The Mystery of the Black Raven by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner [Chandler Warner, Gertrude]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4804-5100-1
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

CHAPTER 6

Panning for Gold

The desk clerk finally noticed Howie standing behind the totem pole. He called the bellhop over.

“You should have packed these lunches into those backpacks by now,” the clerk scolded. “Do it quickly. We don’t want to delay this party.”

In no time, Howie slid a white box into each of the nylon packs and distributed one to each of the reunion members.

“Mine is red,” Benny remarked.

“So is mine,” said Miss Parker, slipping the straps over her shoulders. “Our packs will be easy to spot.”

The group left the lobby and walked down Broadway. It was warmer today. Soon everyone had peeled off the extra jacket or sweater.

“Here’s a hardware store,” Grandfather said, stopping at a building.

“Why are we going into a stupid old hardware store?” grumbled Monique.

“To buy pans,” answered Grandfather. “You want to pan for gold, don’t you?”

“It sounds like work,” Monique said, blocking the doorway.

Miss Parker took the girl’s hand and led her into the store so the rest could enter. “Don’t be silly, Monique. It’ll be fun! Who knows what we’ll find?”

Grandfather picked out four round tin pans for the Aldens and a small, inexpensive shovel.

Mr. Pittman said, “I suppose I have to fork over good money on tools for my kids, too. Something they’ll use once.”

“I’ll purchase all the pans,” Grandfather said generously, adding two more to the pile on the counter. “We’ll share the shovel.”

At the last minute, Steve bought a pan for himself and Jennifer. “Maybe we’ll get lucky!” he said.

Get lucky. Jessie thought about Steve’s words as they walked down to the harbor. Violet thought she’d seen the Wilsons’ door closing last night. The Wilsons were newlyweds; they didn’t have much money. Could they have stolen the scrapbook and raven statue to bring them luck?

Two huge cruise ships were moored in the harbor. One was called the Sea Star, the other Princess of the Waves. The ships were enormous.

“I want a boat like that when I grow up!” Benny exclaimed.

“How are you going to sail it?” asked Henry, smiling.

“I think you need a big crew to help you run such a big boat. Don’t you remember that cruise we took?” Violet asked.

“You’ve been on a cruise?” Edie Pittman asked sharply.

“Yes,” said Jessie. “Grandfather took us. We had a great time.”

“Okay, we’ve seen the ships. Big deal. When are we going to get this show on the road?” asked Mark.

The coastline curved inland where the cruise ships were anchored in deep water, then jutted out again. That was where the daily ferry docked. The group followed a long spit of land. Gulls shrieked overhead, sometimes dipping low.

At last the reunion party reached the beach where they were permitted to pan for gold. A guide who worked there explained the rules.

“While you’re with me, you may pan as long as you like,” he said. “And you may keep whatever gold you find.”

The reunion party members weren’t the only tourists on the beach. Other tour groups were trying their luck as well.

Violet got her pan out of her pack.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.