"Senor Americano," he murmurs, "be pleased to
come to my house." Followed by the padre, Valois enters. There Don
Miguel bids Donna Juanita and Dolores thank the man who saved his
life.
"I shall not be here long, Senor Abogado," he says; "I wish you and
the padre to watch over my wife and child. YOU are a 'caballero'
and 'buen Cristiano.'"
Padre Francisco has proved that the young leader is a true child
of the Church.
The finest horse on the rancho is led to the door. It is trapped
with Don Miguel's state equipment. With a wave of the hand, he
says:
"Senor, vayase V. con Dios. That horse will never fail you. It is
the pride of the Lagunitas herds."
Maxime promises to aid in any future juncture. He rides out from
lonely Lagunitas, near which tradition to-day locates those fabulous
deposits, the vanished treasures of Joaquin, the mountain robber.
A generation glides away. The riches, long sought for, are never
found. This blood-stained gold may lie hidden beneath the soil of
Mariposa, but it is beyond human ken.
There are wild rejoicings at Stockton. Harry Love, splendid in
gayest trappings, is the hero of the hour. The dead mountain tiger
was the last leader of resistance to the Americans.
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