are. As I said before, Jack is a fine man, but he’s not for you.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“I’m sure he’s aware of it, too, Sarah. He’ll never settle down.” Ma slanted a warning glance. “Won’t the train soon be splitting up? Some are headed for the goldfields, and that surely includes Jack and his friend. That most definitely doesn’t include us. We’ll be headed out of the mountains and straight to Mokelumne City where we’ll have a roof over our heads, a warm bed and a bathtub, and we’ll never have to ride in a covered wagon again.”
During those blissful moments Sarah spent with Jack, they hadn’t said a word about the future. She’d better face the truth. They had no future together, and she’d be a fool to think otherwise. “That’s what I want, too, Ma. Just the usual comforts of home and a secure, ordinary life. After this journey, I’d be content if nothing exciting ever happens to me again.”
A shadow of a worry tugged at Sarah’s heart. Was that really all she wanted, or was she mouthing those words for her mother’s benefit? Either way, she’d be better off listening to her wise and perceptive mother who had a habit of always being right.
* * * *
Next morning, before the trek began, a group of men on horseback rode into camp. They had all been working claims at the mining town of Gold Creek on the other side of the mountains. Most were headed east with their bounty. Invited to stay for breakfast, the men described their successes at the goldfields.
“I found a nugget big as your fist,” said one with great exuberance. “Just lying on the ground.”
“I was boiling a salmon I caught in the Yuba River,” said another. “When I dumped the water out, danged if there wasn’t a bunch of gold specks on the bottom of the pot. I went back to the spot where I caught the salmon and found seventeen ounces of gold the first day. Ended up making over twelve thousand dollars in eleven days.”
Another miner added, “Just a mile from his diggings, I found a nugget weighing fifteen pounds. Now I’m headed home, set for life.”
Another thrust out his chest. “I panned for gold in Missouri Gulch. Earned at least a thousand a day the whole month of May.”
Pa listened with rapt attention to the miners’ tales of instant wealth. When they finished with their considerable bragging, he remarked, “Sounds like all a man has to do is put a pan in a stream and he’s made a fortune.”
A miner with a thin, haggard look about him remained silent while the others were bragging. Now, he laughed with scorn. “Don’t you believe all you hear, sir. For every man who gets rich, there’s dozens of failures, maybe more. They make finding gold sound easy. Let me tell you, it’s back-breaking work standing hip-deep in freezing water for hours, sweating in the summer, shivering in the winter, getting poison oak all over yourself, smashing your fingers, wrecking your back, and God knows what. The insects drive you crazy. Swarms of mosquitos. Sand flea bites that cause a man’s face and eyelids to swell. You can’t get away from them. They fill the air like dust, stinging your ears, nose, eyes—everywhere. Then there’s the diseases. Cholera, measles, diphtheria, scurvy because you don’t eat right. Mostly you’ll just plain starve. Many a time I lived for days with nothing to eat but flour mixed with water made into dough and baked in ashes.” His mouth twisted wryly. “No, sir, they don’t tell you that.”
“Don’t mind Virgil. He’s going home broke,” said the man who had bragged the most. “Sure, luck plays a part. Maybe you won’t go home rich, but you sure as hell ought to try.”
Sarah couldn’t remember a time when her father listened to anyone so intently. He appeared to be pondering, his forehead furrowed in a deep frown. Finally he spoke. “I’m impressed by what you gentlemen have told me. So far, I’ve ignored this crazy rush for gold. I’d planned to
“I’m aware of that.”
“I’m sure he’s aware of it, too, Sarah. He’ll never settle down.” Ma slanted a warning glance. “Won’t the train soon be splitting up? Some are headed for the goldfields, and that surely includes Jack and his friend. That most definitely doesn’t include us. We’ll be headed out of the mountains and straight to Mokelumne City where we’ll have a roof over our heads, a warm bed and a bathtub, and we’ll never have to ride in a covered wagon again.”
During those blissful moments Sarah spent with Jack, they hadn’t said a word about the future. She’d better face the truth. They had no future together, and she’d be a fool to think otherwise. “That’s what I want, too, Ma. Just the usual comforts of home and a secure, ordinary life. After this journey, I’d be content if nothing exciting ever happens to me again.”
A shadow of a worry tugged at Sarah’s heart. Was that really all she wanted, or was she mouthing those words for her mother’s benefit? Either way, she’d be better off listening to her wise and perceptive mother who had a habit of always being right.
* * * *
Next morning, before the trek began, a group of men on horseback rode into camp. They had all been working claims at the mining town of Gold Creek on the other side of the mountains. Most were headed east with their bounty. Invited to stay for breakfast, the men described their successes at the goldfields.
“I found a nugget big as your fist,” said one with great exuberance. “Just lying on the ground.”
“I was boiling a salmon I caught in the Yuba River,” said another. “When I dumped the water out, danged if there wasn’t a bunch of gold specks on the bottom of the pot. I went back to the spot where I caught the salmon and found seventeen ounces of gold the first day. Ended up making over twelve thousand dollars in eleven days.”
Another miner added, “Just a mile from his diggings, I found a nugget weighing fifteen pounds. Now I’m headed home, set for life.”
Another thrust out his chest. “I panned for gold in Missouri Gulch. Earned at least a thousand a day the whole month of May.”
Pa listened with rapt attention to the miners’ tales of instant wealth. When they finished with their considerable bragging, he remarked, “Sounds like all a man has to do is put a pan in a stream and he’s made a fortune.”
A miner with a thin, haggard look about him remained silent while the others were bragging. Now, he laughed with scorn. “Don’t you believe all you hear, sir. For every man who gets rich, there’s dozens of failures, maybe more. They make finding gold sound easy. Let me tell you, it’s back-breaking work standing hip-deep in freezing water for hours, sweating in the summer, shivering in the winter, getting poison oak all over yourself, smashing your fingers, wrecking your back, and God knows what. The insects drive you crazy. Swarms of mosquitos. Sand flea bites that cause a man’s face and eyelids to swell. You can’t get away from them. They fill the air like dust, stinging your ears, nose, eyes—everywhere. Then there’s the diseases. Cholera, measles, diphtheria, scurvy because you don’t eat right. Mostly you’ll just plain starve. Many a time I lived for days with nothing to eat but flour mixed with water made into dough and baked in ashes.” His mouth twisted wryly. “No, sir, they don’t tell you that.”
“Don’t mind Virgil. He’s going home broke,” said the man who had bragged the most. “Sure, luck plays a part. Maybe you won’t go home rich, but you sure as hell ought to try.”
Sarah couldn’t remember a time when her father listened to anyone so intently. He appeared to be pondering, his forehead furrowed in a deep frown. Finally he spoke. “I’m impressed by what you gentlemen have told me. So far, I’ve ignored this crazy rush for gold. I’d planned to
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