black silk cord, round his neck underneath his Franciscan robe. Inside
were five gleaming rows of gold coins-bright new Spanish onzas, every
one looking as if just fresh from the mint. There were one hundred and
twenty-five coins, each worth about sixteen dollars of American money,
making the contents of the box amount to two thousand dollars - a goodly
sum, indeed, for a poor Spanish priest in Nueva California to possess.
Lying on top of the rows of coins was a slip of paper, on which was
written in Spanish:

"My dearest one, pray to God and Our Lady to bless your poor Dolores."

Father Zalvidea read the paper, then kissing it passionately, fell on
his knees, and, with trembling voice, offered up his petitions to Christ
for a blessing on the loved one in the far away land.

This box contained the romance of Father Zalvidea's life. Years before,
when a young man, and ere he had had any thought of becoming a priest,
he had been enamored of a beautiful Andalusian maiden, who returned his
love. But Dolores's father was rich, and looked with disfavor upon poor
JosŽ Zalvidea, and at length forced his daughter to marry a suitor he
had chosen for her - a man three times her age, but with a fortune equal
to that which was to be hers at her father's death; for she was his only
child. JosŽ, heart-broken, entered a seminary to study for the
priesthood, and gave himself up to his new work, striving to drown his
sorrow. A few years later, he was selected to make one of a number of
young priests to go to Mexico. The last time he had heard confessions in
the parish church, a woman, heavily veiled, entered the confessional,
and, in a whisper, interrupted by sobs, asked for his blessing. At her
first word he recognized Dolores's voice, and with a smothered cry, fell
back, almost unconscious, in his seat. This was the first time he had