New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-04

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 self-ap-
pointed committee of four citizens dropped
leesly, upon him in his seclusiOn. When
some polite formalities had been exchanged,
and some easy vituperatiOn OF back ward
season offered by each Of the parties, Tom
Wipgate approached the subject:
..Sorter dropped heavy on Jack Hamlin.
the other light, didn't YET He allows you
didn't give him no show for revenge. sald
YOU wasn't no such id fool: didn't 1,
DickF' continued the arttul Wlngate, ap-
pealing TO confederate.
Yes" said Dick, promptly. You SAID
$4,000 vast mt going TO be thrown around
leckleesly. You said Cyrus had suthln
better to do with his capital" superadded
Dick, with gratuitous mendacity. IL dis
remember now what partickler investment
you said he was goin' to make with II, ne
continued, appealing with easy lndinerence
to his friend.
OF course Wingate did not reply, but
looked at the Fool, who, with troubled
face, was rubbing his legs softly. After
pause he turned deprecat!ngly toward his
visitors.
aye didn't emmy of We ever hev sort of
tremblin' in yer legs-a kind of shakiness
from tine knee down! Suthin'," he cOptin-
..su.hn' that begins like chile, and yet
amt clills; q kind O. eensation OF goneness
here. and q kind O. teelin' as if you might
die student When Wright's pills don't
somehow reach the spot, and qulnlne don't
fetch you!'
"Ncw said Wingate, with curt direct
ness, and the air OF authoritatively respond
-: ho1 NJ
was speakin' of this yer Investment
"And your bowels ~ the time Irregular"
continued Hawkins. blushing under Win
gates eye, and yet clinging despairingly to
his theme like ship-wrecked mariner to
Eis plank.
Wingate did not reply, but glanced sig
niticantly at the rest Hawkins evidently
saw this recognition ofhis mental deficiency,
and said apologetically, "i9u was saying
eyes," said Wingate, SO rapidly as to
almost take Hawkins breath away-"the
investment you made in"
"Ratfertys Ditch" said the Fool, timidly.
For q moment the visitors could only
stare blankly at each other. "Raftertys
Ditch" the one notorious failure OF Five
Forks! Ratferty's Ditch, the impracticable
scheme of an utterly impractical man,
Rafferty's Ditch, q ridiculous plan for TAX
ing water that could not be got to q place
where it wasn't wanted! Ratferty's Ditch,
that had buried the fortunes Of Rafferty, and
twenty wretched stockholders in its muddy
depths.
.:And thet's it's itg' said Wingate, alter
Q gloomy pause. ''Thet's it! l 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 chill.
dren went off in kerridge to Sacramento.
Thet's why them ten wOrkmen of his eZ
hedn't cent to bless themselves with was
playin' billiards last night. and eatin' listers.
Thet's whar that money KUN frum-Sl0O-
to pay for tibet long advertisement Ut the
new issue of Ditch stock in the Times yes.
terday. Thet's why them six strangers
we're booked 1t the Magnolia Hotel yester.
day. Don't you see-its tibet money-and
thet Fool
The Fool sat silent. The visitors arose
without q word.
"You never took any Of them Indian
vegetable pills!' asked Hawkins. timidly.
Of Wingate.
Not soared Wingate. as he opened the
door.
'They tell me that took with the Panacea:
they was out O. the Panacea when l went
to the drug store last week-they say that,
took with the Panacea, they always effect
certing cure" Blu. this time Wingate and
his Disguised friends had retreated. slam.
ming the door on the Fool and his ailments.
Nevertheless. in six months the whole at.
fair was forgotten, the money had been
spent-"Ditch" had been purchased by a
company Of Boston capitalists. fired by the
glowing description of an Eastern tourist.
who had spent one drunken night at Five
FOrks-and think even the mental conGi.
ton OF Hawkins might have remained un.
disturbed by criticism bu. for singular
incident.
It was during an exciting political cam
paign. when party feeling ran high, that the
irascible Captain McFadden. of Sacramento.
visited Five Forks. During q heated dis.
cusslOn in the Prairie Rose Saloon, words
passed between the captain and Hon. Cal.
hOun Bungstarter, ending in q challenge.
The captain bore the infelix reputation of
being notorious duelist and dead shot:
the captain was unpopular; the captain was
believed to have been sent by the opposition
for a deadly purpose. and the captain was.
moreover. stranger. l am sorry TO say
that with Five Forks this latter condition
did not carry the quality OF sanctity or
reverence that usually obtains among Other
nomads. There was consequently some lit.
tie hesitation when the captain turned upon
the crowd and asked for some one to act as
his friend. To everybody's astOnishment.
and to the indignation of many. the Fool
stepped forward and offered himself in that
capacity. do not know whether Captain
McFadden would have chosen him yOlun.
tarily, but he was constrained, in the ab.
sence Of better man. TO accept his secy-
ices.
The due! never took place. The prelimi-
haries were al! arranged, the spot lndI.
Gated, the men present with their seconds.
there was no interruption from without.
there was no explanation or apology passed.
but the duel did not take place. 1t may be
readily imagined that these facts. which
were all known to Five Forks. threw the
whole community into fever OF curiosity.
The principals, the surgeon and one second
left town the next day. Only the Fool re.
manned. He resisted all questioning. de.
claripg himself held in honor not to divuIge;
in short. conducted himself with consistent
but exasperating folly. It was not until
six months had passed that Colonel Star.
bottle. the second of Calhoun Bungstarter,
in a moment of weakness superinduced by
the social glass. cOndescended to explain.
! should not do justice to the parties il !
did not give that explanation in the Colo.
nel's own words. ! may remark, in pass.
ing. that the characteristic dignity Of Colo.
mel StarbOttle always became intensified
by stimulants. and that by the same pro.
cess all sense Of lumOr was utterly el!mi.
mated.
with the understanding that AIN al.
dressing myseif confidently to men Of
HONOR" said the Colonel. elevating his
chest above the barroom counter Of the
Prairie Rose Saloon, II trust that it will
NOS be necessary for me to protect mysel.
from levitv. as / was forced TO do in Sa.
cramento on the only other occasion when
l entered into an explanation Of this del.
icate affair by--er-er-calling the indiyid.
ual to personal account-er. ] do be.