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    Gold Fever
    Gold Fever
    Gold Fever
    Ebook179 pages2 hours

    Gold Fever

    By D. E. Harrison

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    About this ebook

    A young couple on vacation stops at a ‘pan your own gold’ place in central Idaho. Jill is a natural and recovers $50 in gold. He buys a very old Spanish book in the next college town They go to see Jill’s friend, Sally who is going to college. She is trying to map what the Mexican border will look like in 500 years.
    Sally becomes friend with a computer guy that tries to help with free computer time and personal help. He has a desk that acts like a keyboard if you are not careful.
    The computer maps of the future Rio Grande river boundary are what she wants. But with the incredibly old book the boys try to compare her maps with those found in the binding of the old book.
    The maps are so large the only way to see them all at one time is when they hang them on the bedroom walls. Of course, that mean many unusual noises coming from the bedroom and the neighbors think what neighbors do.
    Eons before the maps were made or the book was written, there is a sever drought in all the land. The Royal Brother builds a strange serpent of water to save the empire. The Ruler of the all the lands uses records even old on how to appease the Gods and return the rain to the land.
    A vast caravan of men and animals travel years to the double rivers to present their offering. It is all buried with no witness left to tell the tale.
    Sally’s map goes crazy on a pair of Cray computers. The fastest in the world. The old book’s map and the computer map match to closely to be an accident. But the computer map has a date of !(bc. Sally map was to be 500 years into the future. How could they ever compare? And two rivers in the southwest?
    What happened when they were eating on the desk? Did the desk do something and what is the usual offering to the gods?
    Ted, Jill’s husband and owner of the old book notices, “If we assume two rivers flowing south, and then a terrible earthquake happens near the head waters. It changes one river to fall into the Grand Canyon. This explains why only the few bottom feet of the Canyon shows any water erosion.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherD. E. Harrison
    Release dateJan 13, 2019
    ISBN9780463138472
    Gold Fever
    Author

    D. E. Harrison

    I am trained as a theoretical mathematician. I am an emeritus member of the American Mathematical Society for fifty odd years. I have lived in Seattle since 1967. I starting writing fiction after writing a family history.

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      Book preview

      Gold Fever - D. E. Harrison

      Gold Fever

      By D. E. Harrison

      Copyright 2004 by D. E. Harrison

      Smashwords Edition

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1 the Vacation

      Chapter 2 The Project

      Chapter 3 Mapping and getting free Computer time.

      Chapter 4 Mapping the Rio Grande

      Chapter 5 Borrowing Time

      Chapter 6 Results and Wall Pounding

      Chapter 7 Furniture Movement

      Chapter 8 Ted and Jill leave the Gold Panning Behind

      Chapter 9 In a Different Place and a far Distant Time

      Chapter 10 The High Priest Worries about the Royal Water Master

      Chapter 11 The Royal Decree

      Chapter 12 Gathering the people, Animals and the Yellow Orb

      Chapter 13 Cycles Before the Royal Journey

      Chapter 14 Further North of the Current Scouting Effort and many years Earlier

      Chapter 15 In the Royal Palace 5 Seasons Before the Water Serpent is Finished

      Chapter 16 a Complete Cycle of the Seasons Since the Water Serpent was Completed

      Chapter 17 Site preparation is Complete

      Chapter 18 The Present Time Some Where in the great Southwest Desert

      Chapter 19 Back in More Pleasant Surroundings

      Chapter 20 An Adventure is about to Start

      Chapter 21 Jill Smells Something

      About D. E. Harrison

      Discover other titles by D. E. Harrison

      Chapter 1 the Vacation

      Somewhere in central Idaho, a car is driving old Idaho route 52. The road is two lanes with new asphalt instead of concrete. The car is an older model and the young couple is on their first vacation in several years. The traffic is thin and consists mainly of farmers going out to the fields to continue their spring plowing.

      Look Ted, there is that sign again. It is now only three miles to the place where you can pan for gold and keep everything you find. Let’s stop. We can have the sandwiches I made in the motel. Besides, they also have a gas station and a rest room. We have nothing waiting for us. Let’s stop! Jill is bubbling over with excitement.

      Well OK, we could use a little gas. I bet the only gold they mine is in my pocket.

      In three miles, they find the little run-down gas station with a house attached and the gold panning out back on a stream.

      Howdy, you need gas or just stopping for the gold?

      The old man needs a shave; his overhauls are several sizes to big. They fit before he got sick and lost the weight. He never did gain it back.

      Ted gets out of the car, A little of both, my wife wants to try her luck. I will be happy with a Nephi grape and $5 of gas.

      The old man reminds him of his grandpa; they use to go out and he helped feed the cows.

      The old man grins with half of his teeth missing, Well, I sure can handle that. The pop machine is inside. The cost to pan is by the hour. It takes a spell before you can get the rhythm of the pan. So, I charge by the hour and help train you at no cost. The price is the same for one or two. The water is not too cold this time of year. Otherwise, I could rent you some boots. I have a few pair out back.

      Jill is standing by the front of the car and is ready to go.

      Come on Ted, this is going to be fun. We can get back the price of trying if we both work. Come on, get your pop and get some sandals on.

      Nothing is slowing down Jill and the gold fever she has caught. In 15 minutes, they have their pans, a shovel and the old timer is about to instruct them on the proper manner of panning for gold. It takes half an hour before either one can keep the heavier rocks on the bottom of the pan and not pouring everything out. Jill is much better to start with. With a much softer touch, she catches on though her motion is much quicker.

      You youngens know, the old boys had more gold leave their pans than ever stayed in. Here is a small bottle of that fancy stuff they use in dishwashers. It breaks the water film, so the fine gold does not wash away. Put one drop in this here bucket of water. I use it after the real chunks are gone. No need for it on the first couple of passes.

      The old timer goes back to the station to sell several gallons of gas to a farmer for his tractor and chews the fat for a time.

      Ted, try a shovel up here where the water is gone. Isn’t this a lot of fun? I can just feel the gold wanting to jump right into my pan.

      Yes dear.

      Ted, Ted. Look. That is yellow gold in the bottom of my pan. Look, Look, Jill’s eyes are as large as a watermelon.

      Yes, I see it but that is likely fool’s gold, Ted responds.

      No, it is not. He said that they never had any fool’s gold on this stream. Get up here and dig a little hole for me to swirl the pan in and use the dirt out of the hole. Get your pan up here, I have some more. You go and pay for another hour here; don’t tell him we are doing so good.

      Jill, he salted this area to keep you think you are going to find a lot.

      Don’t rain on my parade, go pay, we can sleep in the car if you want to save the $10.50 for a room or we will eat sandwiches until we get to my mothers.

      OK, if it makes you happy.

      Ted grins all the back to the station. Jill does get into things, all, or none. He finds the old man sitting on an old wooden bench in the shade. He is staring out into the hills.

      My wife is having a great time, so much so, here is for another hour. Then I am going to drag her back to the car, we need to put some miles on before it goes dark.

      The old man shakes his head and his toothless grin is ear to ear.

      "Well, young man when the gold fever hits, it is hard to cure. It makes no difference if you find nothing or a good poke. Once the bug bites, it is hard to kick the habit. Seen all ages go plumb crazy over it.

      "In fact, I still pan some out back myself when things slowdown in the late fall. If you are careful you can make a few dollars an orb. You can make more in town, but you always think you are going to find the mother lode. A small poke is about all you can expect in panning.

      You have another hour. If you want another one, just come down and pay. Good luck.

      Jill is wet where she should not be. But she is happy, when Ted returns.

      Would you grab my glass to hold my gold? I have your pan here; mine has some gold I do not want to lose.

      Ted is more than surprised when he looks in her pan, Jill, you really do have some gold there. Not enough to sell or fix a tooth but it is yellow.

      You sound surprise, I told you. Now, start to either shovel or give it to me. Cut into the bank and let a little more water in the hole. You are too deep, see where the roots stop, shovel below them, but not so deep. Look either do what I say or give me the shovel.

      Jill takes the shovel from Ted; there is no doubt who is now running this operation.

      She orders Ted, You take the pan and get the gold out with the swab he gave you. I will shovel and pan. Hurry, I need another pan, there are some big flakes in this shovel full.

      Two hours after they started, Ted looks up with a sore back and sweat in his eyes.

      Jill, we have dug all around the area. There is nothing left. We have got it all. You are going to need a bath before you get back in the car. You have mud all over you. Likely he will make more than we do after we pay to clean you up.

      Who cares, I found gold, I found real gold, and I tingle all over.

      Ted carries all the tools back while Jill has the bottle of gold in her tight little hand. They come around the corner of the station and find the little old man in the same spot, looking in the same direction. He has not moved a muscle since Ted left him.

      I see you two are done or are you just stopping to rest before you start again?

      No, we are through. Jill will need to clean up some. She fell in twice; the stream was not very high, but she managed it.

      Stop jabbing and give him his tools. Then he can check out my gold bottle, I want to know what I found is worth.

      The clear glass bottle has yellow all over the bottom. The old man jumps up like a dog that just had a tick give him a good bite.

      My graces young lady that is the most gold taken out of that their stream in several years. Ma, come and see this. Bring the camera; we need a picture of this here young couple.

      Ma comes out of the houses’ side door. She is large enough to fill Pa’s britches and then some. She has her hair up out of her eyes and in a clean apron with flour all over it.

      After the pictures, Ma turns to Jill, My dear, you come in and clean up some. Pa is not going to charge you for my bathroom. He and your young man can figure out how much you got out. Pa will use a piece of cotton to collect all the gold. Then he will burn it. After that, he can see what you have.

      Twenty minutes later, after Ted had made several trips to the car for Jill’s suit cases, Ma yells from the house into the gas station, Pa you about done out there. She is clean and coming out.

      Jill comes out with a sack of wet dirty clothes and a sparkle in her eye. She is one happy prospector. Pa hands the gold bottle to her.

      Well miss, as near as I can figure you have about $50 here. I never had that much taken out before, by a first timer. I need to go to town with you to the assessor’s office. He will want to know where you got it. Got to make sure you were not claim jumping. I could call but he will want me to sign with you. Damn fool government, I usually take $30 a year down from people that I paid off, so they could move on.

      Ma tells Pa she has a pie in the oven and cannot leave. Pa tells the kids to follow him into town. He has a 1936 Chevy and it rattles onto the paved highway. In several minutes, he takes a turn off onto a dirt road. Two miles later they pass 6 or 8 grain silos, several old houses, and he pulls up in front of a wooden building that has a US and state flags flying. There are so many signs on the building one would think they were there for decoration. Ted turns to Jill as they get out of the car and start up some wooden stairs.

      He reads, US Post office, General Store, Court House, County Building, Claims office, Assayer's Office, Second Bank of Idaho.

      Ted notices that the bottom sign says dog catcher and hunting licenses?

      Jill has no interest in what the signs may say.

      Come on Ted, you can look at the signs later!

      Jill has a vice grip on the bottle as they pass through the doors. There are several people in the store but Slim heads to the very back hall. Behind the counter is a man at least as old as Slim.

      He looks over his glasses, "Say Slim, it has been a while. You hit it big on your claim or is the

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