care of themselves. Every morning a horse was caught,
saddled and bridled, and tied by the door ready to use. All the ladies
rode, too, and I often used to ride twenty miles to a dance with Juan,
my young husband, and back again in a day or so.

"Sometimes we went to the rodeo, where once a year the great herds of
cattle were driven into corrals, and each ranchero or farmer picked
out his own stock. Then those young calves or yearlings not already
marked were branded with their owner's stamp by a red-hot iron that
burnt the mark into the skin. After that the bellowing, frightened
animals were turned out to roam the grassy plains for another year. We
had plenty of feasting and merry-making at these rodeos, and a whole
ox was roasted every day for the hungry crowds, so no one went fasting
to bed.

"Those were gay times, my children," and Senora Sanchez sighed and
sewed quietly for a while till Harry asked her if they kept Christmas
before the Gringos came.

"Yes, indeed," she said, laughing, "we kept Christmas for a week,
and all our friends and relatives were welcome, so that our big
ranch-house was full of company. Indeed, some of the visitors slept in
hammocks or rolled up in blankets on the verandas. Our house was built
round the four sides of a square garden, with wide porches, where we
sat on pleasant days. There was a fountain in this garden, and orange
trees, which at Christmas-time hung full of golden fruit and sweet
white flowers. On 'the holy night,' as we called Christmas Eve, we
hung lanterns in the porches, and everybody crowded there or in the
garden for their gifts.

"No, we had no Santa Claus nor Christmas tree, but my father gave
presents to all, even to the Indian servants and their children. A fan
or a string of pearls, perhaps, for my sisters, the young senoritas; a
fine saddle or a velvet jacket for my brother; and red blankets or gay
handkerchiefs for the Indians, with sacks of beans or sweet potatoes
to eat with their Christmas feast of roast ox or a fat sheep.
Afterwards we danced till morning came, or sang to the sweet tinkle
of the guitars. Well do I remember, children, when the good Padres,
or priests, at the Mission forbade us to waltz, that new dance the
Gringos had taught us to like. I recall, also, that the governor only
laughed and said that the young folks could waltz if they wished.
So at my wedding, soon after, when we danced from Tuesday noon till
Thursday morning, you may be sure