pe's window, and must not be spoken to.

It was not a propitious moment for Alessandro to make the announcement
of his purpose to leave the band; but he made a clean breast of it in
few words, and diplomatically diverted all resentment from himself by
setting them immediately to voting for a new captain to take his place
for the remainder of the season.

"Very well!" they said hotly; "captain for this year, captain for next,
too!" It wasn't so easy to step out and in again of the captaincy of the
shearers!

"All right," said Alessandro; "please yourselves! It is all the same
to me. But here I am going to stay for the present. Father Salvierderra
wishes it."

"Oh, if the Father wishes it, that is different." "Ah, that alters
the case!" "Alessandro is right!" came up in confused murmur from the
appeased crowd. They were all good Catholics, every one of the Temecula
men, and would never think of going against the Father's orders. But
when they understood that Alessandro's intention was to remain until
Juan Canito's leg should be well enough for him to go about again, fresh
grumblings began. That would not do. It would be all summer. Alessandro
must be at home for the Saint Juan's Day fete, in midsummer,--no doing
anything without Alessandro then. What was he thinking of? Not of the
midsummer fete, that was certain, when he promised to stay as long as
the Senorita Ramona should need him. Alessandro had remembered nothing
except the Senorita's voice, while she was speaking to him. If he had
had a hundred engagements for the summer, he would have forgotten
them all. Now that he was reminded of the midsummer fete, it must be
confessed he was for a moment dismayed at the recollection; for that was
a time, when, as he well knew, his father could not do without his help.
There were sometimes a thousand Indians at this fete, and disorderly
whites took advantage of the occasion to sell whisky and encourage all
sorts of license and disturbance. Yes, Alessandro's clear path of duty
lay at Temecula when that fete came off. That was certain.

"I will manage to be at home then," he said. "If I am not through here
by that time, I will at least come for the fete. That you may depend
on."

The voting for the new captain did not take long. There was, in fact,
but one man in the band fit for the office. That was Fernando, the only
old man in the band; all the rest were young men under thirty, or boys.
Fernando had been captain for sev