The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-11-22

my name Bing, and we re Almost thar,
now
The captains curiosity was evidently
somewhat excited by what he had heard,
and his long nose was now aimed point
edly up the valley, which was widening
out upon a sort of plateau of no very
wonderful extent, and there were GER
tainly evidences of some sort of settle
ment. The land around, here and there,
looked even as if at some time or other
an effort had been made to put it under
fence and cultivation.
''Is that the city of Crooked Pine?"
asked the captain of the mule-rider
''No, Stree, replied Bing; I'VE amt
into Crooked Pine. Not yet we amt;
but I'm gwine to ride right in thar on
this ere old mule. This ere place is
on'y the graveyard, and, 1 tell you,
they need one, for it's just the deadest
town you ever SEEN"
Isn't it healthy placer" asked the
captain, with an uneasy twitch of the
point of his nose.
Healthy" exclaimed Bing. "Did
you ever hear of an unhealthy place
among these mountings? Crooked Pine
is healthy place, you bet, on'y fellers
don't seem to live long thar, that's all.
It's just the deadest place you ever seen,
and l tell you they scared old Bing.
they did. But I'm gwine to ride right
in thar, am
Thought you said this place was the
graveyard" remarked the captain, veer-
wall, an so it is, said ,Bing; but
over yonder's the on'y patch that pears
to be well planted. Look at them sticks?
Lots of 'em! Them with hole bored
into EN- means revolver. Them that's
notched as deep all round says how the
feller himself got notched, over to Crook
ed Pine. Thar's some on 'em looks as
if the boys didn't know what hurt 'em.
You see, cap'n, Crooked Pine is Just
the deadest town; but I'm gwine to ride
right in thar onto this old mule"
And now, as they rode somewhat more
rapidly forward, the captains nose be-
came more pointedly inquiring than
ever. Houses there were, scattered
here and there, With some wild sort of
reference to possible street, and some
of them were even of that ambitious
sort where one story tries to climb to
the dignity of two. There were frame
buildings, with marvelously-sprawling
signs-most of them "hotels, :" halls"
'shades, and miners paradises of that
sort; but some were apparently intended
for legitimate business goods en-
poriums," and the like, not to speak of
three or four "banks," and " Crooked
Pine branch mint and assay office"
"That thar's whar they used to keep
the tiger" said Bing. "It was right
about thar that the skeer took me. But
wbar on yearth are all the boys gone
to?''
Well he might ask, for, although the
captains nose had pointed everywhere,
not the first sign of an inhabitant had
as yet made its appearance.
What can be the matter?" exclaimed
the captain. Are you sure that it was
such healthy placer
Healthy" said Bing. "Wall, now,
you kin just bet. Anyhow, I've come
and rid right straight into Crooked
Pine. Hullo, if thar amt somebody
stirrin'! Tell we what, cap'n, I was be-
ginning to Git little skeered agin, every
thing looked so consumed lonesome
Even as he was speaking, battered,
grizzled, unkempt, unwashed specimen
of elderly humanity came imping to-
ward them, bearing in his hand rusty
old double barreled shotgun.
''Look out" whispered Bing to the
captain; "thars no counting onto these
yer Crooked Pine boys. They're most
likely layin' low for somethin'."
Then he added, aloud:
81 say, stranger, whar hev all the
boys gone ter? What's got inter Crook
ed Pine?"
"Is that you, Bing?" drawled the man
with the shotgun. "Why, whar hev
you been? Nothin' amt got inter this
yer place-that amt what's the matter
but every livin' soul 'cept me has got
out of it. Old Bing, I tell yer, Crooked
Pine is dead town"
"You don't sayr' exclaimed Bing.
with what the captain took for groan;
but the latter aimed his nose at the man
with the shotgun, and asked him:
what did the town die of, and what
made you stay here after it was dead?"
"Die of? drawled the shotgun man
-"die of? Why, they've made another
town, twenty mile away, over onto the
new roleraid; and they do say it beats
this yer city all holler. What made me
stay? Why, stranger, I never seen a
roleraid, and 1 don't want to; and so,
when the boys begun to clar out for that
thar new city, l just bought thar i'm
provements. l got some on EN- power
full cheap, did, an won three hotels
at one rattle, L did. Biggest luck you
ever seen! And 1 KEEP on and on, buy
in and winnin', till reckon own the
whole town, and the graveyard too.
1t fine graveyard, and it's got an aw-
full good start; but it's Just the deadest
town you ever seen. What do 1 stav
for? Why, what should 1 go for? Don't
own the hull of Crooked Pine?"
'Cap'n," said Bing, mournfully, "I
reckon he's telling the truth. I've
known this yer sort of thing to happen
before. Do We know what I'm gwine to
do?"
"No, l don't" said the captain.
Wall, you kin wait for yer cavalry
men, If you want ter. I'm gwine 10 ride
night into that thar other town, on this
old mule. II, ride right in thar, Meb-
be l kin find some of the boys, and any
how L want to see is thar roleraid kin
| put another white skeer onto old Bing.
Cap'n. Crooked Pines just the deadest
town / ever see."
"Whack" went the stub-whip on the
tough hide of the old mule, and on went
Bing, as if he knew his way and dis
dained further information; and, while
the old man with the shot gun stood
looking dreamily and wistfully after
him, the captain wheeled his horse,
gave him a sharp dig of the spur. and