“Oh, no, madame! The Gonzales family nursed Morning through an attack of fever, after he was shot by the Apaches near the old Gonzales hacienda several years ago. The Señorita Murella never left his bedside for weeks. Really, the doctors say the girl saved his life. He was, naturally, very grateful, and, when he recovered, he bought the Castle Dome rancheria from the Indians, and had a rock tunnel run into the Colorado River, and took out the water and carried it in irrigating canals over a thousand acres of land, which he had planted in oranges, lemons, vines, olives, and other fruit. It will pay a princely revenue to the Gonzales people in a few years.
“Morning ordered built upon the dome overlooking the river the most beautiful marble palace on the coast, and they say it is not surpassed anywhere on earth. The whole business must have cost him several millions, but money is nothing to him. The place is kept up in princely style by the Señora Gonzales and her daughter. They entertain a great deal of company, and are always delighted to welcome strangers who may visit the place.”
“And I suppose that Aladdin is a constant visitor at his palace?” sneered the baron.
“Morning? Oh, no; strangely enough, he has never been near the place since its completion, two years ago! Too busy, I suppose, helping the world out of the mud. But he is on the coast now, preparing for his ‘dynamite exposition,’ and may put in an appearance here.”
CHAPTER XXIV.
“A hospitable gate unbarred to all.”
“All aboard for Castle Dome,” and the baron’s party filed up the carpeted gang plank, and looked smilingly about them.
“I have often heard of the sumptuousness of the Mississippi steamers, now grown traditional, but this exceeds even their reputation,” commented Miss Winters.
“This is the Morning line, madame,” answered the gaudily-dressed steward boastfully, “and they do nothing by halves, you know,” and he pompously led the way to the ladies’ saloon.
“Except by half millions,” returned the doctor jocosely.
“These steamers were built for the accommodation of the people who came to the World’s Fair at Chicago,” explained the steward. “Morning’s a queer sort of fellow”—and he grew confidential. “He could have brought his air ships and new-fangled things, such as he had on exhibition at the fair, but he wouldn’t. He said it was kind o’ throwing off on nature, that God never made but one Colorado River, and he for one hadn’t the brass to discount it.”