the first
evidence of his weakness. Any man who repeatedly wrote to a woman who
did not reply must be a fool. I think Hawkins suspected that his folly
was known to the camp; but he took refuge in symptoms of chills and
fever, which he at once developed, and effected a diversion with three
bottles of Indian cholagogue and two boxes of pills. At all events, at
the end of a week, he resumed a pen stiffened by tonics, with all his
old epistolatory pertinacity. This time the letters had a new address.

In those days a popular belief obtained in the mines, that luck
particularly favored the foolish and unscientific. Consequently, when
Hawkins struck a "pocket" in the hillside near his solitary cabin, there
was but little surprise. "He will sink it all in the next hole" was
the prevailing belief, predicated upon the usual manner in which the
possessor of "nigger luck" disposed of his fortune. To everybody's
astonishment, Hawkins, after taking out about eight thousand dollars,
and exhausting the pocket, did not prospect for another. The camp
then waited patiently to see what he would do with his money. I think,
however, that it was with the greatest difficulty their indignation was
kept from taking the form of a personal assault when it became known
that he had purchased a draft for eight thousand dollars, in favor of
"that woman." More than this, it was finally whispered that the draft
was returned to him as his letters had been, and that he was ashamed
to reclaim the money at the express-office. "It wouldn't be a bad
specilation to go East, get some smart gal, for a hundred dollars, to
dress herself up and represent that 'Hag,' and jest freeze onto that
eight thousand," suggested a far-seeing financier. I may state here,
that we always alluded to Hawkins's fair unknown as the "Hag" without
having, I am confident, the least justification for that epithet.

That the "Fool" should gamble seemed eminently fit and proper. That he
should occasionally win a large stake, according to that popular theory
which I have recorded in the preceding paragraph, appeared, also, a not
improbable or inconsistent fact. That he should, however, break the faro
bank which Mr. John Hamlin had set up in Five Forks, and carry off a
sum variously estimated at from ten to twenty thousand dollars, and
not return the next day, and lose the money at the same table, really
appeared incredible. Yet such was the fact. A day or two passed without
any known inv