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Thus was ushered in at Alder Creek a regime of wildness that had no

parallel in the earlier days of '49 and '51 Men frenzied by the

possession of gold or greed for it responded to the wildness of that

time and took their cue froold-lust created its own blood-lust Daily the

population of Alder Creek grew in the new gold-seekers and its dark

records kept pace With distrust came suspicion and with suspicion

came fear, and with fear came hate--and these, in already distorted

minds, inflamed a hell So that the most primitive passions of

mankind found outlet and held sway The operations of the Border

Legion were lost in deeds done in the ga dens, in the saloons,

and on the street, in broad day Men fought for no other reason than

that the incentive was in the charged air Men were shot at gaaed out,a line of blood on the rude floor--and the

dance went on Still the pursuit of gold went on, reater and richer claiold soared and the commodities of life were almost beyond the

dreams of avarice It was a tune in which the worst offor gold, spitting