There was no need for him to keep his promise; for the next morning the
family were stirred by the announcement that Mr. and Mrs. Burroughs had
left Casket Ridge that night by the down stage for Sacramento, and that
the house was closed. There were various rumors concerning the reason of
this sudden departure, but only one was persistent, and borne out by
the postmaster. It was that Mr. Burroughs had received that afternoon an
anonymous note that his wife was about to elope with the notorious San
Francisco gambler, Jack Hamlin.

But Leonidas Boone, albeit half understanding, kept his miserable secret
with a still hopeful and trustful heart. It grieved him a little that
William Henry was found a few days later dead, with his head crushed.
Yet it was not until years later, when he had made a successful
"prospect" on Casket Ridge, that he met Mr. Hamlin in San Francisco,
and knew how he had played the part of Mercury upon that "heaven-kissing
hill."




COLONEL STARBOTTLE FOR THE PLAINTIFF


It had been a day of triumph for Colonel Starbottle. First, for his
personality, as it would have been difficult to separate the Colonel's
achievements from his individuality; second, for his oratorical
abilities as a sympathetic pleader; and third, for his functions as the
leading legal counsel for the Eureka Ditch Company versus the State of
California. On his strictly legal performances in this issue I prefer
not to speak; there were those who denied them, although the jury had