Catfish McDaris

The Jig

A few years before he’d put in a native stone hearth and stone corner reflector for a pot belly stove. The beautiful Mexican lady with the sad eyes was grateful. She made the best chicken enchiladas Quick had ever eaten. Her name was Magdalena and she grew garlic and raised goats for the market in Taos. Quick had learned stone work from his father. Magdalena had two nephews from Mexico, helping her on her little farm. She had told Quick that she’d like to rebuild an adobe chicken house and add onto her house. If he was ever in the region and had time to stop. He parked his sun-bleached Ford under a cottonwood tree and made a tent and campfire. Quick and the boys built wooden forms to fill with caliche red clay and hay for the adobe blocks. After a few days the boys were able to make the blocks on their own. Quick took his stone hammer and Rose trowel and started laying the ground work for wall foundations. He dug down into a corner and hit a metallic sound. Prying the object loose, he cleaned it a bit and saw it was a Prince Albert tobacco can. He shook it and it rattled loud. Opening the lid, it was full of gold nuggets. Quick poured some out into his hand and knew it was a fortune. He yelled for Magdalena and the boys. When they arrived all breathless, Quick showed them his find. Magdalena almost fainted, the boys just grinned in awe. He scooped them all back into the can and gave them to Magdalena. The next day they went to the mining office and bank. She bought all three men new cowboy boots and hats and herself a dress. They pit barbecued a goat and danced a jig. Quick finished her addition and left, he had a rodeo in Gallup and a motel to build there.