invigorating air of the foothills as a change to the debilitating
heat of Sacramento."

The affair had been quickly settled, certainly, reflected Don
Caesar, with a slight chill of jealousy, as he thought of Mamie's
interest in the young editor. But the next moment he dismissed it
from his mind; all except a dull consciousness that, if she really
loved him--Don Caesar--as he loved her, she could not have assisted
in throwing into his society the young sisters of the editor, who
she expected might be so attractive.

Within the five minutes the horse was ready, and Don Caesar in the
saddle again. In less than half an hour he was at the wayside
boulder. Here he picketed his horse, and took the narrow foot-
trail through the hollow. It did not take him long to reach their
old trysting-place. With a beating heart he approached the
decaying trunk and looked into the cavity. There was no letter
there!

A few blackened nuts and some of the dry moss he had put there were
lying on the ground at its roots. He could not remember whether
they were there when he had last visited the spot. He began to
grope in the cavity with both hands. His fingers struck against
the sharp angles of a flat paper packet: a thrill of joy ran
through them and stopped his beating heart; he drew out the hidden
object, and was chilled with disappointment.

It was an ordinary-sized envelope of yellowish-brown paper,
bearing, besides the usual government stamp, the official legend of
an express company, and showing its age as much by this record of a