glas' for me? She promised me a pie, and I
need a new starter for my sour dough (batter). By that time everything
will be ready to eat."

"You mean the 'Kitty Douglas' of the signs I've just passed?" asked
John, grinning.

"Yes. What were they, today?"

"'Fresh pies, by Kitty Douglas,' 'Bread made every day, by Kitty
Douglas,' 'New-laid eggs every day, by Kitty Douglas'!"

"Kitty's cooking is as fair as the reputation of her house is not. She
charges two dollars for a meal of pork and beans."

"'Tis the regular price everywhere. I'll be back soon." After the meal
John went to, the barbecue, imbibing rather freely of the fire-water
barrel and making a night of it.

Heavy travel continued over the bridge all afternoon--a prairie schooner
with three oxen, two mules and a bronco pulling it; a prospector in his
red flannel undershirt, driving a laden donkey; a hurdy-gurdy troupe
on its way to the barbecue; a stage-coach drawn by six half-broken wild
horses; an old Spanish settler on a beautiful, black thoroughbred; a
late arrival from Oregon, mounted upon a sturdy mule with his young wife
upon a pillion behind him, and a whole drove of China-men being taken
out to work a white man's claim up on the Divide.

There passed Welch miners, who were to be the fore-runners of quartz
mining; miners from Australia, who were to replace the wooden "bateas"
of the Mexicans with the rocker and the iron gold-pan, and the term of
"specimen" with "nugget."

Finally came a hale, old voyaguer whom Longley greeted heartily as he
swung open the toll gate:

"Greetings, Monsieur Francois Gendron, and from whence came you today?"
The big Frenchman handed over the "six-bits" toll for himself and his
horse.

"From New Helvetia."

"Ah--Sacramento."

"And I am bound for the North Fork Dry Diggings."

"Auburn?" smiled Longley.

"Bah! the new names! In my day we called them differently. I came across
the Rockies in '32, Monsieur. But I must be en route--here are sheep
coming."

After the sheep were counted and gone, Longley glanced scowlingly across
the bridge and hastily closed the tollgate. A band of Indians, several
on ponies but most of them on foot, crossed the bridge and halted before
him.

"Go back, ye varmints!" growled Longley.

"No Indian pay," said the old chief. "He go the bridge and the road--no
pay."

"Well, the Chinamen paid."

"But the Indians, no! No pay. Me go Whiskey Bar--big pow-wow. Plenty ox,
plenty bear