PART IIIWHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLESWASH-DAY
PART IIIWHEN DOCAS LIVED WITH DON SECUNDINI ROBLES
“WE must soap the ox-cart well to-night, Occano,” said Oshda to his oldest son.
“What does the Señor Robles want us to do to-morrow?” asked Occano.
“It is not the Señor that wants us to-morrow. It is the Señora. Now that the sun has come again, we are all going to start for the creek very early in the morning to have a wash-day,” said Oshda.
Next morning, before it was daylight, the oxen were yoked to the cart, and lunch was stowed away inside. Then Donna Maria, as they called the Señora Robles, climbed into the cart with her five children. Oshda and Occano walked by the side of the oxen.
There were five horses with soiled clothes piled up high on their backs, led by Pantu and other of the Indian menservants. Putsha, Colla,and other Indian women who were going to wash the clothes walked along by the side of the horses. Shecol and Yappa went too.
Before it was light, as they went slowly along, they heard the howling of the coyotes and other wild animals. The Spanish children crept closer to Donna Maria then, while Shecol and Yappa held on to Putsha’s skirts as they walked along.
As it grew light and the animals stopped howling, Donna Maria let the children get down from the cart and run along picking flowers with Shecol and Yappa. Such fun as they had climbing up the hillsides, gathering whole handfuls of the first shooting-stars and buttercups!
Once they all tried to run down a steep hill to see which one would be the first to get to a stray poppy that had blossomed earlier than the others. Shecol was ahead, but just as he reached the poppy, he caught his foot in a gopher hole and fell. The oldest Spanish boy was close behind, and he fell over Shecol. Yappa fell on top of him. The four other children were coming so fast that they could not stop, so they were all piled in a heap.
Colla, Putsha, and the other women put soap on the clothes; then they dipped them into the creekColla, Putsha, and the other women put soap on the clothes; then they dipped them into the creek.
Colla, Putsha, and the other women put soap on the clothes; then they dipped them into the creek.
Colla, Putsha, and the other women put soap on the clothes; then they dipped them into the creek.
They got on their feet again as soon as they could, and Yappa said, “Shecol and the poppy must be crushed entirely.” But when Shecol could be seen again they found that he was laughing, and that he had happened to throw his arm around the poppy, so that it was not hurt.
Just then they heard Donna Maria’s voice calling, “Come, children. You will get left behind,” so they started off again on a run to catch up with the cart. Shecol gave the poppy to Yappa to carry; then he turned somersaults all the way down to the foot of the hill.
When they got to the cart, they filled Donna Maria’s lap with flowers. The smaller children were tired, so they sat in the back of the cart, with their feet hanging over behind.
The children all liked to have the wash-day come, for it was like one big picnic for them.
By and by they came to the creek. The men took the loads off the horses and unyoked the oxen. Then they turned them all loose to graze on the wild oats. The children helped the women carry the baskets of soiled clothes down to the rocks.
Colla, Putsha, and the other women put soap on the clothes. Then they dipped them into the creek and rubbed them on the rocks in the creek bed. This made the clothes very white, for the wash-water was always clean and fresh.
By noon the clothes were all washed, and the children had spread them out on the tops of the bushes to dry. Then came lunch. “How goodeverything tastes!” said Yappa. “We are so hungry.”
In the afternoon they all rested and played. By evening the clothes were dry, and everything was made ready to start for home again.
The Spanish children were all tired, so they crowded down near their mother in the cart. There was a little room left in the cart, and they begged that Shecol and Yappa might come in with them instead of walking all the way home. Donna Maria said “Yes,” so Shecol and Yappa nestled down in a corner of the cart.
Yappa was sleepy, and she leaned her head against Shecol’s shoulder. As the sun went down, the Indians began to sing “Kyrie Eleison.” She whispered to Shecol, “That’s the song grandpa sang when he was a little boy, and Father Serra visited the Mission.”
“Yes,” said Shecol.
The cart jolted along. The Indians kept on singing. A red moon came up over the mountains. A flock of wild ducks whizzed by just over their heads. The frogs began to croak in the little ponds near the road, and the crickets began to sing in the long grass.
Yappa fell asleep and dreamed that she was a little cricket and that she was trying to learn to sing “Kyrie Eleison,” but that it was such hard work, because, every time she tried to sing, allshe could say was “Katy Do.” She felt very badly, for she dreamed that Father Serra was coming toward her and that he wanted to hear her sing.
Soon she thought that Father Serra stood before her, and said, “I am Father Serra. Will you sing for me?”
She answered, “I will try, Father,” and began. But all she could say was “Katy Do,” so she stopped.
“I am so sorry, Father, I tried to sing ‘Kyrie Eleison,’” she said.
“You have done well, dear girl,” said the Father. “You sang your own song the best you could.” Then he smiled at her and put his arm round her.
She woke up just then and found that they were at home, and that her father Oshda had her in his arms and was smiling down at her as he carried her into the house.