Bret Harte was an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California. Harte moved to California in 1853, and worked there in a number of capacities -- as a miner, a teacher, a messenger, and a journalist. His story, "The Luck of Roaring Camp," appearing in The Overland Monthly magazine, propelled Harte to nationwide fame.
The Twins of Table Mountain are Rand and Ruth, sharing a cabin and working a mine. They are twins, not easily told apart, and a strain on the relationship occurs because of it. Ruth has been seeing Mornie, a local girl, the "daughter of a shyster and a drunk." Mornie has mistaken Rand for Ruth, and gone on about their meetings and their plans. Ruth is fond of Mornie, but Rand disapproves. Will brotherhood or love triumph?