The Luck of Roaring Camp, and Other Sketches

The story by American author Bret Harte is about the birth of a baby boy in a 19th-century gold prospecting camp. The boy's mother, Cherokee Sal, died at his birth, so the men of Roaring Camp decided to take care of him themselves. They soon noticed that since his birth, the child brought luck to the camp and concluded, the boy was their good luck charm. Thus, the miners christen the boy Thomas Luck. As the story evolves, many miners decide to refine their behavior and refrain from gambling and fighting, thus making life in the camp really better.