 In a way, I was sorry to leave San Francisco just as Christmas was coming on. The shop windows, already frosted, were filled with all those wonderful surprises, which seemed to appear only at the Christmas season. And there was an excitement in the eyes of passersby, young and old alike. In the air, there was the smell of cookies and cakes and candies. It was a good time to be in San Francisco. And yet the telegram from Colorado Territory left me little choice.