 Johnny dollar that McCracken Johnny A blonde in a bikini just melted past my poolside window. Goodbye now Johnny this job just a few miles north of where you are. It'll take maybe a day to clear it up Yeah, you said that last Christmas Pat and I got trapped in a blizzard this season. I soak in the sun happy new year John boy, we have a bonus list in this office. Your name could be on it Near where I am It's a ghost town in Calico no prospect. I thought all prospect has never died You want to change the beneficiary in a $50,000 policy, but I like our agent gene Craig in Barstow Who's the new beneficiary? Carmen cringles Carmen exciting adventures of the man with the action-pact Expensive cost America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. It's truly Johnny dollar And now act one of yours truly Johnny dollars Submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the Home Office Universal Adjustment Bureau Hartford, Connecticut Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Carmen cringle matter Expense account item one a dollar forty telegrams a gene Craig and Barstow telling him where and when to meet me Item two fifty dollars even a well stoner for his charter plane to the ghost town of Calico The guidebook says there's something about desert country that's good for the soul and in spite of the air bumps I got a panoramic view of the great Mojave that took my breath away Sun-setting rays hit the weird mineral straighter to the Calico range and turned them into a patchwork of beauty Night comes quickly in this country, and I turned to well when a Christmas tree cluster of blinking lights appeared under our wings By way of answer he put the plane into a glide and set us down on the smooth There's a dry lake bed It could be plenty of company The moon was up enough to make out shadows and silhouetted in a circle around me was a strange collection of figures One of the pack moved toward me And for a crazy second. I thought I bumped into Santa Claus's reindeer Then a car without lights came rushing at me the headlights slammed on and I got a glimpse of a donkey herd scattering into the night Toward me slow with your hand high I've learned never to argue with a Winchester 94 so I followed orders I spotted the weaving headlamps of another car approaching and prayed it was the agent gene Craig Close enough, sonny. I can pop the wrapping off a side wind at 60 yards Don't you make no sudden move? It was maybe 60 with gray sideburns and a frosty goatee a marshal Fred And with leather jacket All right now mr. I'm supposed to meet him earlier. I'm sorry mr. Dollar. I'm gene Craig I couldn't get here until I drove Doc Spangler up to Chris. He's had another setback marshal Yeah, some darn fool let down a rail on his parallel and Chris Kringle's whole herd got loose You don't give a chuck for most of them. Oh except Carmen now. He's fretting cause she's running wild Almost had him tracked down unless your father showed up if you voucher him and gene You are Johnny dollar aren't you? Well, I'm frozen facsimile Come on. I'll drive you to Calico. You tell Chris that I'll have his Carmen back in the corral before the moon full and Gene tell the old sourdough to stay alive. Would you we need him around here? Sorry about mistaking you mr. Dollar She was strictly business and filming in fast on the old prospector with the odd name and his desire to change the beneficiary of his college Everybody calls him Chris because every year he loads up his birds with toys and presents for the miners and their families back in the hills The kids really think he is Santa Claus I'm afraid it won't be a very merry one for them this year What makes everyone so sure Chris Kringle is giving up the ghost? Doc Spangler says there's nothing apparently wrong with him More like he's given up. Oh, what's with this Scrooge character the nephew? Ned Kringle seems all right. It's the man with him. Willi D'Agostino He does the talking for Ned. You think he was going to inherit the money? Well, maybe he's expecting to you know, you're making a good case for Carmen Hannah Burrell be a beneficiary Johnny Chris can leave it to a three-minute sooner if he wants providing a trusted setup Could the people of Calico be that trust if they promise to take care of Carmen? Yeah, I guess so why? That's the way Chris wants it That way there'll always be a Christmas in Calico What happens when Carmen goes to donkey heaven or is it burrows that never die? They'll always be burrows in Calico Johnny And one of them Could always be named Carmen Johnny dollar in a moment black two of yours truly Johnny dollar and the Carmen Kringle matter Which is silver city in the west? It was unbelievable Like seeing a page from the past Walder Knott same creator of Knott's Berry farm and western historians Had bought the old ghost town's battered remnants and restored it to the way it must have appeared in the wild and fevered days of the silver load I could make out signs nailed a weathered baton board the total of a flourishing and colorful past Joe Saloon the last chance Hyena house hotel Lane's mercantile the calico prints high on a hill at the edge of town People were gathered at the entrance to a cave that was illuminated by hundreds of miners lamps And who gets you Almost like a list planned Never hurting for the Christmas Eve pageant Maybe you can spend Christmas Eve with us Johnny. You don't have other plans I have a day with a steam heated swimming pool Come on, let's meet the old man Expensive count item three a hundred bucks for a quarter perfume or a mixed scarf anything to wipe the hurt look off of gene craig's face She led me up the steps to the rickety porch if chris kringle's wooden shack A tall figure carrying a black bag stepped tortoise out of the shadow I'm glad to see you. Will you drive me back to town? Why certainly doc. Oh, this is mr. Dollar. Hi son. Hi Chris, is he still all right? I couldn't say he'd been sitting out here waiting for you You haven't seen the patient the medical man owes a duty and all that but I'm too old to talk back to a gun They wouldn't let you in tired of it. Well, I'm not a medical man. Well, please be careful, johnny I told you to stop on stay away leave the old man If any little genie the policy fixer And who are you mister? Willie dagastino, this is johnny dollar. He's from the insurance company to see about changing the policy What is it woolly? Who are you talking to relax? We're gonna let him give us some tourist directions back to bar stuff There'll be no policy changing at this late date, mister Ned kringle is very bereaved at the imminence of his uncle's demise Just family admitted at this sad hour so most your long folks. I'll leave the young man was great Your foot is in the door, mister. I don't like your foot and I don't like you This hand moved to his shoulder holster, but gene was standing right beside me It was doc who suddenly shouldered past dagastino and fled up the stairs that gave him my chance I kicked the door wide Threw him off balance. I shoved genie aside and that was a mistake Because a million christmas tree lights blazed up in my skull Then slowly the tree lights faded away and I saw genie fussing over me and looking worried A young nice-looking fellow was seated next to a marvel town table Dagastino leaned against the stone fireplace and dangled his gun smiling like he had a stacked deck He's all right doc the nasty cuts but no fracture. I know how to pull my punches doc the old man How is he no better? No worse just lying up there staring at the ceiling. I want to see chris I have a right to net. I'm an old friend Wouldn't it be okay if gene just won't let him die in place. He's fast-carried whole season. These people have a right to know I'll get a hero boy and a speed to shove off Go on Come on, johnny Help me doc How's it gonna feel net? Sharing blood money with a hoodlum Your uncle paid for that policy with a pick in the shovel It took a lot of years a lot of sweat And he's had your name on that policy ever since you were born Oh, man kringle never saw a paid dirt in his life Nadia give him money to live on paid the premiums and his policy Chris was always tapping the kid claiming he had a new fire. He was going to mine a million Will he shut up? No man's dying. Tell him, Ned. Tell him how your phony was always taking a barge making like Santa Claus with the money You give him will he haven't you got to turn the horde to the money? I know he's been waiting a long time for this me Willie de Agostino that's who Is that true, Ned? Yeah I thought my uncle would make a strike someday. I I honestly thought he'd strike it rich I know he tried He did strike it rich Ned When he dies every man woman and child in this town will mourn him He'll live in their hearts What will people remember about you? Mr. de Agostino? All right, I'll get out get out and stay up at work Willie this rifle will make a hole in your belly big enough to pass a borax theme through So you just drop that gun I don't know what the shouting's about but you're guilty carrying sidearm you're threatening and violence, mr. de Agostino and ain't nobody does that in calico long as I am the marshal Now you better get that dollar. I love you. So let glad to hear that Well, how's y'all chris is uh doc and tell the old buzzard that I got his carmen back in the corral jingle bells and all Nice work What's holding you, mr. Let's go Ned. Let the squares have a round I must stay here willy. I want to be here when chris. Hey, that's a good idea That way no fool around with the world. I smart kid that Ned see you at the funeral, huh? You were wonderful marshal You too, johnny. Oh, yes, sure. I take a nice sock on the head You folks better come up to chris wants to say something I forget on this the corral come on de Agostino must have had another gun in his car One of the bullets that found the marky intended woolly boy wasn't taking any chances that carmen crangle would inherit $50,000 We found the burrow lying on their side quite dead Jingle bells and all There's truly johnny dollar in a moment. I'll act three of yours truly johnny dollar and the carmen cringle matter You've been so cruel Carmen dead Just not right Yeah, I figured de Agostino might be mean enough to try killing chris's pet burrow We can't tell him about it. It would kill him for sure. He'll have to know the truth gene You'll have to decide about the world. Yeah, truth is always the best And easy this time easy, huh? Yeah, I'll just take these bells often miss poor little feller And I'll put them where they belong Carmen what carmen mozi over here now Well, you pull the switch You put these bells on another book I didn't trust that cheesy character and I was right and nice girl carmen Now now you folks going up and see old chris. I'll keep an eye on this your $50,000 jackass That's the way it's going to be ain't it johnny. Yes, sir. That's the way it's going to be But I was wrong The roly-poly little old man in the forepost of bed with his white whiskers resting on the quilt changed his mind again Even after hearing about how the marshall saved carmen I I wasn't going to scratch meds mean off of that insurance, mr. Dollar I tried to shake that de Agostino Figuring he'd take his hooks off of med if he thought my carmen was going to get the money Oh, I was scared for a while. I just might have to up and died Square man of his gamblin debt. Oh, yeah I'm sorry chris. I'll work my fingers raw paying every cent. I owe, but I'll pay him back with interest I want you around Yeah, chris Lift the lid on that foot lock and fetch me one of them bags in there They're pretty heavy, but you look strong Oh, they're sure heavy enough to get out of the stuff with silver It's better than silver over it over it up there. Yeah Recognize that man, maybe you'd better have a good sleep chris is here plain old ground It's uranium Uh, uh the last batch assay that nine hundred dollars a ton and I got a mountain of it staked out in both our names Oh If you and genie check with a barstow bank, you'll find that they have extended credit on the strength of that assay You reckon you can spend two days Buying enough presents so as we won't Disappoint the folks here about Spencer count item four sixty eight dollars even telephone calls to five principal cities where I thought willy degustino might be remembered The police department had a long list of reasons why they remembered willy That was my christmas present to them Expense account item five another fifty truck rental to haul the presents we bought for ned to give away come christmas morning Then it was christmas eve We seven the cringles fortune watched the procession up to the maggie mine The flickering lights from the miners lamps reflecting on the faces of the happy children Whole chris was bundled up in blankets his little eyes twinkling Shuckling to himself like he knew all the answers to the universe Jean was there too Isn't it shiny Kind of nice Marshal ed nola was one of the wise men in the procession. I recognized the sideburns And doc spangler couldn't hide his height. Oh, he wore an awful beard Neb cringle led the borough that carried the blessed mother Yeah, you guessed it The borough was common cringles expense account total including return to prom springs and incidentals $229 and 75 cents But forget it platt. This is the best holiday I ever had And I was only cold at the start From all of us to all of you May this be your very merriest christmas yours truly