Beadle's Dime Library No. 331

"The Rocky Mountain Masks: A Companion Story to 'Old Forked-Lightning'" by Jos. E. Badger, Jr.

This installment depicts a farewell celebration at Gabriel Sexton's mining-camp saloon, "The Grave," for Chispa Charley (the "Gold Nugget Sport"), who plans to marry Miss Dinorah Metcalf the following morning. The jolly, rotund former undertaker hosts miners including Donald McLean. The proceedings turn uneasy when Windy Johnson, a gaunt, wild-eyed transient, crashes the event and makes cryptic, insistent wagers that the wedding will not occur—offering odds of two-to-one and ten-to-one against the marriage. Despite McLean's challenge to back his claims with money, Johnson refuses to name stakes, claiming certain knowledge but maintaining it would be wrong to win through deception. His ominous declarations that he possesses information about impending disaster unsettle the assembled men before the narrative breaks off mid-scene.