Bret Harte is best known for his stories about pioneering life in California. Harte moved to California in 1853 where he worked as a miner, journalist, teacher and messenger. In this California tale Jeff Briggs is a tall handsome 25 year old. He is a landlord for a roadside inn on the route to California. The inn is not much more than a run down shamble of a place. Harte does a wonderful job of developing his characters and the atmosphere of this novella.