Gold Rush • Sutter’s Mill
A Professor Chalkdust and Miss Lucy Adventure • Part 6
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 find gold in a stream on the way to Sutter’s Mill. A mysterious man watches them from afar.
Start at the beginning here:
Once back on the horse, they rode for a while, chatting until the Professor suddenly got quiet and stopped. They had come to the edge of a hill, and the Professor looked down. At the bottom of the hill, he saw a camp with several cabins, plus a large building in the process of being built next to a river.
“What are you thinking, Professor?” Miss Curly asked.
“That has to be Sutter’s Mill. But I fear I was rash in my decision to come here.”
“Why?”
“Well, it is a considerable distance from town. What cause would an old man and a young woman riding a single horse have to visit? Or even know about this place?”
Suddenly, they saw a young boy running along the river and into one of the small cabins at the campsite. A few moments later, a woman emerged with the boy. They both entered a larger cabin near the mill.
“I believe we have just witnessed history. The boy must be the person who found the gold nuggets. I suspect his mother is now showing them to her husband, James Marshall,” the Professor whispered to Miss Curly.
The Professor and Miss Curly waited quietly, watching the cabin for several minutes. Then a man came out of the cabin, got on a horse, and rode off quickly. James Marshall was riding to Sacramento to show the gold to Mr. Sutter.
With great concern on his face, the Professor said, “We can not go there now. They would have been suspicious enough before the discovery of gold, but who knows what they will think, or do, now. We must return to town and try to figure out what to do next.”
The Professor and Miss Curly turned around and started back toward town. They stopped again at the same stream they found earlier and collected a few more small gold nuggets. The Professor found a good-sized one and said, “When we get back to our time, we may need to finance a trip to Paris. Or perhaps Scotland to learn more about this encyclopedia. This nugget should cover our expenses.”
Then they rode on, spending much of the ride in quiet thought. When they finally arrived back in town, sore and tired, it was almost dark. The Professor returned the horse, and they walked to the saloon for dinner. This time, they were both very hungry.
“We must not show the nuggets to anyone. Not yet, anyway. We may need them. And it could be dangerous,” the Professor said quietly to Miss Curly during dinner.
“What about your watch?”
“I will give the pawnbroker a small gold nugget and tell him I received it at the dock from a business partner who got it in Mexico. I doubt he will question the story.”
The next morning, the Professor went to the pawnbroker and retrieved his watch. As he expected, the pawnbroker was happy to accept the nugget in exchange for the pocket watch and didn’t question the Professor’s story. Gold is gold, and he was pleased with the deal. The Professor returned to the hotel and met Miss Curly for breakfast.
Miss Curly began the conversation.
“Mr. Sutter asked his crew to keep the discovery a secret. Which they did, but only for a short time, not the six weeks he requested. Correct?”
“Yes, that is correct,” the Professor replied.
“So the town folk won’t know about the gold for several days or more. How is our cash supply?”
“We have enough for a couple of days. If we are still here, then we may have to start selling gold. Which could have an unknown impact on history, I’m afraid. If people learn about the gold before they are supposed to, who knows what effects it may have. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” the Professor said, trying to be hopeful.
“I don’t want to spend another day here, let alone two, or the rest of my life!” Miss Curly said with a hint of panic in her voice.
“We must hope for the best and plan for the worst.” The Professor sighed. “Let’s go for a walk and see the town. How many 21st-century teachers get to experience the 19th century in person? I am confident we will return to our own time somehow. And if that is the case, we should not miss this opportunity to experience history firsthand.”
Miss Curly tried to be cheerful in spite of her feelings.
“You are right. Let’s go.”
As they walked, the Professor marveled at the small town.
“I visited San Francisco when I moved to the States. It was a city of high rises and millions of people. And, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. Look around now. It is nothing more than a small harbor town with a scattering of wooden buildings. Incredible.”
Soon they had reached the harbor and gazed at the beautiful, tall-masted sailing ships anchored in the bay. They were strangers in their own world. In a time they didn’t belong. Miss Curly started getting caught up in the wonder of it all and said, “Can you imagine sailing on one of those ships? Spending six months at sea to reach this little town on the other side of the country. What a journey that must have been.”
“Unimaginable. And within a year, this harbor will be choked with such ships. Many abandoned. Bringing those willing to risk it all for the chance of finding gold.”
After admiring the ships for a while, they decided to walk back to the Market Street Saloon for lunch. Once they were seated, the conversation turned back to the encyclopedia.
“Professor, you said yesterday that you had a theory about getting home. What was it?” Miss Curly asked.
“Well, I am afraid my theory was in error. I reasoned that the encyclopedia had brought us here to witness the discovery of gold and would return us once we did. I do believe we witnessed James Marshall’s son bringing the gold he discovered to his mother and, in turn, his father. But we remain here. Perhaps there is something else it wants us to witness in addition to the discovery.”
“Hopefully, not the entire gold rush.” Miss Curly said with dread.
“I certainly hope not.” Then, trying to lighten the mood, the Professor added, “At least I didn’t choose the Hundred Years’ War.”
Miss Curly managed a grin but really wasn’t in a joking mood.
The Professor thought for a moment, then said, “Perhaps I should reread the entry to see if I notice anything I might have missed before.”
“Professor!” Miss Curly nearly shouted. Then, realizing people had turned to look at them, she lowered her voice to a near whisper and said, “Could it be that simple? Have we missed the obvious answer?”
“I am not following you, my dear,” the Professor replied.
Miss Curly explained.
“We got transported here when you read the entry out loud at your house. What if you simply need to read the entry out loud again to return us home?”
“It is certainly worth a try,” the Professor said. “But we must not try it in public. Let’s walk outside of town.”
“Yes. Please. Let’s leave right now.”
The Professor put money on the table, and the two of them got up and left the saloon without eating. As they walked toward the edge of town, the Professor had difficulty keeping up with Miss Curly. Once out of town and alone, the Professor took the encyclopedia out of his satchel. He opened it to the California Gold Rush entry and looked at Miss Curly.
“I am hopeful, but prepare yourself in case it doesn’t work. We will be no worse off, and we can’t afford to fall into despair.”
“I understand,” Miss Curly said.
“Then, I will begin.”
He started reading the entry.
“California Gold Rush. On January 24, 1848, gold was discovered by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. News of the discovery brought approximately 300,000 people to California seeking fortune…”
Continues in Part 7 on Wednesday.
Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
"Perhaps there is something else it wants us to witness in addition to the discovery.” I am waiting for it!
It can't be that simple, can it? I mean, we're only halfway through! Prepare to be disappointed.