Logic of the Beast

Twenty-one summers of the author's life in
California placer gold country trying to make a living from
dredging, sniping, or running a shovel and sluice box didn't
quite make him the money that he had envisioned. Years of
listening to miners and locals talk mining, history, and
heritage helped inspire this tale of love, gold and the
Devil. This story was inspired by speculation on what it
would be like to be a lucky man. The main character, young
Thomas Hendrick, desperately needs to be a lucky man. There
is a little mining town from the Gold Rush days in
California that has survived to this day, while so many
others have folded up and blown away. Downieville has a
rich history that will always provide fodder for serious
historical writers. It is one of the best known 49'er
mining towns. This small town story has more to do with the
author's imagination than serious historical research, but
he's not the only California dredger whose imagination could
see something like this really happening. Funny thing
about gold; you see a little bit, and then you see a lot.
The little bit you have produced gets out of hand in your imagination.