Gardnerville record. (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1898-1902, 1902-03-21
BY JOAQUIN MILLER

Where or how he had dug up the
name of Shed no one ever knew or
cared, l reckon; but his big. round,
red face. heavy red beard and brick
dust hair plainly have to answer for
Red, the first part of his name. He
was big. stupid and heavy, with a low,
soft voice and n kindly manner, with
very little to say. He did not use a
jackknife to whittle dry goods boxes
and hitching posts. like most men when
loafing about the door of the saloon.
but stood with his big. heavy legs wide
apart. his broad shoulders stopped and
his hands thrust deep in his pockets,
as IL on the deck of ship.
Sid Berry. his partner, had pack
train and a big. burly wife with a jaw
Ike a wolf trap. She could ride a mule
and she could drive a mule as well as
n Mexican could. and that meant that
she could swear terribly. No one knew
where Berry and the woman came
from. In fact. nobody knew or cared
to know where anybody came from.
We had all tumbled In there together
when gold was found-a long line of
us on our way from California. through
the wilderness, to Idaho. We had found
gold by chance one day about noon,
and before night we had city stalk
ed off, and every man, the big woman
included had lot and a mining
claim. We did not know where we
were We only knew that we were
several hundred miles from the near
est white habitation. that we were a
lawless mob and so must have law and
order. recorder to record our claims
and town lots. judge to pass judg-
ment and sheriff to enforce it.
And so one night by the light of a
great pine knot fire in the center of the
"cty square" the men and that woman
met and elected Mr.. Goodwin. now
rich and respected wholesale merchant
in San Francisco. recorder. Tom
Hound. the butcher. was elected sber-
lff and the writer of this judge.
Shed had a big. woolly black dog de-
voted to him. and the woman was de
voted to him too. We boys all saw this
very soon. Where there are only abcut
one woman and fifty to several nun
dred men the boys are apt to see what
is up.
The pack train was soon off for The
Dalles, 200 miles distant. Berry, his
big wife, Shed. the big woolly dog and
all together In month the caravan
came back all right. and we had the
city already built, and we had grave
yard started up on the hill, too. for we
had taken some whisky with us from
California.
After n time the pack train started
for The Dalles again-Berry. his big
wife. Red Shed. the woolly dog and all.
One morning four miners met the
pack train about half way from The
Dalles as they We're coming back TO
Canyon City with horses loaded with
supplies. The big woman rode the bell
mule at the head of the pack train and
swore Justify at the men and their
laden horses for not getting out of her
way faster. Behind the pack train
came Red Shed shufiling along, leading
his horse and with head held down.
The dog was not to be seen, and Berry
was not in sight either
But rs they crossed a spur of the
mountain and came to creek they
saw of to the right or rather the first
bend. old woolly bowling dismally by
the edge of thicket. The dog did not
seem to see them or notice them, but
would start ON after the pack train.
then stop and howl, as if TO tell the big
woman and Red Shed that they had
forgotten something.
So when the dog, after bowling a
minute or so. turned about and ran
back into the thicket, one of the men
handed his bride to the miner nearest
him in the trail and, gun In hand, went
to see what was up.
There lay Berry in the edge of the
bush dead-shot through the head, his
hair all blood and his torn clothes all
dust from having been dragged there.
The men wrote everything down in
a little notebook with pencil so that
there could be 10 mistake about the
facts, and then. having nothing TO dig
n grave with. they found hollow
place not far Off on the hillside and
laid the body there. covering ii with a
heap of stones
They said nothing when they got
back till the pack train came in. She'd
the big woman. the big woolly dog too.
The next day after the pack train
got back Tom Hound. the sheriff. call
ed at the big woman's camp. She was
washing pair of blankets and the wa
ter was bloody. She told Hound that
Shed had Killed an antelope aud tied II
while yet warm on top of his pack.
Where was Berry? Oh, Berry and
she had divided up ut The Dalles. He
had gone his way and she had come
her way, "and that is all there Is of
that"
Her fingers snapped in the air, she
tossed her big head as she turned on
her big heel and her jaws snapped like
a steel trap
Hound found She'd the shadowy old