Chris Burgel was a card-player. As his luck ran, so did his livestock; when he had money, he had cattle, but when he lost, he had to settle for sheep. No records remain to show which species was the more prevalent, and a person couldn't guess from the split log house and board building, both lodges for rats and mice, which are what one raises when the money runs out altogether. Long before we arrived on the scene, Mr. Burgel had sold out – possibly the cards had turned too sour even for sheep – and other owners had come and gone.

Inside the decrepit buildings remained a number of some discarde...