time, the foot of the stranger passes as master over the threshold
of the Don's home. The superb domain passes under the dominion
of the American. One by one the old holdings of the Californian
families pass away. The last of the Dons, sleeping in the silence
of the tomb, are spared the bitterness of seeing their quaint
race die out. The foreigner is ruling within their gates. Their
unfortunate, scattered, and doomed children perish in the attrition
of a newer civilization.

Narrow-minded, but hospitable; stately and loyal; indifferent to
the future, suspicious of foreigners, they are utterly unable to
appreciate progress. They are powerless to develop or guard their
domains. Abandoned by Mexico, preyed on by squatters, these courtly
old rancheros are now a memory of the past.

This wedding brings life to Lagunitas. The new suzerain organizes a
working force. It is the transition period of California. Hundreds
of thousands of acres only wait for the magic artesian well to
smile in plenty. Valois gathers up the reins. Only a few pensioners
remain. The nomadic cavalry of the natives has disappeared. The
suggestion of "work" sets them "en route." They drift towards the
Mexican border. The flocks and herds are guarded by corps of white
attendants. The farm succeeds the ranch.

Maxime Valois gives his wife her first sight of the Queen City.
The formalities of receiving the "patent" call him to San Francisco.

Padre Francisco remains with Donna Juanita. The new rule is
represented by "Kaintuck," an energetic frontiersman, whose vast
experience in occasional warfare and frequent homicide is a guarantee