Alfonso exclaimed, "Mariposa!" He sought to clasp her in his arms, but
the graceful figure vanished, and the pines seemed to whisper, "Alfonso,
I go to join the braves in the happy hunting grounds beyond the setting
sun. You will wed the fairest of your people. Adieu."
When Alfonso awoke, the ring of beaten gold was gone, where, he knew not.
The tourist-coach was rumbling down the mountain road, and he joined it.
After an inspection of his mines, he sadly left the Sierras for San
Francisco.
The prophetic words of Mariposa, whispered among the pines, proved true.
Alfonso again met Gertrude's best friend, beautiful Mrs. Eastlake, now a
young widow, and later he married her, making their home on Knob Hill,
the most fashionable quarter of the city by the Golden Gate.
CHAPTER XXVII
THE CRISIS
What is of more value to civilization, or what commands a greater premium
in the world than successful leadership? Successful leaders are few, and
the masses follow. Honor, fame, power, and wealth are some of the rewards
of great leadership. The confidences bestowed and the responsibilities
assumed are often very great. A betrayal of important trusts, or a
failure to discharge responsibilities, usually brings swift and terrible
punishment, poverty, prison, disgrace, and dishonor to descendants.
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