CHAPTER ONE

The figure of a slim young woman clothed in black moved slowly through the bustle of Portsmouth plaza .Her dark brown hair was crowned by a simple black hat of mourning, it's dark veil covering her small oval face and hiding the dark shadows of pain that shaded her high cheekbones and determined chin. Her face was set off by a pair of soft lips,and large gray eyes that reflected sorrow as they gazed out on the world

The plain lines of the black bombazine dress could not hide the swell of her firm young breast under its pleated bodice,and its stiff skirt flared out from a narrow waist over the gentle curve of slim hips to reveal trim ankles that peeked out from beneath the hem . Black shoes,which looked too heavy for the tiny feet they encased, completed the picture.

At twenty-two,Julie Leighton felt old.she carried the weight of the world on her slim shoulders. Earlier that morning,she and her sister, Sara,had buried their father.Now they were to meet at his lawyer's office for the reading of his will.

The plaza had come a long way since it's days of grazing land, shanties and tenths.It had become the city's main square, evolving and flourishing as had the rest of San Francisco.

Julie passed the many offices, casinos hostelries and saloons that lined up the square and remembered how her father had always said,''if you need a doctor, dentist,a lawyer,an education or to buy or sell anything,you can do it without ever leaving the plaza.''

Many of the merchants and regulars on the plaza had known her since childhood and they watched Julie pass , exchanging looks of concern among themselves and wondering what might become of their young friend now that her father had died.She held a special place in their hearts,with her quick smile, friendly laugh and warm giving personality.Over the years, Julie and her father had shared in their joys and helped with their sorrows.Now,during Julie's time of need, people of the plaza had banded together to watch over her.

They waved and called quiet greetings to the large Oriental who followed Julie's wake.Lee Tang was a well- known figure.He had been James Leighton's bodyguard for many years.He had been away visiting his family in china town on the night of James's death and he felt a sense of responsibility for his loss.He now guarded Julie perhaps even more than he had her father.

Her childhood had been cosmopolitan.In her growing years she had spent many hours playing with the children of many lands in and around the plaza.The numerous booths set up to display the wares of the world had been her introduction to the diversity of peoples and cultures.To her the plaza had always been the bazaar that never closed.She had many friends and enjoyed the differences in their languages, food and customs.Life then had been an adventure.But, today she was oblivious to the sound of hawkers crying out the merits of their wares.The sailors on liberty,with their reckless eyes and the miners,fresh from the gold fields, greeting each other raucously seemed part of a dream as she threaded her way through the crowds toward the two-storied frame building at the far end of the square.