Sarah's Search for Treasure Read online

  “We had a mare and her colt stolen this mornin’,” replied Red. “The mare was a strawberry roan. The colt was only about a week old. They can’t have gone far.”

  The men shook their heads. Again, it was the gray-beard that answered. “We’s from up north aways. It was gettin’ awful crowded up there. We heard there were a restaurant, what’s got good cookin’ down this way.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Thought ta see if it were true.”

  Red nodded. “That’s where we came from. We’re headin’ back that way. You might as well join us.”

  Sarah ignored the men as they discussed mining, her thoughts racing ahead. Would they have managed to have dinner ready by the time everyone returned? How were Adrian and Mr. Douglas? Did one of the other groups find Lady? Was the colt hurt? Questions kept tumbling through Sarah’s mind until they reached home.

  Several men were sprawled under the oak tree. Sarah could see at a glance they were strangers. As she slid from the saddle, Red took the small mare’s reins.

  “Thanks!” called Sarah as she hurried into the house. The smell of frying chicken greeted her. Ma’s face was rosy from the steam of the potatoes she was mashing. Dennis was frying the chicken. Sarah watched in amazement as Billy lifted a perfectly fried pie from the kettle and laid it gently on a tray beside rows upon rows of others. Dorie was standing on a chair and carefully icing them. A cooing sound drew Sarah’s eyes to a blanket in the corner, where Gracie was playing with Baby Brian.

  “Oh my!” was all Sarah could say.

  “Did you find Lady?” asked Dennis, whirling around at her voice. Grease flew from his spatula and danced on the hot oven.

  Dorie jumped from her chair and knocked over the icing. Billy made a grab for the bowl. It teetered on the tips of his fingers and then crashed upside down on the floor. Billy and Dorie both looked horrified. Baby Brian started to cry, but Sarah couldn’t keep from laughing. “Everything was going fine until I came in, wasn’t it?”

  Ma scooped up the baby. “Everyone worked real hard,” she agreed. “Why don’t we all take a break, and you can tell us how it went. The doctor’s in the bedroom right now with Mr. Douglas and Adrian.”

  “Is he worse?” asked Sarah anxiously.

  “I don’t think so,” answered Ma. “He just came by earlier.”

  “Tell us what you found,” Dennis reminded Sarah, as she began cleaning up the icing. Sarah told them of the uneventful morning, as they put the finishing touches on the dinner.

  Finally, the doctor came out of the bedroom, followed by Mr. Douglas. Sarah offered both of them a cup of coffee and a fried pie.

  The doctor sighed heavily and then hummed his approval as he bit into the still-warm pie. “I think he’s going to make it,” he said, before taking another bite. “I think the worst is past now. My! This is delicious! I’ve heard about these, but never had any.” He glanced at Sarah. “But you need to slow down, young lady, or you will be my next patient.”

  “Yes,” agreed Ma. “We need to hire some more help.”

  Suddenly, the dogs started barking and running out the lane. Sarah heard men shout. She glanced at the clock. It was past noon. The miners were probably returning.

  She quickly surveyed the kitchen. Everything seemed to be finished. She hurried outside to see what the ruckus was all about.

  “They have Lady and her colt!” shouted Dennis excitedly. “Look! Someone is tied to Lady!”

  As the riders neared, Sarah’s heart sank. There, tied to Lady and looking very frightened, sat a young girl. She looked even younger than Sarah.

  “Well, we found the thief,” said one of the miners. The girl turned pleading green eyes to Sarah. Her hair was matted and dirty, and she had a dark bruise on her face. Her thin hands were tied behind her back.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Mary Jo

  “OH MY!” WHISPERED SARAH. “SHE doesn’t look like a horse thief.”

  “Ma’am,” began the miner that held Lady’s lead rope. “We found her ridin’ yer horse.” He sounded almost apologetic.

  Sarah turned to the girl astride Lady. “Where did you get our horse?”

  The girl opened her mouth as if to speak. She licked her trembling lips several times, then closed her mouth again. She turned huge, worried eyes to the big, burly miners surrounding her.

  Sarah made a quick decision. “Help her down.” As soon as she was lifted down, Sarah took hold of her arm. It was pitifully thin. Sarah hardened her heart. This might be a horse thief. She needed to understand the seriousness of her actions. Sarah quickly led the girl into the house and helped her into a chair in the dining room.

  Sarah guessed the girl to be a few years younger than her own fourteen years. “Talk!” Sarah demanded. “Tell me why you stole our horse.”

  The girl licked her lips several times again, but she seemed unable to talk. Sarah glanced up as Mr. Douglas entered. “Could you get her a glass of water?” Mr. Douglas nodded and went to the kitchen.

  Sarah held the glass up to the girl’s mouth. The girl was trembling so much, she almost couldn’t take a sip.

  “Did you take the horse from our field?” Sarah asked, trying to keep her voice stern.

  The girl nodded.

  “Did you know that horse stealing is considered a hanging offense in these parts?”

  Another nod, followed by a flow of tears.

  “Then why did you?”

  “There are things worse than hanging,” murmured the girl.

  “What could be worse than a hanging?”

  “Pa was going to sell me to a saloon to pay his debts. The men there are . . . ” The girl shuddered.

  “Where is your ma?” asked Mr. Douglas.

  The girl shrugged. “It’s been just me an’ Pa’s long as I can remember. Used to be Pa loved me. But when we came out here, he took to the bottle an’ ain’t never let up. I think he’s been gamblin’ some, too. When I heard him promisin’ me to . . . to . . . Well, I ran off. Last night I saw the horse out in the field. I thought I could go much faster and farther with a horse. The horse was so friendly and all. I’m sorry.”

  “Where were you planning to go?” asked Sarah.

  The girl shrugged again. “Far as I could.”

  “You give us a description of your pa, as clear as you can.” When the girl seemed about to protest, Mr. Douglas added, “That is your only chance.” The girl quickly gave a description and then added, “But when he sees me . . . ”

  “You’ll be safe with us,” promised Sarah. She glanced at Mr. Douglas. “Shouldn’t we tell the miners to come in to eat first?”

  “Yes, we’ll tell them the story over dinner. But take her into the kitchen.” He went out to ring the dinner bell.

  Sarah untied the girl, who said her name was Mary Jo Hammond. Sarah fixed a plate for her and brought her a glass of milk. Mary Jo rubbed her wrists, and then she picked up the glass of milk. Before she could take a sip, she apologized again, saying, “I never thought about the people whose horse I took. I was just so scared.”

  Sarah patted her thin shoulders. “You are safe here.”

  Mary Jo shook her head. “No, ma’am, when Pa gets to drinking, ain’t nobody safe. An’ lately, he’s most always drinking. He’s a good man when he ain’t.” Mary Jo closed her eyes and took a long drink of the cold milk.

  Sarah hurried to dish out the food to the hungry miners. When she returned to the kitchen, she found Mary Jo washing the mountain of dirty dishes. Sarah squeezed her shoulders. “Thanks for starting on the dishes, Mary Jo. But why don’t you sit down and eat one of these little pies first?”

  “Have you eaten yet?” Mary Jo asked. When Sarah shook her head, she said, “Then I’ll wait until you have time to eat, too.”

  After hearing Mary Jo’s story, the miners ate quickly and rode out again. By supper time, the miners started coming back empty-handed. Sarah had supper ready. She was pleased how well Mary Jo helped. Wish we could just keep her here, she thought. We could surel
y use her willing help.

  Suddenly, Dennis came rushing into the kitchen, followed by Li’l Joe. “They got ‘em, Sarah! They got ‘em!”

  “He’s tied to Red’s horse! He ain’t goin’ nowhere!” exclaimed Li’l Joe. “Ol’ Red’ll see to that!” he added, with obvious pride in his big brother. “Ol’ Red’ll keep you safe, Mary Jo.”

  Mary Jo’s face was as white as the dish towel in her hands. She looked frozen with shock. Sarah pushed her into a kitchen chair, afraid she’d faint. She tried to keep her voice soothing, hoping to calm her.

  “What . . . what are they going to do with him?” Mary Jo stammered.

  “I don’t know,” Sarah replied. “But we won’t let him hurt you.”

  “I want to see him.” Mary Jo ran from the kitchen.

  Sarah followed her into the dining room. She almost bumped into Mary Jo, who stopped right inside the doorway. Sarah pushed her aside, so she could see what was going on.

  The miners were carrying a man into the room who was completely and securely tied. Not only were his hands and feet tied, a rope was tied, many times, around his shoulders and legs, making him almost immobile. Sarah noticed his mouth was covered with several bandannas.

  The men plunked him onto the nearest chair. Mary Jo clutched Sarah’s hand. “Pa!” she whispered.

  At least we have the right man, Sarah thought.

  “What shall we do with him?” asked Red.

  Everyone was looking at Sarah.

  “Pa!” cried Mary Jo. She clutched Sarah’s hand. “Don’t hurt him, Sarah. He’s my pa.”

  Even from across the dining room, Sarah could see the man’s tears and hear him crying through the bandannas. “Untie his hands,” she said.

  The men untied his hands and his bandanna, keeping his legs tied. Mary Jo brought him a plate of food, and then she hurried back to work on the dishes.

  The miners quietly sat and ate their supper, while a very subdued Billy read a chapter from the Bible. His voice was deep and carried well across the supper noises. Sarah noticed more than one burly miner quietly wiping a tear. Sarah suspected many of them couldn’t read, even if they had a Bible.

  As Sarah neared the table where Mary Jo’s pa sat, she heard him tell Mr. Douglas, “I’ll never drink another drop. I want my little girl safe. I’ll never take another sip as long as I live.”

  Sarah saw the worry and fear in Mary Jo’s eyes and remembered what she had said about her pa’s promises. “Mary Jo is staying here,” Sarah said, firmly.

  The man rose from his seat and grabbed her.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Mary Jo’s Pa

  SARAH SCREAMED IN PAIN. THE scream was instantly stopped as a huge hand tightened around her throat. Instantly, the miners were on their feet and trying to free Sarah. But the man did not loosen his grip. Dark spots were dancing in front of Sarah’s eyes.

  Suddenly, an angry roar filled the room. The man released Sarah as quickly as he had grabbed her. He bolted for the door, shoving miners and tables out of his path as he ran.

  “After him!” It was the same angry voice. Sarah sank weakly into an empty chair and tried to locate the owner of the voice. There, leaning against the doorway, was Mr. Douglas’ son, Adrian. Sarah watched helplessly as Adrian slowly began to slide down to the floor.

  Mr. Douglas made a dash for him. Ma quickly pushed a chair under him. They gently scolded him for being out of bed.

  Adrian leaned his head against the wall. “He’s the one that tried to kill me,” he said quietly.

  “But why?” asked Mr. Douglas. “Whatever did you do to him?”

  “He was being mean to one of the girls in the bar. I made him stop, and the bartender threw him out. He was waiting for me outside.”

  Sarah heard a crash and turned in time to see Mary Jo slump to the floor on top of the dishes she had dropped. Sarah rushed to her side. Mr. Douglas beat her there and helped Mary Jo into a chair. “Get a cold, wet cloth,” he told Sarah.

  As Sarah hurried back into the dining room, she heard a ruckus outside. “We caught ‘im!” shouted Li’l Joe. “He ain’t gettin’ away again. He’s all trussed up like a turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Ol’ Red caught ‘im again. He can’t get away from Ol’ Red,” he said, again with obvious pride in his big brother.

  The miners came in, carrying the man again. This time he was tied up even more than before. “Set him in that chair,” ordered Mr. Douglas.

  One of the miners laughed. “Ain’t no way, no how we can set him anywhere. We can maybe lean him against somethin’, but he can’t sit. He’s tied up too much to bend.”

  Some of the other miners chuckled. “Ya want us to prop him up in a corner somewhere?”

  “Just drop him where he’s at,” said Red. Sarah winced as they did just that.

  The miners had plenty of suggestions on what to do with him.

  “You know he’s wanted for attempted murder . . . ”

  “And horse stealin’ . . . ”

  Sarah caught Red’s eye and motioned him into the kitchen where Mary Jo was busy working.

  Sarah also motioned to her ma before they stepped outside, so Mary Jo couldn’t hear them. “You got any idea what to do with him?” Red asked.

  “Not really. Mary Jo says he was a good man before he started drinking.”

  Red sighed. “I’ve seen that before. It’s probably been awhile since he’s been completely sober.”

  “Wish there was some way we could get him to leave the bottle alone,” Ma said. “But I sure wouldn’t want to let Mary Jo go with him again.”

  “I s’pose a bunch of us could band together . . . ”

  “Would you?” asked Sarah, eagerly. “No, that would be too dangerous.”

  Red gave a short nod. “We’ll do it. I’ll talk to the others. But right now, he’s pretty scared. If we can keep him scared long enough, he might sober enough to come to his senses. It’s his only chance.”

  Still, Sarah felt uneasy as she watched them ride away. Jeb, as Mary Jo said his name was, was very cooperative. But he was still tied to his horse, and his horse was tied to two others.

  The days fell into a routine again. Sarah was surprised to learn that Mary Jo was several months older than she was. She was very quick with the needle. In no time, they had fancy curtains in all the new windows, new cushions on the sofa, and every table had a new table cloth.

  Adrian improved rapidly and was soon eating his meals in the restaurant. He took over the enormous job of peeling potatoes. Sarah declared him the best potato peeler in the world. Mr. Douglas seemed to cherish each moment with his son. Sarah often found them deep in a conversation.

  Jeb was still not allowed to come to the restaurant, but the miners reported that he continued to cooperate and was a good worker. When they learned that he could read, they asked him to read the Bible to them on evenings they didn’t eat at the restaurant.

  Red told Sarah after his reading the Bible to them one evening, Jeb admitted that he used to be a Christian. “My wife would be so ashamed of me.”

  “Maybe he can find his way back to the Lord again,” Red added.

  Sarah nodded. “Because you were willing to give him another chance.”

  “Because all of us were willing to give him a second chance.”

  “Like me,” said Billy, coming into the kitchen with two pails of tomatoes. He set them on the counter and turned to where Sarah, Ma, and Red were talking while snapping beans. “If you hadn’t given me a second chance, I would probably be dead.”

  “Red,” he went on. “Sarah hid my saddle bags, which were full of stolen gold. I stole it from two men I heard talking. I know now it was dangerous and stupid. But I’d heard enough that I knew they had stolen it from someone else. I wish you and Mr. Douglas would take that gold to the bank. It’s not mine, so don’t put it under my name. I thought someday we could build a church or a school or something good with it. But it scares me to know it’s still here.”

  Red nodded.
“We’ll take it today yet.”

  Sarah helped pack the gold in crates and pile new potatoes on top of it. They decided to name the account Sarah’s Mission.

  Everyone was relieved when the two men returned without mishap.

  One thing bothered Sarah continuously. “Ma,” she said as she filled another jar with green beans. “What are we going to do about meat for this winter?”

  “We need to do some butchering,” Ma answered as she put the filled jars in the kettle. “But none of the men that we know well seem to know much about it.”

  “I know. I’ve asked all of them. They’d be willing to help, though.”

  “Pa does,” Mary Jo interjected timidly. She piled the dry laundry she’d brought in on a clean space on the table. “We used to do our own beef, pork, chicken . . . ” She shrugged and dropped her eyes again as if she had said too much already.

  Sarah glanced at Ma. She looked worried and didn’t answer. Sarah tightened another lid and wondered how to answer.

  “It’s okay,” Mary Jo said. “That was all before . . . ” She shrugged her shoulders, as if it really didn’t matter, but Sarah could see tears dropping on the dry towels.

  “I’ll ask Red if your pa couldn’t come give us a hand,” Sarah promised. “Red says he’s doing real well. Hasn’t been drinking at all that they know of. This morning, he said your pa sometimes even reads the Bible when he doesn’t have to. That means something.”

  Sarah had meant to reassure Mary Jo, but the tears were coming even faster now. Sarah squeezed her shoulders. “You miss your pa, don’t you?”

  “I miss him like he was before,” Mary Jo said. “But I don’t miss him how he was when he was drinking.”

  “Jesus can change people.”

  “That’s what I’m praying,” Mary Jo whispered.

  “I miss my pa, too,” admitted Sarah. She blinked rapidly to hide her own tears. “Pa and my brother David. I pray for them every day. I hope they are okay. Pa thought they might be gone a week or so. It’s been eight months.”

  Mary Jo squeezed Sarah’s hand. “I’ll pray, too.” Sarah thanked her and then went back to work, wondering what Pa and David were doing. Were they still alive?