At Viamede, Chester's daily message by 'phone or telegraph was eagerly
awaited and greatly rejoiced over, as it reported steady improvement in
Lucilla's health, constant gaining in strength, and the new baby also
in most flourishing condition. All wanted to see him; no one more than
Grace, who felt that the child of her beloved only own sister must and
would be very near and dear to her, while to the others he was fully as
near and dear as darling Baby Mary.
They would have returned home immediately but for the fact that Dr.
Harold and his brother physicians considered it safer for both Grace
and Ned to remain in the warmer climate until some day late in May.
The older Mr. and Mrs. Dinsmore and the Oaks and Fairview families went
home somewhat earlier, travelling by rail, but Mr. and Mrs. Lilburn
accepted an invitation to return in the _Dolphin_, as did Grandma
Elsie; and, of course, Grace and Harold were to be passengers in her,
making with Violet, her two children, and the captain himself quite a
party--much the same party that had come in her.
During these weeks of waiting they continued their pleasant little
excursions by land and water and their sociable evening parties on the
veranda, or out under the trees, generally enlivened by exhibitions of
Cousin Ronald's ventriloquial skill, or made interesting by a bit of
history or some sort of story told by Captain Raymond.
On Sunday mornings they all attended church and heard a sermon by their
pastor, the Rev. Cyril Keith, and in the afternoon the colored people
were invited to assemble on the lawn, when the captain would give them
a brief and plain discourse about the dear Lord Jesus and His dying
love, making the way of salvation very clear and plain. They would
have prayer, too, and the singing of gospel hymns, the colored people
joining in with fervor and in many cases rich melody, having beautiful
voices.
In the evening the captain would catechise his own children, and there
would be religious conversation and the singing of hymns. They were
sweet, peaceful, improving Sabbaths, enjoyable at the time and pleasant
to look back upon. It was on a lovely morning in the latter part of
May that they left beautiful Viamede and sailed away for their more
northern homes, going with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow, for who
could leave Viamede or part with the dear relatives in that region
without regret? Or who could fail to rejoice in the prospect of soon
seeing the sweet homes for which they were now bound and the tenderly
loved ones there?
Harold was very happy in the consciousness of being able to take both
Grace and Ned back to their home in almost perfect health, and very
careful was he to watch against any exposure for them to wind or
weather that might result in the renewal of any of their ailments. When
the weather was bright, clear and not too cold he encouraged them to be
on the deck in the bracing air, but in cloudy or damp weather insisted
on their remaining below in saloon or stateroom.
At such times Grandma Elsie, Cousin Ronald or the captain would be
called upon to provide entertainment, and one or another was sure to
comply.
"Papa," said Elsie Raymond on one of these occasions, "I should like it
very much if you would give us a little history of Texas."
"If I should attempt to give you all its history it would be a very
long story," he said with a smile; "but I shall give a brief outline
and try to make it interesting, for I want you to have some knowledge
of the early history of each of our States.
"A colony of Frenchmen were the first whites who settled in Texas. They
were led by La Salle. He meant to found a colony near the mouth of the
Mississippi, but by mistake entered Matagorda Bay, went five or six
miles up the Lavaca, and there built Fort St. Louis. That was about the
year 1686. In the spring of the next year he was murdered by his men.
They had been quarrelling and killing each other, and when the Indians
heard of the death of La Salle they attacked the fort and killed all
the men left but four, whom they carried into captivity. Some two
years later a Spanish expedition sailed into Matagorda Bay, intending
to drive away the French, but found they were gone and their fort
destroyed. A few years afterward several settlements were made in that
State--what is now that State--by the Spaniards, but soon abandoned
because of Indian hostilities.
"It seems that both the Spaniards and French considered the province
their own, though it did not really belong to either of them, for
the Indians were the rightful owners. In 1712, Louis XIV. of France
granted it to Crozat, the man to whom he had granted Louisiana. That
so alarmed the Spaniards in Mexico that they promptly made numerous
settlements in Texas, thinking in that way to secure the province for
themselves. The French tried to expel them, but did not succeed.
"Some years later four hundred families were sent by the Spanish
Government from the Canary Isles to Texas, and joined there by others
from Mexico. These founded the city of San Antonio.
"For some time the Indians of Texas and Louisiana were very
troublesome, but in 1732 the Spaniards defeated them in a great battle,
and so quieted them for some years.
"You know our Revolutionary War began in 1775. Spain declared war
against England in 1779 and carried on active hostilities against the
British on the Mississippi. Then a prosperous trade was carried on
between the Spanish settlement of Natchez, in Mississippi, and the
interior of Texas, and became the means of making that province known
to the Americans.
"After the United States came into possession of Louisiana, a treaty
between them and Spain fixed the Sabine River as the eastern boundary
of Texas upon the gulf. West of that river was a tract called the
Neutral Ground, occupied by bands of outlaws and desperate men, who
lived by robbery and plunder. The Spanish authorities had tried to
expel them, but could not. Our government sent a force against them and
drove them away, but they came back and went on with their robberies.
"About that time a civil war was raging in Mexico, and that favored
the plans of a man who wanted to conquer Texas to the Rio Grande and
establish a republican government. There was a good deal of fighting
and much slaughter of both Americans and Spaniards, the latter being
victors in the end; but I shall not go into particulars at this time,
but leave you young people to read the whole sad story when you are
older. For years it was fighting, wounding, killing, the Mexicans
murdering many Americans in cold blood after they had surrendered as
prisoners of war. But at last the independence of Texas was secured.
And after a little she asked to be annexed to the United States, which
request was finally granted. By a joint resolution of Congress she was
annexed to the Union on February 28, 1845."
"She seceded in the time of the Civil War, did she not, papa?" asked
Grace.
"Yes," he replied; "but was readmitted into the Union in March, 1870."
"Texas is a very big State, isn't it, papa?" asked Elsie.
"Yes, the largest of all our States," he replied; "and it has every
variety of surface--plain, mountain, hill and desert. Its coast is
lined with a chain of low islands, forming a series of bays, lagoons
and sounds. There are a number of rivers, several of them very long;
1800 miles is the length of the Rio Grande, which is the largest of
them. It forms the southwestern boundary. There is a salt lake near it,
from which large quantities of salt are taken every year."
"The climate is warm, is it not, papa?" asked Grace.
"Yes," he said; "it claims to be called the Italy of America. It has
a delightful, unwavering summer sea breeze and the nights are always
cool enough to make a blanket acceptable, even when the day has been
oppressively hot. But now that surely is enough of that one State for
to-day."
"Yes, papa, and many thanks to you for giving us so interesting an
account," said Grace. Elsie and Ned added their thanks, then Elsie took
up a book, and Ned went to his berth for a nap.