Sarah's Search for Treasure Read online

  “A heartwarming and adventurous tale, Sarah’s Search for Treasure is sure to bring a smile to young readers, or readers who are young at heart. I connected immediately with the spunky and brave Sarah, as well as the resilience of her whole gang as they learned to fend for themselves in a new and changing world. Sarah’s Search for Treasure was a delight!”

  —Katie Clark,

  children’s and YA author of The Enslaved Series

  Sarah’s Search for Treasure

  ©2018 by Bertha Schwartz

  All rights reserved

  ISBN: 978-1-62020-809-0

  eISBN: 978-1-62020-810-6

  Cover Design and Page Layout by Hannah Nichols

  eBook Conversion by Anna Riebe Raats

  AMBASSADOR INTERNATIONAL

  Emerald House

  411 University Ridge, Suite B14

  Greenville, SC 29601, USA

  www.ambassador-international.com

  AMBASSADOR BOOKS

  The Mount

  2 Woodstock Link

  Belfast, BT6 8DD, Northern Ireland, UK

  www.ambassadormedia.co.uk

  The colophon is a trademark of Ambassador, a Christian publishing company.

  To Roy and Laura with love.

  Thank you for believing in me.

  And to my best friend, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

  Table of Contents

  Endorsement

  Title Page

  Copyright Information

  Dedications

  Chapter One: Gold

  Chapter Two: Katy's Junction

  Chapter Three: Heading for the Gold Fields

  Chapter Four: The Runaway

  Chapter Five: More Animals

  Chapter Six:The Dog Fight

  Chapter Seven: Thieves

  Chapter Eight: Mr. Douglas

  Chapter Nine: Strangers

  Chapter Ten: Bargaining

  Chapter Eleven: The Restaurant

  Chapter Twelve: Fighting Miners

  Chapter Thirteen: A Baby Horse and a Missing Donkey

  Chapter Fourteen: Adding On

  Chapter Fifteen: Adrian

  Chapter Sixteen: More Trouble

  Chapter Seventeen: The Young Horse Thief

  Chapter Eighteen: Mary Jo

  Chapter Nineteen: Mary Jo’s Pa

  Chapter Twenty: Real Treasure

  Discussion Questions

  Also by Bertha Schwartz:

  CHAPTER ONE

  Gold

  SARAH MISHLER DRESSED HURRIEDLY AND then raced for the ladder, in the dark. But seventeen-year-old David beat her to it. He paused at the top to tease her. “Not excited about going to town this morning, are you?”

  Sarah couldn’t keep from smiling. “Shh! Don’t wake the little ones, or I’ll have my hands full.”

  David gave her another teasing grin over his sturdy shoulders, his brown eyes twinkling merrily, and then hurried down the ladder. Sarah scrambled after him. At the bottom, she stopped long enough to pull the frayed ribbon from her pocket and tie back her honey-brown hair. She checked the cooking range. Good! The fire was burning merrily! Pa had probably started it.

  Sarah grabbed a bucket and ran to the spring house. “Let’s see . . . I need some eggs and milk for the pancakes. The sausage for breakfast and sandwiches to take along . . . the butter . . . ” Sarah realized she’d never be able to carry everything in one trip. She filled the bucket and then set it aside.

  As Sarah gathered the supplies, her mind flew to the much-anticipated trip to Katy’s Junction. Trips to town were a rare treat, and Ma felt at fourteen Sarah was old enough to go in her place. With Baby Brian still so young, Ma didn’t want to go. Sarah would get to choose colors and types of cloth, buttons—

  The spring door swung open, catching Sarah by surprise. “Pa said I should help you carry things from the spring house, so breakfast wouldn’t be late.” David picked up the filled water bucket, his teasing grin still in place. “I guess Pa figured you’d have your head in the clouds and forget everything and end up making fifty trips or so. Breakfast would be late, and we’d—”

  “Take this.” Sarah didn’t mind his teasing and was glad for the help as she loaded him down, then gathered the remaining food she would need.

  When she came back into the kitchen, David had deposited his things on the table and left. Sarah chuckled. She probably wasn’t the only one excited this morning.

  “Good morning, Sarah!” Sarah spun around to see Ma in the rocker feeding Baby Brian.

  “Good morning, Ma and Sweet Little Brian.” Sarah kissed the top of Brian’s fuzzy, dark hair. Born on Christmas Day, Brian was a little over five weeks old and Sarah’s greatest joy. But she didn’t even have time for him this morning. As Sarah cut the sausage links and mixed the pancake batter, she and Ma went over the list they had written yesterday.

  “Get some yard goods for a good summer dress for yourself.” Ma was making a note on the paper. Sarah was pouring pancake batter in circles in the cast iron skillet. Surprised at Ma’s words, she swung around to look at her, pouring pancake batter in an arch over the hot stove as she turned.

  “I should have waited to tell you about the new dress,” Ma chuckled.

  Sarah set the bowl safely on the table and grabbed an old rag to wipe up the mess, but it was burning already.

  “Never mind,” Ma said. “I’ll clean it after the oven cools a bit. Just scrape it off as well as you can, or David will smell it and tease you all the way to Katy’s Junction.”

  Sarah pushed the skillet to a cooler part of the stove. She paused to turn the sausage and give the oatmeal a stir. By then, the pancakes needed to be turned and she hadn’t even started the biscuits.

  Ma laid the baby in his crib and mixed the biscuits. “I’m glad it’s not raining this morning,” she said.

  “So am I. I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to go to town. I haven’t been to town since last summer.” Sarah felt the excitement course through her again. “Ma, there is plenty of stew for dinner in the spring house. Shall I bring it in before we go?”

  “Dennis can get it. He’s ten and plenty old enough to help while you’re gone. This will be good for both him and Dorie. By the time you were seven, like Dorie, you took much more responsibility than either of them do.”

  As if on cue, Dorie entered the kitchen rubbing her eyes. “Ma, can I go along to town?” Her curly, dark-blonde hair was still tousled from sleep.

  “No, Dorie. I need your help at home.” Dorie glared at Sarah, sparks flying from her gray eyes, eyes usually as soft and gentle as Ma’s.

  Before she could protest, Sarah said, “You need to be the big girl today, Dorie. Ma needs you to help with Gracie and Baby Brian. How do you think Ma could manage if you went along?” As Sarah removed the last pancakes from the skillet, she watched the changing expressions on Dorie’s face.

  With a look of pride, Dorie bustled over to the cabinet. “I need to get the table set before Pa and David come in for breakfast.”

  Ma winked at Sarah. “Why don’t you get ready to go? I think Dorie and I can finish this.”

  Sarah slipped into her best dress and quickly braided her hair. As she returned to the kitchen, a cry from the bedroom caused her to take a detour. She scooped up three-year-old Gracie.

  “You’re just in time for breakfast, Sweetie.” Sarah kissed Gracie’s cheeks, still warm and rosy from sleep. She took a minute to cuddle her little sister.

  Everyone said Gracie was a replica of Sarah, but she didn’t have the sprinkling of freckles across her nose yet, like Sarah did. Also, adorable little Gracie still had plenty of baby fat. Sarah settled Gracie into the wooden highchair as Pa and David came in.


  “You’ll have to dress warmly, Sarah,” Pa said. “It’s still nippy out there.”

  It was nippy! Sarah was glad for her warm shawl and coat as they bumped over the frozen road, behind Prince and Patty, the trusty team. But she soon forgot the cold. The sun was peeking over the horizon and coloring the sky a soft, rosy-pink. The air smelled fresh and cool after working over the hot stove this morning. Breakfast had been eaten and dinner packed in record time. Sarah turned in the seat to make sure David had put the basket containing their dinner on the wagon. It was there, along with the precious few eggs they could spare and the butter she had churned. She looked proudly at the rounds of cheese she had made by herself for the first time. Of course, Ma had told her how. Baby Brian’s arrival had given Sarah new responsibilities, too. She smiled to herself, as she remembered how important Dennis and Dorie felt to be the oldest ones home with Ma and a new baby. But Sarah felt a twinge of guilt. The kitchen was a mess with a huge stack of dishes to be washed. Baby Brian still took up so much of Ma’s time . . . Sarah pushed the thoughts aside, determined to enjoy this rare treat.

  Sarah got out Ma’s list again to go over it. She had it memorized, but it didn’t hurt to check. She squinted in the early morning dawn. Beside her, David chuckled. “You’ll have plenty of time to study that list until we’re there. You might as well wait until you can actually read it.”

  Pa reached around David’s back and tugged one of Sarah’s braids. “Something tells me, Sarah didn’t really need a list. She probably has it memorized backwards and forwards.”

  Sarah giggled. “I didn’t think it would hurt to check again.” But she tucked the list back into her pocket carefully. She dreamed about the fabrics she might find at the mercantile. Ma had told her she could choose any color she wanted. Did she want a yellow dress like Susie Martin, or blue one like Missy Winslow? I hope I can find something different from all of them; something different and pretty.

  David pulled over slightly to let another rider pass. “Seems there’s a bunch of traffic on the road this morning.”

  “I was thinking that, too,” answered Pa. “We seldom meet anyone on the way to Katy’s Junction. That’s the third rider that’s passed us. Hope war hasn’t broke out.”

  Sarah shivered with fear. “You think there’s going to be war?”

  “Don’t know,” answered Pa. “It probably won’t reach here if it does. Mexico’s not happy with us. But I hope it won’t mean war.”

  “Something’s sure going on!” exclaimed David. As they neared Katy’s Junction, more riders and wagons passed them. Everyone seemed to be in a big hurry.

  “Sarah,” said Pa. “Let me see that list again.”

  Sarah quickly pulled out the list. She felt uneasy as three more riders passed. What would they find at Katy’s Junction? News of war?

  Pa handed the list back. “Let’s get double of everything. If war broke out, we might not be able to get supplies later.”

  A crowd had gathered in front of Stan’s Mercantile. Men were talking excitedly. Sarah felt another shiver of fear. What was going on?

  Soon, another rider caught up with them. “Hey, Bill!” David called to their neighbor as he was about to pass them. “What’s going on?”

  “Gold!” shouted Bill Martin, hardly slowing down. “They found gold just south of here. Huge nuggets of it!”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Katy’s Junction

  IN THE SILENCE FOLLOWING BILL Martin’s announcement, his words echoed and reechoed in Sarah’s mind. Gold. Found just south of here. What did that mean?

  “Gold!” exclaimed David. “Did you hear, Pa?”

  “I heard, David. It might just be a rumor.” Sarah could hear excitement in Pa’s voice, though.

  “I don’t think so. You noticed all those riders this morning!” David’s voice rose with each word. “He said huge nuggets of them. If we hurry, we could be rich.” He slapped the horses with the lines.

  “Take it easy,” Pa said. “We don’t know if any of that’s true.”

  There was no room to tie up at the hitching rack in front of Stan’s Mercantile. Before Sarah knew what was happening, David had tossed the lines to Pa and leaped from the wagon. “I’m going to find out what’s going on, Pa. Can you tie up?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and ran to the crowd gathered in front of the mercantile.

  Pa caught the reins and grinned at Sarah. “And he was teasing you about being excited.”

  Sarah smiled back. “Do you really think anyone found gold?”

  “It’s hard telling,” answered Pa. He turned the team to a big oak tree not far away. Another team was already tied to it, but Pa guided Prince and Patty around to the other side.

  Sarah clambered over the side of the wagon. “Wait, Sarah,” called Pa. “Stay beside me. There seem to be a lot of strangers in town.”

  Sarah glanced at the big, husky men talking loudly in front of the mercantile and stepped closer to Pa. But the excitement in their voices was contagious.

  “I saw it with my own eyes,” exclaimed a man with a shaggy beard and dirty hat. “Huge nuggets! Big as a man’s fist.” He made a huge fist to demonstrate. “Laying right there on the ground ready to be picked up.”

  “Why aren’t you there pickin’ ‘em up?” asked a voice in the crowd.

  “Need supplies. Down south of here, all the stores are out. I’m gonna git supplies an’ head ‘er out. Got me a claim already! People’s gettin’ rich overnight. I aim to be one of ‘em!” With that, he opened the door to the mercantile. Almost everyone followed him inside.

  The man was bombarded with questions. Sarah listened awhile. It was hard to make out anything. The men were talking loudly and excitedly.

  Sarah tugged at Pa’s arm. “May I go look at dress goods?”

  Pa nodded without looking at her.

  Sarah slipped over to the dress goods. She fingered the yellow paisley like Susie’s dress. It sure was pretty. And here was the flowered blue like Missy had. But Sarah wanted something different. She studied the different colors and sighed. Stan’s Mercantile didn’t have a large selection. Then she saw it! A bit of turquoise fabric was sticking out between two other pieces. Sarah tugged at it. Wow! It was even prettier than she thought, with lighter stripes running through. But would there be enough? She pulled it all the way out. Yes, there would be plenty!

  Sarah carried it over to the notions and selected black trim and buttons to go with it. Pleased, she looked for Pa. He was still in front, and the group of men had grown larger. At that moment, he looked around and saw Sarah.

  Sarah quickly went to his side, showing him the dress goods she selected. But Pa barely glanced at her. “We need to go.”

  Sarah noticed for the first time his arms were loaded with supplies— shovels, pick axes, and more. “Pa? We haven’t gotten the things on the list yet.”

  David’s voice was high with excitement. “Come on, Sarah. Let’s go!”

  “We didn’t get our things yet.”

  “Sarah, you’ll need to come to the wagon with us. Then David can stay with the wagon, while we come back for the rest of what we need.”

  “We don’t have time to get the things on the list!” protested David. “We’ve got to hurry!”

  “We are going to get everything on the list and then some,” insisted Pa. “Start covering things with these tarps. If they are out of supplies just south of us, Stan’s Mercantile will be out soon, too.”

  Back inside, Pa told Sarah to pick out some more dress material. Shirting joined the growing pile, along with enough fabric for several trousers. It seemed as if Pa was intent on buying the mercantile out. Ma had put down fifty pounds of flour, Pa asked for two hundred. On it went. Ma didn’t even have potatoes on the list, Pa bought several crates. Sarah knew they still had quite a few in the root cellar.

  But she didn’t have time to think about it. Pa was asking her to find needles and thread. “Get plenty,” he whispered. “Don’t forget buttons.�
��

  Then Pa surprised Sarah by buying tin canned food. They seldom bought canned food. They canned their own! When they got to the list of garden seed Ma wanted, Pa got much more than Ma had asked for.

  As Stan’s helper and Pa started carrying things to the wagon, Sarah wondered how they could possibly get everything on. She rescued their dinner before it got buried, and then she tucked the package containing the dress goods where she would put her feet. The rest of the things were rearranged numerous times before everything was loaded.

  “You can leave some things until tomorrow,” offered Stan’s helper.

  “No, we’ll get everything on,” Pa stated.

  “I don’t see how!” exclaimed David.

  Pa ignored him and continued to load it, while the man went back for the last of it. Soon, there was a pile of packages almost as high as the wagon sides where Sarah had put her feet that morning. Pa seemed to notice it at the same time.

  “Whoa! We can’t have this. We can’t have our Sarah bouncing out of the wagon.” Pa dug around in the packages until he had made a hole. Then he swung Sarah into the wagon, dinner basket and all.

  David leaped up beside her, and Pa followed. “Aren’t we going to eat dinner before we leave?” Sarah asked.

  “Don’t have time,” David answered as he slapped the team’s back with the lines. “We gotta get to those gold fields, before the gold’s all gone.”

  “Now, David, it’s not sure that we’re even going,” Pa cautioned.

  “Not going!” David exclaimed. “Pa, we have to! We’d be foolish not to! Pa! Weren’t you listening at all?” Sarah stared at him in amazement.

  “Now, son! We need to think this through before we go tearing out of here.”

  “Think it through? Pa, if you’re not going, I’ll go by myself. I can’t just sit home and let someone else get all that gold!”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Heading for the Gold Fields

  “AS SOON AS WE GET this stuff home,” David said, slapping the horses’ lines, “we’ll have to load up and leave right away.”

  “Now, wait a minute, son. We need to use common sense. We need to make plans and arrangements.” But Sarah could hear the excitement in Pa’s voice, too.