Jasper looked up with his gold pan still swirling in the cold waters of Winter Creek. He had found a little color and was about to pull out a nice nugget when he heard the voice from behind.

The man said, “Well, Jasper! It looks like I’ve finally tracked you down to the spot where you’ve been finding all that dust! You won’t need money or gold where you’re a goin’.”

Jasper had his Colt revolver on his right side, away from and out of sight of the intruder.

In a lightning fast move he whipped around and fired two rounds into the man’s chest. The fellow fell in a quivering heap on the creek bank.

He came face to face with St. Peter. He was turned away at the pearly gates when St. Peter said, “You can’t sit with us.”

“Really?” he replied, “Do they still have cliques in Heaven?”

J. C. Gable