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rows of razor sharp teeth. ‘Fair enough, Jedidiah Crane, by your own words a deal has been struck between us this very night!’
        “The stranger thrust the tip of his cane into the fire and kicked up a shower of sparks and burning embers high into the air. Jedidiah shielded his eyes and when he lowered his arm a few seconds later the man had completely disappeared. The old man stood shaking with fright and it was many hours before the patter of his heart would slow enough to allow him a few hours of much needed sleep.
        “The next morning, the sun rose bright and warm as usual and the old man stirred upon the ground. He blinked at the light that pierced his tired eyes and raised a hand to block the glare but at that instant it became clear that something was terribly wrong. His hand, as a matter of fact, both hands felt as though they were weighted down by lead, he slowly lifted them to his face and stared in disbelief. Both gleamed a brilliant gold in the morning sunlight as though they had somehow been dipped into a liquid vat of the precious metal.
        ‘Well I’ll be dagged!’ Jedidiah cried out, not understanding what had happened but it wasn’t long before he realized that the stranger the night before must have been Old Nick himself and, although he had been thoroughly snookered by the Devil, he had to laugh out loud at the craftiness of the old fellow. He certainly got what he had wished for… his two hands were without a doubt full of gold!
        “A rumbling suddenly came from deep inside the old man’s stomach, interrupting his thoughts. He was reminded once again of his most immediate concern, his dire need for food. He again stared down at his hands. By some blessing, he could still move his fingers but he had no feeling in them at all, which as it turned out was also a blessing. He had an idea. He picked up a small chisel and gouged at one of his fingers. The hardened steel made a large indentation but with no accompanying pain. A few minutes later, he was holding a finger in one hand and a hack saw in the other. He then took a hammer to the finger and pounded out its recognizable shape until it looked to be an ordinary clump of gold.  He smiled at his cleverness. He would ride into town, afterall, for some much needed supplies.
        “Wearing a pair of work gloves to hide his abnormalities, he quickly made his purchases and left as quietly as possible, trying not to attract too much attention. That afternoon, back at the camp, he feasted like a king for the first time in many years. He was about to stretch out for a nap when a group of riders suddenly thundered into camp in a cloud of desert dust. The old man recognized some of the faces and quickly hid his hands inside his pockets. The riders dismounted and proceeded to turn the campsite inside out searching for the gold.
        “One of them walked over to the old man. ‘Say it ain’t so Jedidiah… you comin into town after all this time and not stoppin’ in to say hello!’ He grabbed the old man by the throat and his demeanor turned downright nasty. ‘Seems you been holdin’ out on us, old timer… word is that you done struck it rich and you ain’t got the common decency to stop round and pay your outstanding debts! Where is it old man? Where you hidin’ that gold?’
        The man sported a scowl that could have curdled milk and immediately raised a tightened fist as if to strike, Jedidiah instinctively brought his arms up to shield himself and something flashed brilliantly in the sunlight, catching everyone’s attention. For a moment, the men were stunned at the sight but a second later all hell broke loose as they began pawing away at the old man’s hands trying in vain to somehow detach them.
        “One of the desperados managed to find the hacksaw that Jedidiah had used earlier and a short time later Jedidiah had been relieved of both his hands. He stared mournfully at the two gold tinged stumps at