The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-03-19
Misfellaaeuns.
THE oUTCAsTs OF POKER FLAT.
ny FRANK BRET HARTE.

moral atmosphere from the preceding
| night. Two or three men, c0nversinG
earnestly together, ceased rs he approach'
ed, and exchanged significant glances
There was Sabbath lull In the air, which
In settlement unused to Sabbath lnilu'
ences, looked omlnous.
Mr.. Oakhurst's calm, handsome face be-
traycd small concern of these indications.
Whether he was conscious OF any predis.
posing cause was another question. vi
reckon they're after somebody" he re-
hected; .'likcly it's me-" He returned to
his pocket the handkerchief with which
he had been wiplng away the red dust OF
Poker Flat from his neat, boots, and qui-
etly discharged his mind of any further
conjecture.
In point of fact Poker Flat was "afler
somebody" IL had lately suffered the
loss of several thousand dollars. two val.
liable horses, and n prominent citizen. III
was experiencing spasm OF virtuous re-
action, quite rs lawless and ungoyernable
as any OF the acts that provoked 1t. "A
secret committee had determined to rid
the town of all improper persons. This
was done permanently In regard OF two
men who were then hanging from the
boughs Of a sycamoreSs the gulch, anu
temporarily in th69banishment of certain
other Objectionable characters. / regret
to say that some Of these were women.
IL Is but due to~tke sex, however, to say
that their imprOprleties were professional,
and 1t was only In such casily-established
standards OF evil that Poker Flat vcntured
tosit In Judgment.
Mr.. 0akhurst was right In supposlng
that he was included In this category. "A
few of the committee had urged hanging
him rs n possible example, and sure
method of reimbursing themselves from
his pockets Of the sums he had won from
them. ''It's agin Justice" said jim
Wheeler, ito let this yer young man from
Roaring Camp-an entire stranger-carry
away our money" But crude sentiment
Of equity residing in the breasts Of those
who had been fortunate enough to win
from Mr.. 0akhurst oyeiruled this mar
rover local prejudice.
Mr.. Oakhurst received his sentence with
philosophic calmness. none the less coolly
that he was aware of the hesitation OF his
| Judges. lie was too much Of gambler
not to accept his fate. With him life NJ
best was an uncertain game, and he rec
ognizcd the usual percentage In favor ol
the dealer.
A body of armed men accompanied the
| deported wickedness of Poker Flat to the
outskirts of the settlement. Besides Mr.
| Oakhurst, who was known to be n coolly
| desperate man, and for whose intimida'
| ton the armed escort was intended, the
| expatriated party consisted OF young
woman, famlliarly known as "Thc Ouch
ess;" another who had gained the infe,
llcitous title of "MOther ShiptOn" and
"Uncle Billy" a suspected sluice robbei
| and confirmed drinkard. The cavalcade
provoked no comments from the specta-
tors, nor.was any word uttered by the es.
cort. Only when the gulch which marked
the uttermost limit of Poker Flat was
reached, the leader spoke briefly and to
the point. The exiles were forbidden to
return at the peril Of their lives.
AS the escort disappeared their pent-uI
feelings found vent In n few hysterlcal
tears from "The Duchess" some bad Ian
guage from Mother Shipton, aud Par
THAN volley of expletlves from Uncle BIZ
ly. The phllosophlc Oakhurst alone re-
manned silent. He listened calmly to
Mother Shipt0n's desire to cut somebody
heart out, to the repeated statements o'
the Duchess, that she would die In the
road, and to the alarming oaths tha'
seemed to be bumped out of Uncle Billy
as he rode forward. With the easy good
humor characteristic of his class, he III
sisted upon exchanging his own riding
horse, Five Spot" for the sorry mule
which the Duchess rode. But even this
net did not draw the party into any closer
sympathy. The young woman rcadjusted
her somewhat draggled plumes, with q
feeble, faded coquetry; Mother Shiptor
eyed the possessOr of Five Spot with ma
lcyolence. and Uncle Billy included the
whole party In one sweeping anathema.
The road to Sandy Bar-a camp thai
not having as yet experienced the regen
Grating influences OF Poker Flat, conse
Quentiy seemed to offer some invitation tC
| the emigrants-lay over u steep mountain
range. IL was distant severe days
tourney. In that advanced season, the
party soon passed out of the moist, tenn
nerate regions of the foot-hills, into the
dry, cold, bracing air of the Sierras.-
| The trail was now narrow and difficult
At noon the Duchess. rolling out Of heI
| saddle upOn the ground, declared her III
tention of going no further and the party
| halted.
The spot was singularly wild aud Inn
prcssiye. A wooded amphitlieatre, sur
| OIl SIutN bN PiNNiP''"'
cliffs of naked granite, slopcd gently to
wards the crest Of another precipice that
| overlooked the valley. Ii was undoubt'
edly the most suitable spot for camp
had camping been advisable. But Mr.
Oakhurst knew that scarcely half the
Journey to Sandy Bar was accomplished
and the party were not equipped or pro
visioned for delay. This fact he pointed
out to his companions curtly, with n phil
osophic commentary on the folly of throw
ing up their hand before the game wa:
played out" But they were furnished
with liquor, which In this emergency
stood them In place of food, fuel, rest and
prescience. In spite OF his remonstrances
il was not long before they were more oI
less under Its influence. Uncle Billy
passed rapidly from bclliscose state into
one of stupor, the Duchess became maud
lin, and Mother Shipton snOred. Mr.. Oak
hurst alone remained erect ,lcaning agalns
| n rock, calmly surveying them.
Mr.. Oakhurst did not drink. II inter
fered with a profession which required
mind. and. In his own language, h,
couldn't afford It." As he gazed on hi,
| fellow exilcs the loneliness begotten Of hi,
pariah-,radc, his habits Of life, his very
vices, for the first time. seriously Oppress
ell him. He bestirred himself In dustinG
his black clothes, washing his hands ant
face. and other acts characteristic OF hi'
stndiously neat habits, and for moment
forgot his annoyance. The thought o.
deserving his weaker and more pitiabl'
companions never perhaps occurred Il
him. Yet he could not help feeling th,
want of that excitement which, singularl,
| enough, was most conducive TO that calu
cQuanimity for which he was notorious
He looked at the gloomy walls that ros,
n thousand feet sheer above the circlinl
pines around hlm; at the sky, omlnously
clouded; at the valley below, already
deepening into shadow. And doing SO
suddenly he heard his own name called.
\ horseman slowly ascended the trail
In the fresh open face Of the newcomer
Mr.. Oakhurst recognized Tom Simpson
otherwise known as "T'he Innocent" o
Sandy Bar. He had met him some month,
before, over n "llttlc game" and had
| with nerf.ct eauanimitv won the entir,