Gold Rush • San Francisco
A Professor Chalkdust and Miss Lucy Adventure • Part 3
This twelve-part serial follows the unexpected adventures of Oxford professor Emerson Caldwell Chalkdust and new teacher, Victoria Ann Curly, whom he volunteered to mentor. Both get far more than they expected thanks to a magical encyclopedia set. I will post chapters every other day until it is complete.
In the previous chapter, the Professor and Miss Curly picked up a set of old Scottish encyclopedias and returned to the Professor’s house, where the Professor read an entry about the California Gold Rush aloud.
Start at the beginning here:
The Professor looked up from the encyclopedia and realized that he and Miss Curly were standing in the middle of a dirt road lined with wooden buildings. He also noticed horses and carriages on the street.
“Oh my. That was unexpected,” was all the Professor could think of to say.
“What happened, Professor?” Miss Curly said in a panic.
Before the Professor could answer, a woman ran out of one of the buildings and said, “My dear, you must come with me now! Quickly into my shop. You should not be out in public half-naked.”
Miss Curly took a quick glance at herself and shot back, “I am not naked!”
“Look at you. Your arms and legs are bare for all the world to see,” the woman said disapprovingly.
The Professor wisely interrupted the conversation and said, “Let us go into your shop, madam, and remedy this situation if possible.” Miss Curly was now visibly shaking. The Professor took her by the arm and led her into the woman’s clothing store.
“My dear lady, we are travelers and quite lost. Could you please tell us where we are?” The Professor said.
“You are on Market Street, near Fifth Street.”
“Thank you. Please forgive our dress. Our trunks were stolen, and we have only the clothes on our backs.”
The woman’s tone quickly changed. She turned to Miss Curly and said, “You poor things. Sit down. I will find you a proper dress to wear, my dear.”
The Professor continued, “You are very kind, madam. I am afraid all our money was stolen as well, but I managed to keep my pocket watch. Is there a pawnbroker nearby?”
“Four buildings down, across the street. You tell William that Mrs. Draper sent you. He’ll rob you blind if you give him a chance.”
“Victoria, please sit down and rest. I will return as quickly as possible,” the Professor said and then walked out the door.
Professor Chalkdust’s mind was reeling, but he was quite sure he knew where, or more precisely, when they were. San Francisco. January 1848. The streets were too sparse and empty for the gold rush to have started. He wanted to be sure, though, so he stopped in the nearest shop and looked at a wall calendar. His suspicions were correct. The date was January 22, 1848. Gold would be discovered in two days. His mind started spinning.
“I must focus,” he thought.
He headed to the pawnshop to trade his beloved pocket watch for hopefully enough money to survive on until they could find a way back home.
The Professor entered the pawnshop and saw a thin man seated behind a counter. Behind him, several rifles hung on the wall.
“Might you be William?” the Professor inquired. “Mrs. Draper recommended your shop. She said you were a shrewd businessman who could give me a fair price on a pocket watch.”
“I got plenty of pocket watches already. First thing people pawn,” the thin man said in a well-practiced, disinterested voice. “What is that fancy blue book you have there?” he said, looking at the encyclopedia the Professor was holding against his side.
“This book is not for sale. It is a family heirloom. Take a look at this watch. I doubt you have seen one like it.”
The Professor took out his watch and set it on the counter.
“It is pure silver. Made by the Swiss. I purchased it in England. You will not find a finer watch.”
William took a closer look, keeping his face expressionless.
“It is interestin’. And since Mrs. Draper sent you, I will give you one dollar for it.”
Initially shocked at the offer, the Professor quickly realized that one dollar in 1848 was worth about fifty dollars in his time.
“It is easily worth five dollars, but I will make you a deal. You give me three dollars today, and I will return within three days for the watch and pay you ten dollars worth of gold.”
The thin man thought for a moment. “How do I know you’ll return?”
“This watch is one of my most valued possessions. I will be back. And you can easily get five dollars for it if I do not return.”
“Ten dollars worth of gold? Three days?”
“You have my word,” the Professor said.
The thin man agreed.
The Professor returned to the clothes shop with three silver dollars in his pocket. Miss Curly seemed to have recovered a bit from the shock of unexpectedly traveling through time.
Mrs. Draper didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Professor, did William treat you fairly? I will have words with him if not.”
“Oh yes, we reached a mutual agreement, and I would like to pay you for Victoria’s dress now.”
“I feel terrible taking money from you after such misfortune.”
“Do not worry, madam. Our misfortune is only temporary. I have a contact in the city who will help us get back on our feet.”
“Oh, that is wonderful. Your granddaughter and I have been having a nice chat. I’ve never met anyone from New York before. The dress is twenty-five cents, but you can pay me once you’ve settled in if you like.”
“No need to wait. You have been more than kind. Here you are.”
The Professor handed Mrs. Draper a silver dollar. She went to the cash register and brought back his change.
“Dear lady, may I bother you for one more thing? Might you tell us a good place to eat?” The Professor asked.
“Well, with your limited funds, I would recommend Market Street Saloon. It’s a short walk down the street toward the bay. Nothing to look at, mind you, but the food is good. And cheap.”
“Thank you again, Mrs. Draper. You have been an enormous help.”
“Please come back and see me again,” Mrs. Draper said as they were leaving the shop.
The Professor and Miss Curly, who was now attired in a full-length dress with long sleeves, exited the shop and headed for the saloon. Miss Curly could barely contain herself once outside.
“Professor, I saw a calendar in Mrs. Draper’s store. It says 1848. How is this possible?”
“How can we be in my house one second and then in San Francisco in 1848 the next? I simply do not know. Knowledge is infinite and ever-changing, and I am at a loss. Perhaps there is something to the rumors of magic surrounding the encyclopedia.”
Miss Curly didn’t know what to say to that, so she asked another question.
“How will we get back home?”
“I have a theory, but it will have to wait until the morning. It is nearly dark, and we need to find some food and a hotel.”
“I’m freaking out. I can’t think about food or sleep,” Miss Curly said in a half-agitated, half-scared voice.
“My dear, we are in a situation that neither of us has ever experienced. We need to get our bearings and figure out what to do next. Eating will give us a chance to sit and think.”
Continues in Part 4 on Thursday.
Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
I never thought I'd read a story from Mark Starlin with a neked woman in it! 😜
11 increased to 12 parts? 😎 There’s more to the story than first met the imagination?