding the prospect of that unlucky railroad; while the ladies were equally entertained, listening to Elvira and Mercedes, on the western end of the same veranda.

"But what has become of the handsome Clarence? Why is he not here?"

Corina inquired, seeing Everett and Victoriano riding up with Gabriel towards the house.

Elvira informed her that on their arrival at San Francisco, Clarence found it necessary to visit his farm, and thence to go to Arizona on business, but would return about the first of July.

"We heard that his mine is in bonanza," Amelia said.

"That it has been in bonanza ever since he bought it-hasn't he told you that?" Corina added.

"No; he only said that the ore was very rich," Elvira replied.

Victoriano and Everett now came in and took seats near the ladies.

Gabriel joined the gentlemen, and soon was deeply interested in their conversation, it of course being upon that subject-the railroad-which filled the minds and hearts of all the San Diego people, absorbing all their faculties and all their money.

"How are all the ladies of your family? Well?" Amelia asked of Everett.

"Yes, thank you. They are all well, and I think they will be up this evening-at least, some of them will. I heard words to that effect,"

Everett replied.

"I hope all will come," Elvira said.

"What? Mr. Darrell, senior, also?" Corina asked.

"Certainly. Why not?" Mercedes answered.

"We were speaking of the ladies-but if Mr. Darrell should call, we will be happy to receive him with sincere cordiality," Elvira added.

"All of which would be thrown away upon the stiffest neck in San Diego County," Victoriano observed.

Everett laughed.

"Why, Tano! What makes you talk like that?" Mercedes exclaimed, reddening with evident annoyance.

"Because his '_butt-headedness_' is like that of a vicious old mule, which no one began to break until he was ten years old, and loves to kick from pure cussedness," Victoriano explained, with free use of slang.

"If Mr. Darrell has said or done anything to vex you, the best thing is not to go to his house, but it is not very courteous to speak as you have in the presence of his son," Dona Josefa said.

"I forgive him," Everett said, patting Tano on the back.

"Not go to his house!" Tano exclaimed. "That is exactly what the old pirate wants. It would be _nuts_ for the old Turk if I stayed away. Not much-I won't stay away. I'll go when he is at _the colony_ with his sweetly-scented pets."

"Where is the colony?" Mercedes asked.

"That is the new name for the large room next to the dining-room, which Clarence said he built for a 'growlery.' Alice called it the '_squattery_,' because father always receives the settlers there; but mother changed the name to '_colony_' to make it less offensive, and because the talk there is always about locating, or surveying, or fencing land-always land-as it would be in a new colony," Everett explained.

"Whether he be at the colony or not, you should not go if he does not wish you to visit his house," Dona Josefa said to Tano.

"But we all wish it-my mother and every one of her children. Father doesn't say anything about Tano's coming or not, but he is cross to all of us, and don't have the politeness to be more amiable in Tano's presence-which, of course, is very disagreeable," Everett replied.

"I think Mrs. Darrell ought to put her foot down, and have it out with the old filibuster," Tano asserted.

"We will see what he will do when Clarence comes," Everett said.

Everett thought as all the family did-that Clarence, being the favorite child of the old man, and having naturally a winning manner and great amiability, combined with persuasiveness, would influence his father, and dispel his bad humor. But if the family had known what was boiling and seething in the cauldron of their father's mind, they would have perceived that, for once, neither Clarence's influence, nor yet the more powerful one wielded by Mrs. Darrell, would at present be as effective as they heretofore had been.

Time alone must be the agent to operate on that hard skull. Time and circumstances which, fortunately, no one as yet was misanthrophic enough to foresee. The fact was, that no one of his family had understood William Darrell. It can hardly be said that he understood himself, for he sincerely believed that he had forever renounced his "_squatting_"

propensities, and honestly promised his wife that he would not take up land claimed by any one else. But no sooner was he surrounded by men who, though his inferiors, talked loudly in assertion of their "_rights under the law_;" and no sooner had he thousands of broad acres before his eyes-acres which, by obeying the laws of Congress, he could make his own-than he again felt within him the old squatter of Sonoma and Napa valleys. That mischievous squatter had not lain dead therein; he had been slumbering only, and unconsciously dreaming of the advantages that the law really gave to settlers. Alongside the sleeping squatter had also slumbered Darrell's vanity, and this was, as it is generally in every man, the strongest quality of his mind, the chief commanding trait, before which everything must give way.