We spoke of Craney among others, but Sadler knew no more of
Craney than I did. Likely he was still in Corazon.
We were sitting one evening on Sadler's porch, that looked over the
creek, waiting for supper. Fu Shan was there, and Sadler said
Saleratus was monotonous. Yet there were going on in Saleratus to my
knowledge at that moment the following entertainments: three-card
monte at the Blue Light Saloon; a cockfight at Pasquarillo's; two
alien sheriffs in town looking for horse thieves, and had one
corralled on the roof of the courthouse; finally some other fellows
were trying to drown a Chinaman in the creek and getting into all
kinds of awkwardness on account of there being no water in the creek
to speak of, and other Chinamen throwing stones. But Sadler said it
was monotonous.
"I don't get no satisfaction out of it,"
Over the top of the town you could catch the sunset on the sea, and
the smoke of the chimneys rose up between. There were red roses all
over the pillars and eaves of the porch. Seemed to me it was a good
enough place. Fu Shan smoked scented and sugared tobacco in a
porcelain pipe with an ivory stem. The fellows down by the creek ran
away, feeling pretty good and cracking their revolvers in the air,
and the Chinamen got bunched about their injured countryman.
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