The Treasure Hunt by Rebecca Martin

Author:Rebecca Martin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736963701
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.

The prospector was a small, odd man with a scratchy voice.

“I’m Joe Yoder,” he answered politely, slipping down the bank. Wondering if it was proper to shake hands, Joe timidly stuck out his right hand.

The other’s fingers felt almost like claws, they were so thin. “I’m Willie.” He gestured toward the open door. “Not many people know where I live.”

“I stumbled across your home last week,” Joe confessed. “It’s a nice little place.”

“Come in.” Willie led the way, pointing to one of the chairs.

Joe sat down, enjoying the earthy smell of the place. There was also an aroma of fried bacon. He wondered whether it would be polite to ask the question that was uppermost in his mind.

Again he didn’t need to decide. “I’m a prospector,” Willie told him, “and have been for fifty years. Came out here during the first big gold rush in 1859.”

“Really?” exclaimed Joe. “I didn’t think anybody who came to Colorado during the gold rush would still be alive.”

Willie’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “Now, now. That wasn’t that long ago.”

“Did you find lots of gold?” Joe asked eagerly.

This time Willie laughed out loud. “Look at me. I’m living in a hole in the ground like a rabbit, and you want to know if I found lots of gold!”

“I guess that was a silly question,” Joe admitted, his face warm.

“That’s okay. I didn’t mean to laugh at you. As a matter of fact, I have found a bit of gold over the years. Enough to keep me alive.”

“Recently? In this creek?” The eagerness was back in Joe’s voice.

For an answer Willie got up and went to the cupboard. Placing a tiny wooden box on the table, he opened it and pushed it toward Joe.

The inside of the box was lined with soft blue cloth. On the bottom, glinting in the folds of blue, Joe saw a few flecks of—something. “Is that gold?” he asked in awe.

“The real thing. Found the one flake three months ago. The other could have been a year ago. It won’t be long until I’ll have to take this in to the bank. I need money for coffee, sugar, salt, and such things.” Willie tapped the box thoughtfully. “You should feel honored that I’ve told you all this. Shows I figure you’re an honest boy, not somebody who’ll be back to steal my gold.”

This time Joe felt the warmth rise to the roots of his hair. “I wouldn’t even think of stealing.” He paused, trying to grasp it all. “This means there really is gold in Phillips Creek!”

“Don’t get excited,” chuckled Willie. “As you can see, there isn’t much. I’ll never strike a bonanza, like Robert Womack did nearly twenty years ago at Cripple Creek.”

“What’s a bonanza?” Joe asked.

“When Womack found a big deposit of gold, they called it a bonanza,” explained Willie. “His strike sure brought the excitement back for a while. Triggered a whole new gold rush, though not as many people came as in the rush of the fifties. Ah, those were the days.

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