The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-07-08

Inc tale or now q gold rush started
up Mammon Canyon, came back to
Palo Pinto, where it began, in frag-
ments, much the same as herd OF
cattle is rounded up on the home
range after stampede. 1t was
pieced together and Gained into rea-
sonable narrative by Nip Fowler, who
is the Palo Pinto correspondent for
all existing newspapers. Here are the
facts:
There was Ditsey Forncrook. pros
pector; there was "Fire-pox,' strang-
er burdened with many devils; and
there was Frek Muldoon. the second,
master of men, guns and trials.
These three carried out a drama OF
few words.
Ditsey was down to the rinds and
gristle Of his last stake and looking
for "pardner'' to go uu the Mammon
with him for the gold cure. NO one
offered until "Fire-pox" drifted into
Palo Pinto. Following is Nip Fowl
er's description of the stranger:
"He had no word to say about VINO
or what he was, but he looked BAD 10
us-bad and twitchy and suspicious. "A
quick step behind and he'd leap about
like a cat caught snoopin' what knows
better. He was pocked. Oh. yes, ne
was pocked-deep and red ike mar
vest moons. So we named him. Ills
eyes were busy and small and SHINY
black, and the whites were yellow.
His ears were pointed like his teeth,
and his lips were paper-thin. We saw
he had left something behind that DID
not lay easy, but Ditsey was looking
for a pardner and didn't stipulate a
sky-blue past. He wanted man 10
do his half. and when 'Fire-pox said
he'd 60. Ditsey said 'buen.' Two days
after they pulled UP the canyon Win
three burros."
The stranger didn't prove entertain
ing. but he could work and travel ana
handle packs. He used a bivouac lor
eating and sleeping purposes only out
he knew all about the creepings and
hidings of the yellow virgin VINO
makes the harlequins Of the many. DIT
sey was pleased. He figured that thelr
Joint capacity would start rush up
the canyon. And he was right.
One dawn when Palo Pinto was
three weeks behind. Ditsey opened MS
eyes to find that his pardner was De-
yond the camp circle and that NO
breakfast was in progress. A few min
utes afterward, "Fire-pox" crawled In.
His eyes were as big as walnuts'
bright as fire and mad as poison. lie
iarked IN when he saw that the other
was awake.
Couldn't Sleep" be croaked. Sun
must a-whacked me. Yesterday. rake
the hacks on. I'll rest a spell an
ketch up long towards nightfall.
Ditsey believed III letting good
man have his little peculiarit1es. he
swallowed some crackers and Jerkeo
beef and set out with the burros, ask
ing no questions. He may have deter
mined upon peeled-eye policy in con
pectiop With "Fire-pox." He may have
deemed it peculiar that sun-mad bud
die should have turned up In the gray
morning with his WCk III MS nahuo
limestone dust upon his boots, swea'
upon his face. and an unholy light II
his eyes. But this is conjecture anc
the facts are not yet spent.
It was the middle OF the Afternoon
and Ditsey was pushing on alone
There had been no sound from behine
for nine solid hours. The sun strucf
the east wall of the canyon and show
cred down. hot as cinders The mar
and the burros .clattered around
swerye of the gorge, and all behelt
ahead an untethered buckskin pom!
and a little man sitting upon a rock
nlacidly smoking cigarette. 1t wa
Frek ,Muldoon, Ii.
His real name is forgotten. FL
called himself after the greatest trail
or of them all. the man who stoppe'
the lone war of Crooked Knife, Apa
che Like the first Muldoon, h
worked alone. shot from the hiT
brought back his man and drank him
self still in dull seasons. Moreover
ba was of the same iockey-build. ant