The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-02-25


the money you had, Mrs. McCrackenY'
Every cent in the world" wept the
woman, land Moses knew better than
to go near gambling house."
AS distributing point for wide
spread mountain territory, Sleepy Cat
even at this time boosted trading and
supply houses out Of all proportion in
size and Importance to its population,
and these stores, with frontier disre-
gard of fire hazard, were housed
mostly in one long block. In that
block could be found the widely
known establishment of John Cole
the tall, spare brother of the town
blacksmith; the long, rambling store
of Alexis ROubidoux, the French trad
er, with nearly all the business of the
Gunlock and the Falling Wall reser-
vations-Roubidoux with the squaw
wife, the brown toupee, the gray
glass eye, and the dyed mustache and
goatee.
busch brothers, Chris and Otto-big
men with bristling mustaches and
perspiring foreheads, always hustling
always sweating who controlled
most of the supply business from the
mining camps at Horse Head and
Thief River, north and south. Last
of all in that block was the man
whom nobody knew, not even his own
clerks, Van Tambel, the silent Dutch
trader, tall as Pomeranian, ungain-
ly as Hollander-the man who
heard all and said nothing. He had
the Mormon trade.
A riot of celebration had been
loosed on the great day to greet the
advance guard of the coming railroad.
The pioneers and Adventures within
radius of two hundred miles had
congregated in their picturesqueness
to do the occasion honor.
Patiently, McAlpin waited again for
Moses story of how that morning his
mother had given him six hundred
dollars to pay for and bring back the
team of mules. Moses, on his way,
had met an entertaining man who
had come from the same town in Iowa
as the McCrackens-at this point
McAlpin ground his teeth. The man
had volunteered to go with him to
help bring back the team. He had
offered, incidentally, to. show Moses
where the new round-house was to
be built. They had stopped in at an
inf nj yr-hn
games were being played, and Moses,
in earnest and repeated endeavor to
pick the right one OF three cards, had
gradually wagered and finally lost the
six hundred.
McAlpin had already heard the
story once; but it was his custom, if
he could manage it, to hear particu-
larly narrowing tale twice. He lis
tened to the second recital with the
same sharp calculations, the same
screwing and twisting of his features
and his heels, and the same angry
jerking of his head, with which he
had absorbed Moses story the first
time.
"Now I'll tell you," he said DOM
ineeringly and to cut off further dis
cussion, 'T'll go with you to where
they took your money and see what
can be DONE"
Calling a hOstler front, McAlpin,
with Moses, walked rapidly down the
ragged highway that was to serve as
Sleepy Cats principal street, in the
direction Of what was already known
as the River quarter, which had
gained an evil precedence in mountain
story as the resort of hard men and
scenes of violence.
McAlpin had very definite idea
of the general direction in which
Moses had parted with his money,
and took him directly down toward
the river, talking and gesticulating as
fast as he walked. Reaching the sus-
pected district, McAlpin slowed and
pointed from a conservative distance
to one disreputable joint after
another, asking his companion
whether this or that place looked like
the one he had been taken into.
Moses, confident at first, found him
self hazy when it came to identifying
the precise scene of his disaster.
With his guide he walked clear to the
camping grounds without success, and
McAlpin, on the way back to the sta
BILE, was growing very impatient when
Moses, Of sudden. stopped his COM
panion and pointed to a man just
going into large and quite preten-
tious frame saloon.
"That's the fellow" he exclaimed
eagerly.
"What fellow?"
"Just going in there-he dealt the
cards. And that's the placer whis-
pered Moses with excitement.
McAlpin looked at the place point
ed out and turned hard stare on
his companion. "Man alivew he
cried, "what kinG of fool are YOU
to pick out the worst place tween st.
Joe and Sacramento to leave YOUR
money in? Come along to the barn !"
Saint you going to talk to i'm, as
you said you would?" asked Moses
timidly, but dreading to face his