Project Gutenberg 2004-06-01 Public domain in the USA. 125 Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn 1857 1948 Lin, Frank Horn, Gertrude Franklin The Splendid Idle Forties: Stories of Old California The pearls of Loreto -- The ears of twenty Americans -- The wash-tub mail -- The conquest of Doña Jacoba -- A ramble with Eulogia -- The isle of skulls -- The head of a priest -- La Pérdida -- Lukari's story -- Natalie Ivanhoff: a memory of Fort Ross -- The vengeance of Padre Arroyo -- The bells of San Gabriel -- When the devil was well. Produced by PG Distributed Proofreaders "The Splendid Idle Forties: Stories of Old California" by Gertrude Atherton is a collection of historical narratives set in the vibrant and tumultuous period of mid-19th century California. Through its tales, the work captures the lives of characters navigating the complexities of societal change, cultural clash, and personal ambition in a land on the brink of transformation due to American interests. The opening of the book introduces an electrifying horse race day in Monterey, depicting a colorful scene filled with excitement and rivalry between Northern Californians and their Southern counterparts. Key figures include Pio Pico, the Governor of the Californias, and Don Vicente de la Vega, a striking guest from Los Angeles whose exotic horses challenge the local favorites. As the narrative unfolds, it hints at the cultural tensions brewing beneath the surface, notably the rising influence of American settlers and the complex social dynamics they disrupt. The beginning sets a compelling stage filled with romance, rivalry, and dreams, foreshadowing the personal and societal conflicts that will resonate throughout this collection. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 81.8 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Historical fiction, American California -- History -- To 1846 -- Fiction Spaniards -- California -- Fiction PS Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: History - American Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 554940 2025-06-21T17:40:43.417263 text/html 554849 554776 2024-11-06T04:23:44.448376 2023-10-06T06:24:25.103275 text/html text/html 297465 2025-06-21T17:41:04.540161 application/epub+zip 304929 2025-06-21T17:40:53.466203 application/epub+zip 277612 2025-06-21T17:40:47.832210 application/epub+zip 598496 2025-06-21T17:41:14.085111 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 566972 2025-06-21T17:41:03.566170 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 446304 2022-09-06T22:06:56.291089 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 504270 2025-06-21T17:40:42.759239 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 484386 2024-10-28T19:48:39 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 12650 2025-06-21T17:41:14.243125 application/rdf+xml 21051 2025-06-21T17:40:52.626218 image/jpeg 4414 2025-06-21T17:40:52.347176 image/jpeg 293142 2025-06-21T17:40:43.464256 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia