Dodge City times., 1891-12-04

Use, and liberal prosperity for miners,
gamblers and saloons; but luck had
suddenly and capriciously deserted the
camp, for there was not another shin
ing atom of ''the precious" to be found
in the gulch. This fact was declared
by the old miners, who were packing
up to go over the mountai ins to Clear
Creek canyon, where a new camp was
being started under favorable prom
iSes.
Saloon keepers and faro-banks had
''folded their tents like Arabs" and
gone where there was fresh gold to
rake in, and where there were new vic
tins to conquer.
The miners had all followed except
Patrick M.Birney and his wife and
three others-Morgan. Ben Thomas
and Jack Leslie. These persons
fingered at the deserted camp for the
simple reason that they preferred the
solitude of Windy gulch to the rough,
wrangling crowd that had just left.
Besides, Morgan lay wounded in the
little shanty of Mckinney. up among
the cedars; he was too badly injured
to think of removing; SO it was elected
that they were to stay behind in sole,
independent possession of Windy camp,
and each take his turn at playing the
part of Good Samaritan toward the
sick miner.
Alex Morgan was a man of middle
age. and his friends rightly conjectured
that he had seen better days than a
checkered career at the different min
ing camps had fforded.
When Morgan had been sober, he
had displayed evidences of former cul-
ture and of having lived in the best
society. But he had grown dissipated
at the mining camps, and gambled
recklessly. 1t was while gambling
with Poker Sam, in one of the saloon
shanties, that a dispute had arisen,
which soon waxed furious, and in q
rage. the sport had shot Morgan, in
fiicting what his friends realized would
prove fatal wound. He now lay at
Pat McBirney's, with very few more
days to live. Mrs. McBirney, with all
the goodness of heart and impulsive-
ness characteristic of the real Irish
woman. nursed him as tenderly as if he
had been a dear brother.
Ben Thomas was a bankrupt ranch.
man turned miner. His ''pard," Jack
Leslie, was a young school-teacher
from the east, in reduced circum-
stances Both were handsome, good
hearted young fellows, and as Morgan
had shared their shanty at Windy camp,
he was considered "a pard'' and neither
would forsake him for the selfish pur-
pose of trying his fortune at the new
camp over in the canyon. They willing
~ shared the duties of watching over
the wounded man, doing all in their
power to alleviate his suffering.
One day, Ben and Jack were sitting
on bowlder down the guloh. It was
the second day after the camp had been
deserted and turned over to the unre-
stricted occupancy of their little party.
''Morg is pretty low, pard, remarked
Ben, his eyes on the lofty cliffs far
above the rugged gulch.
HE Is that" returned Jack. I'm
thinking that poor Morg is about tn
cross the divide, whence no miner ever
comes back"
''Poker Sam ought to hang!" said
Ben, vengefully.
He deserves to have his neck meas-
ured for . rope nscktie." approved
Jack. warmly. But poor Morg had
only few friends, being one of the
unlucky does of humaaity, while Poker
Sam has . hundred warm satelliAns a.
ways blazing in his wake"
His chips CLUES 'eta thar. tight to
fm! replied Ben, with little strong
language.
Has Morg any friends where hs
came from?" inquired Jaek. realling
his pipe.
'sBlast my boots. If I lnowi Inever
easd hin.tell q any. Noge w. II