When Jack entered the town of Randsburg, he had nothing. He had lost his prized mule, wagon, supplies, and mining partner after a night time raid by a Comanche war party. "I'm sure gonna miss that mule." he mumbled to himself. It was not the end of the world for him. Luckily, he was wearing his money belt when he made his escape. He had just enough to stake a claim and buy more mining supplies. He had made it to the town alive and could quickly regain his losses.
The old miner was a grisly of a man even if he only stood 5"10. Men who knew him called him Jack the Bear on account of his wintering with a mean she-bear when he was panning for color in the Rockies in 1858. He had shaggy blonde hair and a dirty unshaven face. His sparkling blue eyes told the story of a life without boundaries or borders. His thinning ripped up overalls told the story of a man down on his luck. He had seen it all, or so he thought.
"Well you look right hell-fired tore up partner." said someone behind Jack. When he turned around he noticed the tin star pinned to a gray haired old man wearing old raw hides. He had the look of an old buffalo hunter turned lawman.
"I guess. I'm here to dig." said Jack.
"Wells slong you aint here to cause no problems, were square. Them mines, they bout all played out. You'd be bout the only one digging. The town's dying." said the Marshall.
"Thanks." mumbled the old miner. He then abruptly left and walked towards the town.
Jack took stock of his new surrounds. The streets were dry and dusty and the only greenery was a few cacti scattered here and there. The town itself was very unimpressive. It only contained four buildings: a general store, saloon, bawdy house, and doctor's office. They had the very run down temporary look that most mining towns had. They would disappear in a generation. The streets looked abandoned. Maybe the mines had played out. He intended to find that out for himself.
"First stop, mining gear." thought Jack.
He walked into the general store. It was a shanty of a building with raw hide for window coverings and thin wispy looking boards for walls. He thought a good Alabama hurricane storm would carry the whole building clear to Kansas. The store boasted a fine selection of used mining gear. Most of it looked to be in fair to middling condition.
"You looking to dig, partner?" Said a fairly young man with red hair and a wispy beard; he was wearing a derby sitting behind what passed for a counter in these parts.
"Just give me a pick for now. I'll be back when I find some color." he said. The young man let out a knowing laugh.
"I hope your right, but I know you're wrong. There aint no color left in these hills." said the man.
"Anyways, I'm Alroy. I wish you luck sir." Alroy smiled and put out his hand for a shake. Instead, Jack put a few coins in it and took a pick sitting alongside the wall.
"Yup." said Jack. He then promptly left the store.
He stood just outside the door and looked down the street. He had no intrest in the saloon. He was more into Adam's water. It did more the body and a miner needed a sharp mine. A mine was no place to make mistakes. He looked a the bawdy house. He never much cared for those places. When he was young and foolish, he fell in love with a whore back in Texas. No matter how many years passed he could never forgot her. Her name was Mimi and she was something else. A tiny thing with brown hair and blue eyes, she was something to behold. She left him when his money dried up.
"I'll just never forget...Mimi!" He screamed the last world. There she was. She looked much older, but it was her no doubt. It must have been 20 years since last he laid eyes on the love of his life.
"Jack, is that you?" Mimi asked. She had just locked the front door to the bawdy house. It appeared she was still in the same line of work.
"You working there?" Jack asked, excitement in his eyes. He might visit the pay the house a visit after all.
"I own it. Business is all dried up and all the girls left. Ain't much left for an old girl like me. I guess I'll go back East a ways." Mimi said.
"No! Ummm.. Why not marry me and we can settle down some place. I'm getting too old to adventure anyhows." said Jack. Mimi's mind was hard at work. Maybe she could work this in her favor. While he looked mighty mockered up. She knew Jack to be a solid miner.
"Well, alright. IF! If you go and make one million dollars in them mines. I will marry you and settle down. Don't a girl like me deserve as much?" She purred.
"Hot damn. It's a deal!" Jack cried.
"Great. I shall wait for you here. Don't return until you have the money, and a ring. Can't marry without a ring you know." said Mimi. She kissed the old miner soundly then walked off towards the back of the saloon. The old miner watched her with wistful eyes.
"Guess I better get to work." the old miner thought to himself. He picked up his gear and walked towards the town's abandoned mine.