Chapter 1
Gold Strike
Spring
1878
Andi
Carter slid into her seat and sighed. Monday mornings were not her best days. Another
long week of school stretched out ahead of her.
There were five whole days
until Saturday rolled around again. Five more days until Andi and her golden
filly, Taffy, could ride in the hills. Five endless days before she could go
fishing with her friend Sadie.
The school week seemed
especially long this time of year. Spring had come early to the Circle C
ranch. The hills blazed orange with wild poppies, and the days were warm and
sunny.
New calves skipped on the
rangeland. Shy, long-legged foals peeked out from behind their mothers. Just
last Friday a dozen peeping chicks had greeted Andi after school.
She had missed their
hatching—again.
Andi slumped. Everything
exciting was happening out on the ranch. And
here she was, stuck indoors.
A sudden thump made Andi
turn around.
Her friend Cory plunked
down in his seat behind her. His grin nearly split his face. “Howdy, Andi.”
Uh-oh, Andi
thought.
A smile like that meant
Cory was up to something. It usually meant he had slipped a critter—a bug or a spider
or a snake—inside her desk.
Andi spun around and
lifted the desk’s lid. She peeked inside. No snake slithered next to her books
and slate. No cricket chirped.
She dropped the lid and
turned back to Cory. “Why are you smiling like that?”
Cory smiled wider.
“Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“There’s a gold strike up
at Coarse Gold Gulch.”
Gold? Andi
sucked in her breath. “Where’s that?”
“Up in the hills, of
course.”
Which meant Cory didn’t
know where Coarse Gold Gulch was either. Was it a town? A gully? A mine?
Andi let out her breath. That
gold strike might be a hundred miles away.
“Pa heard it from Mr.
Talbot,” Cory said. “Who heard it from Mr. Mason down at the post office.” His
eyes gleamed. “Some lucky fellow brought in a big chunk of ore to the assay
office. Sure enough, it was chock-full of gold.”
He leaned closer, and his
voice dropped to a whisper. “Of course, that fella’s not telling anybody exactly where he found it.”
“Why not?”
“On account of he doesn’t
want the whole town running out there to pick up all his gold, you goose.” He
laughed.
Andi’s cheeks grew warm. Nobody
would let such a big secret out. She knew that. But Cory shouldn’t have laughed
at her!
Before she could think of
a snappy reply, the bell rang. She glared at Cory then twisted around in her
seat and sat up straight.
After daily Bible reading,
prayer, and the usual “America” song, Miss Hall started right in on the day’s
assignments.
Cory’s hand shot up.
Miss Hall sighed. “Yes,
Cory?”
“May we have a geography lesson
first thing this morning?”
The teacher gave Cory a patient
look. “I suppose we could—”
“Where’s Coarse Gold
Gulch?” he interrupted.
Andi hid a smile behind
her hand. Cory was not afraid to speak out of turn. He spent so much time in
the corner for his antics during class that a scolding from Miss Hall never
bothered him.
Cory wasn’t bully-mean
like Johnny Wilson. He just couldn’t keep his mind on reading, writing, and arithmetic
for more than a few minutes at a time. He’d rather tinker with buggy parts and horse
harnesses in his pa’s livery stable—just like Andi would rather ride Taffy than
learn grammar.
School was a dreadful
trial to them both.
Miss Hall did not scold Cory
today. “It appears you’ve heard the town’s latest news.” She smiled. “How many
others know about the gold strike up north?”
Most of the twenty-five
hands went up, including Andi’s, thanks to Cory.
“My pa says somebody
panned a three-ounce nugget of pure gold,” Thomas said.
“That ain’t true,” Ollie
shot back. “It was four ounces.”
Soon the whole class was
buzzing about the gold strike.
“Children!” Miss Hall
clapped her hands to quiet the class. “One at a time please.”
“How far from town is Coarse
Gold Gulch?” Johnny asked.
Miss Hall picked up a
piece of chalk and drew a rough map of California on the blackboard. She marked
Fresno with a circle. Then she marked Coarse Gold Gulch with a star. “It’s a
small town about forty miles north of here.”
The class groaned.
“Aw, shucks!” Cory pounded
a fist on the top of his desk. “That’s too far to walk—or even ride—in a day.”
“That’s for sure,” Johnny
muttered.
Every pupil in Miss Hall’s
class knew forty miles was at least a two-day trip. Maybe longer if the
mountain roads were steep and twisty.
Andi looked at the white
outline of California on the board. Her spirits drooped. It was silly to get
excited about such a faraway gold strike. It might as well be on the moon.
Miss Hall dropped the
chalk in the tray and faced her class. “I lived in Coarse Gold Gulch during the
gold rush. It was as crowded as a big city back then.”
“More people than here in Fresno?”
Mary Ellen asked.
Good question. To Andi, town
seemed big and crowded. She preferred the ranch.
Miss Hall nodded. “A lot more. At one time as many as ten
thousand people lived in Coarse Gold Gulch. That’s ten times more folks than
live in our town.”
Andi’s mouth dropped open.
Ten thousand people? The hills and gullies around Coarse Gold Gulch must have
been crawling with gold prospectors. She raised her hand.
“Yes, Andrea?”
“Do ten thousand people
still live there?”
Miss Hall shook her head.
“When the gold ran out, most of the people moved away. Once in a while—like
right now—a new gold strike appears. But the gold rush has been over for twenty
years.”
Twenty
years? Tingles raced up and down her arms. Mitch had just turned
twenty. And Chad and Justin were a lot older than Mitch.
She gasped. Her big
brothers had grown up during the gold rush. They probably panned for gold all
the time.
“During the gold rush,”
Miss Hall was saying, “people could find gold in nearly every creek and river that
flowed out of the mountains.”
Every creek that
came down from the mountains? Did that mean there might be gold in the creek
that ran by her special spot? Plenty of trout swam around in the creek, but
Andi had never looked for gold.
Her heart thumped faster. Maybe
flakes and nuggets had caught in the tree roots that poked into the water.
Maybe gold lay piled up in heaps under the creek banks.
Another thought exploded
in her head. Her breath caught. Maybe I
can reach into the creek and yank out all that gold!
“Andrea, are you all
right?”
Miss Hall’s question
brought Andi back to the classroom. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You seem short of
breath,” the teacher said. “Do you feel ill?”
“No, ma’am,” Andi said
quickly. She gave Miss Hall a bright smile and tried to pay attention during
the rest of the lesson.
But one thought kept
swirling around, no matter how hard she focused on her teacher’s words.
As
soon as I can, I’m going out to the creek and find some gold!
Chapter 2
Big Dreams
Andi did
not waste a single minute on small talk during the ride home from school. She
had no time this afternoon for “how was your day” or “do you have arithmetic
homework.”
No, sirree! When Justin
swung her up into the buggy, she lit right into him.
“Is there gold in our
creek?” It might be best to find out for sure before she went rushing off to scoop
up the shiny nuggets.
Justin would know the
answer. Her oldest and favorite brother knew practically everything. He was forever
answering Andi’s questions.
He climbed up beside her
and took the reins. “Giddup, Pal.” The horse trotted down the street.
“Justin, is there—”
“I heard you,” he said.
“Which one? Dozens of creeks crisscross the ranch.”
Dozens
of creeks? Andi wriggled with delight. All the more places to look for gold!
She thought back to Miss
Hall’s gold-rush lesson. “The creeks coming down from the mountains. Like the
one that runs by my special spot.”
“Ah,” Justin said. He
urged Pal into a faster trot. “Why this sudden interest in gold?”
Andi plunged into a retelling
of Miss Hall’s history lesson. It had gone on till recess, so Andi had plenty
to say.
When she finished, Justin grinned.
“By the end of the week, half the young men from town will be out there. They’ll
climb over every inch of that gulch.”
He looked at Andi. “Too
bad. Most of them will come away empty-handed.”
“How do you know?”
Justin shrugged. “I’ve
seen it before. It’s quite a sight—grown men chasing around like children on a
treasure hunt.”
“Did you pan for gold when you were a boy?” Andi asked.
“Oh, yes.” Justin
chuckled. “So did Chad.”
“Did you find any?”
Justin laughed louder. “We
sure did.”
Andi frowned. “What’s so
funny?” Finding gold didn’t sound funny to her. Gold was serious business.
Justin wouldn’t tell her
why he was laughing. Instead, he clucked to the horse and answered Andi’s first
question.
“There might be gold in
the creeks up in the hills, just like Miss Hall told you. Your creek too.”
Andi clapped her hands. “I
knew it!”
“It comes from deposits of
pure gold deep inside the Sierras.”
Pure
gold? Andi listened without interrupting. This was too good to be
true!
“Glaciers grind away at
the mountains,” Justin said. “The gold washes downstream with the rocks and
dirt.” He winked at her. “It could turn up anywhere. Finding gold is ten
percent hard work and ninety percent luck.”
“Maybe I’m lucky,” Andi
said.
“Could be,” Justin replied
patiently. “You never know.”
Andi’s imagination caught
fire. Oh, the things she could buy with a little gold!
She needed a new hoof
pick. The one Mitch gave her as a birthday gift last year had fallen into
Taffy’s thick straw bedding. When Andi found it two days later, the pick was
hopelessly bent out of shape.
Taffy had stepped on it.
Andi would rather buy a
new hoof pick than ask Jake, the ranch blacksmith, to bend the old one back.
For sure Mitch would find out about it, and he would tease Andi for being
careless.
She had no money for a new
hoof pick, but if she found gold? Well . . .
Andi peeled off her coat
and lay back against the buggy seat. The afternoon sun shone down soft and warm.
Pal’s hooves clip-clopped along the road.
Andi closed her eyes and
gave in to her daydreams.
Taffy’s saddle blanket was
a scratchy old hand-me-down. With a little gold she could buy a saddle blanket
as pretty as the one her sister Melinda had for her horse, Panda. A sturdy but comfortable
blanket woven in reds, greens, and blues.
With
a pretty fringe around the edges, she imagined.
By the time Justin pulled
Pal to a stop in the yard, Andi’s head was full of plans. She would buy a doll
for her Yokut Indian friend, Choo-nook, who lived up in the hills on the other
side of the ranch.
Maybe some hair ribbons
too. Choo-nook loved hair ribbons!
Mother’s birthday wouldn’t
come around until next fall, but for once Andi could buy her a special gift.
And a silver belt buckle for Chad and a—
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
Justin nudged her.
Andi’s eyes popped open.
“I’m not asleep. I was thinking about all the things I’ll buy when I find gold
in my creek.”
Justin helped her down.
“Sounds like you might be catching a case of gold fever.” He smiled. “Don’t let
it get in the way of your chores, or you’ll be in hot water with the ranch
boss.”
Andi wrinkled her nose.
Bossy Chad didn’t let anything get in the way of Andi’s ranch chores. If she
missed something, big brother always chased her down.
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Andi gave Chad no reason
to get after her today. She finished her chores without forgetting one thing. Then
she found a brush and groomed Taffy until her golden coat gleamed.
“Do you know there might
be gold in our creek?” she told her filly. “I’m going to find some.” She shared
everything Miss Hall had taught the class about the gold strike.
Taffy listened patiently.
She nickered in all the right places. Then she buried her nose in her hay rack
and munched on her supper.
During the family supper
that evening, Andi couldn’t keep quiet about finding gold.
“Can—May Cory and I go panning for gold on Saturday?” she begged between
mouthfuls of crispy fried chicken. “After my chores are done, of course,” she
added, looking at Chad.
“You should let her go,
Mother,” Chad said. “Just like all the times you let Justin and me go when we
were her age.” He laughed softly.
Andi studied her brother’s
grinning face. What was he up to? His laugh sounded a lot like Justin’s chuckle
from this afternoon’s buggy ride. What was so funny?
“The weather is just right
for a gold expedition,” Chad went on. “The spring freshet is over, so she won’t
drown. If she and Cory stick to the creeks, they won’t get lost.”
Andi frowned. “Of course
we won’t get lost. I’m almost ten years old, and Cory just turned eleven. I
know my way around this ranch as good as you do.”
“We know you won’t get
lost,” Mitch said. “Chad’s just teasing you.”
“I agree,” Justin said. “You’ll
have fun and probably find lots of gold”—he winked at Mother—“but not the kind
you think.”
Andi opened her mouth to
ask Justin what in the world he was talking about. How many different kinds of
gold were there?
Mother spoke before Andi
could get a word in. “This Saturday will be fine, Andrea. Yes, you may go.”
“Thank you!” Andi jumped
up from her chair and threw her arms around Mother’s neck.
She didn’t care that
Justin and Chad were chuckling and smiling at each other. She didn’t care how
many different kinds of gold there were.
“I’ll find every kind of
gold there is,” she told her family. “You just wait and see!
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