Mail Order Gold Rush

by Montana West

  Walter nodded on behalf of his family. Mary and Cora were lost in grief as was Michael, and only Walter looked strong even though his eyes were bright with unshed tears. He had to be strong for his family otherwise they would all crumble.

  Apart from Reverend William’s short sermon and eulogy for the two missing men, the service was special as the choir sang songs of comfort and encouragement and many people wept.

  Finally the service came to a close but the pastor requested the congregation to remain seated even after the final benediction.

  “Abide with me fast falls the eventide,

  The darkness deepens Lord with me abide,

  When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

  Help of the helpless oh abide with me,”

  As the choir sang, Victor Willard, his wife Claudia and their son Andrew walked to the front of the church. There wasn’t a dry tear by the time the choir finished the song and it took a while for the congregation to calm down and listen to what their mayor had to say.

  Victor Willard cleared his throat. His own eyes were clouded with grief as he faced the congregation. He had been a prospector and had dealt with situations like this one, but the grief never lessened with each loss of life. That was why when he had become the de facto mayor, he had began putting measures in place to deal with tragedies that could befall the community, and especially mining accidents.

  “I stand here with my wife and son to join the residents of Last Chance and the congregation of this church as we go through this difficult time. When Sheriff Eli came to inform me late last night that some men were missing in the hills after the storm, you can be sure that there was no sleep for anyone in my household.” Claudia nodded, her handkerchief to her eyes. She had kept vigil with her husband when the search parties went out, and when word had come back that only five men had been found alive and two others were missing in a collapsed mine, she had broken down and held her husband as they both wept. Claudia knew the pain of waiting anxiously for loved ones and from the moment Victor had left her and their son Andrew who had only been sixteen at the time in Kentucky and come West, she had never known a full night’s rest, imagining all kinds of tragedies. The newspapers had not been helpful when they insisted on printing out every sordid detail of collapsed mines and men buried alive as they sought wealth deep down in the earth. For a long time, Claudia had lived in dread of the day when someone would come and tell her that her own husband had perished but Victor had lived and become very wealthy.

  So Claudia understood the pain that the Richards were going through and what the families of the other five men had felt before the good news of their survival had come to them.

  Victor was going on with his address. “As I speak, Sheriff Eli is on his way to Virginia City and we expect him back in three or four days. I have asked the mayor of Virginia to send us the necessary equipment to dig up the mine that collapsed on our two young men. Whatever happens, we will bring our boys home whether alive or dead because sometimes miracles can occur.”

  There was a loud cheer.

  “But should they have perished, we will give our young men a befitting send off.” He turned to Walter. “Mr. Richards, on behalf of me and my family and all the residents of Last Chance, please accept our deepest sympathies and I promise you that we will do everything we can to bring Henry back home.” Walter nodded. “And you can count on me for any help you require.”

  “Thank you very much,” Walter stood up and bowed slightly to Victor. “We are really grateful for all the support we are receiving.”

  When Victor and Claudia walked back to their seats and Reverend Williams was about to dismiss the congregation, Andrew held up his hand and everyone looked at him in surprise.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Richards, I wish you to know that I share in your sorrow as I have lost a great friend.” Andrew made a show of wiping his eyes but Cora was not fooled for one moment. She wished the man would sit down and stop making a show of their grief. “It is with that in mind that I have to say this,” he approached Cora and grabbed her hands which were lying on her lap and pulled her to her feet. “I know nothing can make up for the loss of Henry, but I am offering myself to be your son by asking you to bless my marriage to Cora.”

  To say that Cora was astonished would be putting it mildly. Her mouth opened and closed several times and she looked at her parents helplessly, trying to pull her hands away from Andrew’s bigger ones but he held on firm. “Perhaps with time, the love I have for Cora and my presence in your family can fill the void that Henry has left.”

  A number of people thought the gesture quite romantic and clapped, but those who knew Andrew for he really was shook their heads while bowing their heads. Even the mild mannered Lillian Willoughby, who had never been heard saying a mean word about anyone, shook her head and remarked to Ada that Andrew’s proposal was in really poor taste.

  Reverend William saw Cora’s discomfort and stepped in to save the situation. “I am sure the Richards family are honored by your proposal, Andrew, and it is good to know that they have friends that they can count on. Shall we all stand for the final blessing?”

  Cora clutched Michael’s hand tightly as soon as the service was over and because they needed time to properly grieve, the four Richards made their way to their carriage and got in, each lost in their deep grief. A number of people from church followed them home to wait, and mourn, with them.

  ***

  When the water had receded to ankle level, Louis led the way back through the tunnel they had come. The lamp still hung where Louis had left it, but that brief joy was quickly extinguished when Louis took it up and they walked together to where the entrance should have been and saw nothing but a wall of fallen rock. It would take days for rescuers to dig through this, days that Louis and Henry did not have.

  “Where are we, Louis. Weren’t we going back to where we came in? Where’s the—”

  “We have been buried inside the mine,” the older man said in a quiet voice. “The entrance must have caved in during the storm.”

  “What now? Where do we go?” Henry voice was beginning to sound hysterical.

  Louis shook his head. “There may be another way out, but it has not been used for a long time so I am not sure if it is still passable.”

  “But—“

  “We don’t really have a choice. Come this way,” he turned into the second tunnel and they walked for a long time.

  “Back into the mine?”

  “It seems that way, but this is the way out, only it comes out on the other side of the hill, which is even nearer your home.”

  “Is that a pickaxe?” Henry asked, pointing to the tool which had been tossed and abandoned by the flood.

  “Take it,” Louis said. “We may need to do a little digging.” Hopefully not too much, considering how exhausted he and Henry both were.

  They walked and walked.

  To Louis’ dismay, the old entrance had also caved in. For a moment, all he could do was stare.

  “Why are we stopping here?”

  “This is it,” Louis said.

  “But it doesn’t look any better than the other one.”

  “I know.”

  Worse, Louis could hear nothing. No sounds of rescuers or even ordinary sounds of the night. The wall of rock was too thick. They could attempt to dig themselves out or wait, praying for rescue that might not come. Mining accidents weren’t uncommon, and Louis and Henry had gone far into the mine. The water had carried them even further.

  Had Louis been alone, he would have stopped here and wept. But he had Henry to think about, and he couldn’t let himself lose heart. Or faith. God would see them through. Louis was careful not to think of the countless other miners who had found themselves lost in the dark, never finding a way to freedom.

  ‘Dear God,’ Louis prayed. ‘I know I am unworthy, that I have run from war and sacrificed years of my life chasing dreams of wealth. It must be Your will that has led me to this end, but please,
do not force Henry to suffer for my sins. I love Cora, and she will be devastated if her brother dies here on a mission to learn my character. Please God, guide my steps. Lead me as you led Moses from the cruelty of the Pharaoh. Which way is best, Lord? Shall we dig or find another way?’

  Louis closed his eyes. There was no voice. No assurance. But just as he was about to give up all hope, he felt a warm breeze against his cheek.

  Louis’ eyes shot open. The breeze had come from his left, from the wall.

  “We dig,” he said

  “Wouldn’t it be better to go to the other entrance? Won’t people be there to help?”

  “We dig here,” Louis declared. God had given him an answer, and he would have faith.

  “Then let us get to work,” Henry said, gripping his pick axe which they had stumbled upon once the water went down.

  The two men worked for while but Henry could not keep up with Louis who seemed to have great reserves of energy. What Henry did not know was that his acceptance and promise to support Louis and Cora had given the man renewed bursts of adrenaline and Louis was determined to get to Cora and hold her in his arms and never let her go. With that thought, he wielded his pick axe with all his strength and when he felt that he had loosened a sufficient amount of earth and rocks, he would use his shovel to move the debris away.

  Most of the time Henry sat watching as Louis did most of the work. After a while Louis came and joined Henry on the small ledge. He was panting with the exertion and he was dying for a drink of water. Henry twisted his lips wryly, wishing he had the strength to help Louis but knowing that his own strength was limited. He could however do something for his friend and he staggered to his feet.

  “Where are you going?” Louis whispered. His throat was parched and his tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth.

  “To get you some water to drink,” Henry announced. As they had been walking to this part of the mine, he had seen an old tin mug, no doubt left there by some miner of before and without thinking he had picked it up. Now he was glad he had because it was going to come in handy.

  “Where will you get water?”

  “We passed a pool of water as we were coming this way and we will have to make do with whatever we can get,” Henry said. He walked a short distance and then knelt down to scoop the water into the mug and put it to his lips. It had an acrid taste and though he made a face, he knew they had no other alternative than to drink it because they somehow had to stay alive. When he had taken his fill, he once again filled the mug and carried it to Louis.

  “Prepare yourself for the horrible taste but we have to stay alive,” he told Louis as he handed him the mug.

  ‘I don’t care about the taste. Just as long as it doesn’t make us ill.”

  “We can’t work like this without water.”

  “That is also true,” and with these words Louis fell upon the water and emptied the mug within seconds.

  “Would you like some more?”

  “Let’s see how this sits.”

  Thankfully, while Louis found his stomach aching a bit, the water didn’t make him seriously ill. Perhaps the flood had cleared some of the heavy metals. More likely, it was simply the grace of God. Louis took heart from this and dug with all of the energy he could muster.

  From time to time the stomachs of the two men growled and they filled their bellies with the water. When Henry would have given up, Louis encouraged him to keep strong. What Henry did not realize was that Louis was getting weaker and weaker but he was hiding his condition from the younger man because he did not want him to panic. A real man kept his head even in the light of the worst conditions.

  “Panicking will only make you lose your head and expend the energy that you need to get you out of a bad situation, so always keep a cool head no matter what you are facing,” he heard Reuben’s voice and he smiled.

  When had no choice but to rest or collapse, he leaned against the wall, sitting with his legs stretched out before him and began humming a song that he had heard the children singing in the Sunday School.

  “Even in the deepest darkness,

  I behold the shining face of my Savior,”

  Henry looked at the man whose eyes were closed with continued wonder. At no moment had he heard Louis grumbling or complaining. The man would just hum softly to himself and once in a while would break out into a hymn of praise, and Henry knew he was in the presence of one of the most Godly men that he would ever meet. If it were not for Louis, he would have curled up on the floor and given up hope, but whenever he felt his strength ebbing and his spirit flagging, all he had to do was look at Louis and see the peaceful expression on his face and he would once again rouse himself.

  “I am so amazed,” he whispered to Louis. “We seem to have been here for days on end but this lamp still keeps shining.”

  Louis nodded, too tired to speak. His stomach growled and he chuckled softly then bent over swiftly because he felt a sharp pain ripping through his chest.

  “Are you alright, Louis?” Henry looked closely at his friend and for the first time noticed the exhaustion lines on his face. “You do not look alright to me, perhaps you need to rest a little while.”

  “I am just hungry,” Louis lied. “I can just imagine the thick steak that I am going to bite into when we get out of here.”

  “Keep that thought,” Henry grinned at him. They looked a sight, the pair of them. Their faces were smudged with black mud and their clothes had changed color. They also stank. “How long have we been here?” Henry asked.

  “It is Monday night,” Louis announced, struggling to get back to his feet. He did not want to raise Henry’s hopes up, but when he had been shoveling the last batch of mud and small rocks, he thought he had felt a breeze blowing in. Whether it was another sign to keep working, or a sign that they had almost made it to the light, Louis didn’t know He just wished he had more strength. He felt as though darkness was taking him over, but he forced his eyes open and grabbed at the pick-axe again.

  Digging. Digging until his arms felt like lead and he could barely lift them. Henry was clearing the dirt and rocks away so that Louis had a clear vision. Yes. There was a pinprick of light. It hurt his eyes, it was so bright, and from somewhere deep inside he managed another blow. Wind rushed through the opening along with a rain of stones and dirt. But behind it was the light. Louis looked up at it, tears streaming from his eyes as he collapsed, not hearing Henry’s shout of joy.

  “You did it, Louis, you have done it, we are out in the open now!” Henry cheered. “Louis!!!”

  But Louis was lying still, too still, and Henry’s joy turned to terror. “No, Louis! Do not give up on me right now when we have made it!”

  But Louis was silent, unconscious.

  Henry looked at the man lying at his feet and then at the small opening that Louis had dug through, and then came to a decision. He would not fail Louis; he would not fail Cora, and he would not fail Michael and his parents. He picked up the pickaxe and dug through the mud, widening the hole so that he and Louis could get out. The more he dug, the more he felt his strength returning, and finally he had made a space big enough for him to drag Louis out.

  Just as Louis had said, it was nighttime.

  As though knowing they had made it from the depths, the lamp in the mine sputtered and died.

  Above, the moon was shining brightly, which allowed Henry to see a little bit. He bent down, hooked his hands under Louis’s armpits, and dragged him out of the cave on onto a grassy slope. He had no idea why he did it, but something inside insisted he cover the hole they had crawled through. Weary and terrified, Henry followed that voice and even pulled a few shrubs over the place.

  Then Henry sat, just breathing in the fresh air. The breeze from the mountain chilled him, and he shivered, but he felt more alive than ever before. He knelt on all fours and the tears began flowing.

  “Oh great and merciful God, You alone are God and today I worship You,” he prayed. “Thank Y
ou for getting us out of this death hole alive even though we are very weak. Thank You for bringing Louis into our lives for I acknowledge that without him, I would not have made it out alive. Please let him live so that I can fulfill my promise to him. Give me the strength to get him home, in Jesus name, amen.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Cora was so enraged she felt she might burst. It was Monday afternoon and Ada had come to check on her and her parents and the two girls were seated in Cora’s bedroom in her parents’ new house.

  “What are you saying, Ada?” she hissed.

  “That is what folk around town are saying” Ada nodded. “The whole place is abuzz with your upcoming nuptials to Andrew Willard and everyone wants an invitation to the wedding because they are terming it the wedding of the year since they know just how rich the Willards are and how much Mayor Victor is for the idea of his son marrying you.”

  “I am so angry that I could scream,” Cora clenched her hands. Ada was seated on her bed but she was pacing around, the beauty of the room lost on her as she ranted and raved. “Don’t they even care that my brother and Louis are missing? The fact that that beast would even bring up the subject of our nuptials only makes it even clearer that I will be dead and buried before I even consider marrying Mr. Andrew Willard!”

  “I think people are speaking like that because yesterday in church when Andrew made his announcement you did not refute it, so they took that as your acceptance to his suit.”

  “I didn’t even hear it,” Cora flopped onto the bed. “Ada, do you believe I am foolish enough to be married to that man? To accept a proposal to him while my brother hangs on the precipice between life and death?”