The Washington critic., 1889-01-08
WASHINGTON CRITIC
THE HOODOO OF PINE GULCH,
by PATIENCE srArLEToN.
Erom Me splNt Of Me 7llmes.


an on, but, as I'm writin' this story,
1t will be run accordln to my idee of the
word an its ginerel acceptance in the
camp. Pm known in tho Guloh as
Cap'n, fer went down the Grand In a
punt once on q bet they was four hours
bfingin' me to, and the water | took In
my system then has sot me agin II as a
beverage ever sence.
Cheyenne, or Jim Wade, as his re-
lashuns writes him, was a naterel borned
hoodoo, and, though he might argue fur
hours he want, the camp knowed better,
Ef he ever come in to look on a fvenly
game OF draw, the sucker we was tryin'
to beat, or the Englishman that didn't
know the game, yer know would
scoop In ev'ry chip on the table. He
got the missunery speerit ON him onc't
an went down to Durango, way 'mongst
the Utes; they amt bad as Injuns 60,
but he'd hadn't bin missuneryizin' 'em
six weeks fore they riz up an went on
the warpath, an it cost the State
thousands of dollars to parsify 'em
Cheyenne got his name In the early
days of the town by that name, an, when
he left it got boom, whilst l kin tes.
tify on oath half the population afore
he departed was movin' TO Denver.
Bout five year ago we was sittin' in
Walsen's saloon, connected with his ho-
tol, an the last the wurst in San Juan
county IAN by them words no one kin
say I'm runnin' in paid ad fur my
board in my story), when we see Chey-
emo lopin' down the trail on his bron
cho. That animal of his is the wust
case of clear ugly in the Rockies. I've
seen him jump all of four feet, stiff leg
ged, straight up in the cir, Cheyenne
sittin' there sorter smilin', calm as only
hoodoo Is under such circumstances.
Doc Bennett was settin' by me. Doc
come over from Leadville for practicin
'thout diplomy: he'd made some little
mistake an the man died. | dunno as
the medical perfession amt got the same
rights as a pioneer to lay out his man,
an, after all. sence we've got civilized
out in the Rockies, doctors is the only
ones as kin kill folks an nawthin' said
about it. doc" says /, "Cheyennes s
got that moony look on him an suthins
goin' to happen
ut was the Salvation Army last time, I"
answers Doc, lookin' kinder tired; 1--WE
he'd to git 'em out in the night arter
Beaman Rives was hurt"
"Wanter know" says Il was raised
In Maine but got away young) give
been up to my mine the larst month an l
hain't heerd there was d row. Meetin's s
was pretty lively though, fore / left"
wal, 1t was one night they ives givin'
experiences, an one of them leftenents
of the persuasion riz up and give that
histry of a man she called Lijah, that
got left off mule train, or suthin', on
tho r,laipg NJ xuo fa1 hxrr 81.
was the bird of them Scriptur To-
calities. Then Rines riz up to argue
that he read an b'lieved them words
want transerlated right an that the old
wurd in them dead lanwidges meant
Arabs-as thievin' gang as Injuns-an'
it was heap more sense to me then that
bird idee. The leftenant got riled; said
he was weoked an begun to cry, an as
usual, taking the woman's side. Chey-
enne got up lookin' ugly an give Rines'
theory o shakin' up, then Rines an him
clinched. Rines went under, theory an
all, the leftenant bein' good lookin' an a
has bin lame eyer sence ravin' ever
senoe, the b'ys says, for CUFF. ] never
took no stock in them bird-fed patriarks
myself"
Jest then Cheyenne rides up, throws
his bride rein over the hitch post, an
saunters in, He don't at fust sight in
strike you as a hoodoo ef you're emmy
acquainted with 'em; he STAINS six fut
two, wears blue flannel shirt--never
seen him in a billed one--likes corduroy
parnts, that hes tucks in his boots, an q
sombrero with rattlesnake round it as
a hoodoo should wear The story that
goes with the snake is sign fur GIN
eral break up OF the gang when Chey-
enne gifts so fur gone In Ticker as to begin
it. He wears long hair like them soap
peddlers with the prizes that YOU don't
git, or them that does potry fur the
country weailies Goke) his is sorter
yaller with curl in it, an his mustache
is tawny, lighter'n his skin, which is a
good deal bronzed; his eyes sorter shady
under long lashes is allus smilin' inner
cent an pleasin' till he's mad (frequenD,
then they've got a glitter, an the vigi-
lente rises in him. He's born boss, too,
an that fur hoodoo is pu rty hard on
camp, an We amt he'd streak sepce
he drifted In two year be fore the re-
mains of busted mine in { nit
County.
We see the idee wurkin in him as h.
stood there at the bar twirlin' his mus
tache, sizin' us up. He was appearin
purity prosperous, accordin' to our usual
evidence of ii, fur he'd his dimunt ring
on that was SO we'll knowed to Lewis in
Leadville that the old man made out the
ticket "fur the limit" as Cheyenne
would tell him, when Cheyenne opened
the shop door.
In the morel wave that come in with
the Salvation Army siverel prominent
citizens was obleeged to leave the Gulch,
an some got so took with them drains
an tamboreens that they went arter the
army fur good (Doc. says it was the lef-
tenants that done it), an losin' so many
Taxpayers has made us sorter ugly on
Cheyenne's Improvements. Why, not
five months before, all the spare money
in the Gulch he'd bin took away by a
capitalist, Cheyenne said was from Bos-
ton, an was arter q mine TO buy, an we
found out was Professional from San
Francisco,
"He's on the trail Of innervation, "
says 81 Bates, strokin' his red chin beard.
II see that look on him in Summit
County, when he run fur Sheriff on the
Republican ticket an they rolled up the
biggest Democratic majority as was ever
heerd of in the State Them high morel
waves of his is as bad fur place as them
tidals in Texas
Eve jest got back from Leadville,"
says Cheyenne,
'Town there YETI" arsks.
eyes"
81 guess you done 'em up" says
Bates, his eye on the dimunt.
"No, the day got there they shet up
all the gamhlin' houses, Gone in fur
reform"
"Oh, he aint no hoodoo at ALL" whis.
nnrs Doc tn mo al unlllhnlt nlnmmh n