The Portland daily press., 1874-09-23
The Fool Of Five Forks.
ny BRET HARTE.

L
iarity arose from any wish TO withdraw his
toolishness from the rest OF the camp, nor
was it probable that the combined wisdom OF
Five Forks ever drove him into exile. My
impression is that he lived alone from choice
--a choice he made long before the camp n-
dulged in any criticism of his mental capacity.
He was much given to moody retcence and,
although to outward appearances strong
man, was always complaining of i'll health.
Indeed, one theory of his isolation was that
it afforded him better opportunities for taking
medicine, of which he habitualy consumed
large quantities.
His folly first dawned upon Five Forks
through the Post Office windows. He was
for long time the only man who wrote
home by every mail, his letters being always
directed to the same persona woman. Now
it so happened that the bulk of the Five
Forks correspondence was usually the other
way; there were many letters receved-the
majority being in fhe female hand-but very
few answered. --
The men received them indiferenty, or as
matter OF course; few opened and read
them on the spot with barely depressed
smile OF self-concet, or quite as frequently
glanced over them with undisguised impa-
thence. Some of the letters began with "My
dear husband" and some were never called
for But the fact that the only regular cOrre-
spondent of Five Forks never received any
sequently, when an envelope was received
bearing the stamp of the dead Letter Of
fice'' addressed to the Fool, under the more
convenient title of 'sCyrus Hawkins there
was quite a fever of excitement. l do not
know how the secret leaked out, but 1T was
eventually known to the camp that the enve-
lopc contained Hawkins own letters return
ed. This was the first evidence of his weak
ness; any man who repeatedly wrote to a
woman who did not reply must be fool. l
think Hawkins suspected that his folly was
known to the camp, but he took refuge in
symptoms of chis and fever, which he at
once developed, and effected diversion with
three bottles of Indian chologogue and two
boxes of pills. At all events, at the end OF
the week he resumed pen, stifened by tom
It's, with all his old epistolatory pertinaciy.
This time the letters had new address.
In those days popular belief obtained in
the mines that luck particularly favored the
foolish and unscientfic. Consequently,
when Hawkins struck a ''pocket" in the hill
side near his solitary cabin, there was but lit
tie surprise. ''He will sink il all in the next
hole,'' was the prevailing belief, predicated
upon the usual manner in which the possess
or of "nigger luck" disposed of his fortune.
To everybody's establishment, Hawkins, after
taking out about eight thousand dollars and
exhausting the pocket, did not prospect for
another. The camp then waited patiently TO
think, however, that it was the greatest diff
ficulty their indignation was Kept from taking
the form. OF personal assault when it be-
came known that be had purchased a draft
for eight thousand dollars in favor of "tlat wo-
man." More than this, it was finally whis-
pered that the draft was returned to him as
his letters had been, and that he was ashamed
to reclaim the money at the express Office.
sit wouldn't be a bad speculation to go East,
get some smart gal for hundred dollars to
dress herself up and represent that bag, and
jest freeze onto that eight thousand" sug-
gested a -far-seeing fnancer. 1 may state
here that we always alluded TO Hawkins fair
unknown as ''The Nag" without having, l
am confident, the least justification for that
epithet.
That the fool should gamble seemed emil
nently fit and proper. That he should occa-
sionally win a large stake, according to that
popular theory which have recorded in the
preceding paragraph, appeared also not i'm
probable or inconsistent fact. That he should
however, break the faro bank which Mr.. John
Hamlin had set up in Five Forks, and carry
off a sum variousy estimated at from ten to
twenty thousand dollars, and not return the
next day and lose the money at the same Ia
Bile, really appeared incredible Yet such
was the fact. A day or two passed without
any known investment of Mr.. Hawkins re-
Gently acquired capital ''Ef he allows to
zen, "suthin ought to be done! It's jest
ruinin' the reputation of this yer camp-ths
sloshin' around o. capital on non-residents eZ
don't claim tr' Sits settin an example o.
extravaganza" SAID another, ''ez is little bet
ter nor a swindle. That's morn five men in
this camp tibet, hearin' tibet Hawkins he'd
sent home eight Thousand dollars, must lest
rise up and send home their hard earnings,
too! And, then, to think tibet that eight
thousand was only bluff, after all, and tibet
it's lynn there on call in Adams & Co..
bank. Well, say it's one O. them things
vigilance committee oughter look intov' ~
When there seemed no possibility Of this
repetition of Hawkins folly, the anxiety to
know what he had really done with his money
became intense. At last a selfapponted
committee Of four citizens dropped artfully,
but to outward appearances carelessy upon
him in his seclusion. When some polite for
malities had been exchanged, and some easy
vituperation of backward season offered by
each of the parties, Tom Wingate approached
the subject: Is
s.Sorter dropped heavy on Jack Hamlin the
other night, didn't ye? He alloy VS. you didn't
give him no show for revenge. l said you
wasn't no such id fool-didn't I, Dick ?''
continued the artful W:ngate, appealing to
confederate.
''Yes,'' said Dick promptly. "You said
twenty thousand dollars wasn't goin' to be
had suthin' better to do with his capitaI,'
superadded Dick, with gratuitous mendacty.
81 disremember now what partickler invest
ment you said he was goin' to make with it,
he continued, appealing with easy indffer-
ence to his friend.
Of course Wingate did not reply, bat
looked at the Fool, who, with troubled face,
was rubbing his legs softly. After pause
he turned deprecatingly toward his visitors. /
"Ye didn't emmy OF ye ever hev sort of
!remblin' in your legs-a kind o. shakiness
from the knee down? Suthin," he contin-
ued, slightly Frightening with his topic,
'suthin' that begins like chills, and yet ain't
chills. A kind O. sensation of goneness here,
and kind O. feelin' as if you might die sud-
dent! When Wrght's Pills don't somehow
reach the spot, and quinine don't fetch YOU pr
'.So!' said Wingate with a Curt direct
ness, and the air of authoritatively respond
ing for his friends. mo, never had. You
was speaking of this yer investment
"And your bowels all the time irregular?'
continued Hawkins, blushing under Win
gates eye, and yet clinging despairingly to
his theme like shpWrecked mariner TO his
plank. Nltt ~NA * III
"Wingate did not reply, but glanced sisnifi-
cantly at the rest. Hawkins evidently saw
this recognition of his mental deficen,y, and
caid apologe.ically, "You was saying suthin'
about my investment % r.
most take Hawkins heath away-''the in
yestment you made in"
'Rafferty's Ditch said the Fool, timidly.
For moment the visitors could only stare
blankly at each other. "RafeMy's Ditch''
the one notorious failure OF Five Forks
Rafferty's Ditch, the impracticabe scheme
of an utterly impractical man; Raferty's
Ditch, ridiculous plan for taking water
that could not be got to place where it
wasn't wanted Raferty's Ditch, that had
buried the fortunes of Rafferty, and twenty
WRECKED stockholders in its muddy depths!
Aud that's it's it?' said Wingate, after
gloomy pause. That's it! 1 see it all now,
boys. That's how ragged Pat Rafferty, went
down TO San Francisco yesterday in store
clothes, and his wife and four children went
off in kerridge to Sacramento. That's wby
them ten workmen of his ez hadn't cent 10
bless themselves with was playin' billiards
last night and eatin' listers. That's whar
that money KUN rum one hundred dollars
to pay for that long advertisement of the new
issue of Ditch stock IN the Times yesterday