by Roy J. Snell
CHAPTER XXVII GREEN GOLD AT LAST
The story of the aged recluse, Timmie, was soon told. After his companionGordon Duncan had left him, more than twenty years before, the caribouhad come and a fresh supply of provisions was at hand. That spring too,other prospectors had come up the river. In return for his services as aguide, they had supplied him with white man's food.
As the years passed, he had given up hope that Gordon Duncan wouldreturn; but even so, he guarded their secret well.
Ever a lover of nature and her solitary haunts, he was content to dwellalone at the foot of the smoking mountains. Every year, as the winter'ssnow melted away, as the honking geese passed above the rivers and amillion flowers bloomed, he had shouldered pick and pan to begin one moresearch for the mine of green gold.
"I never found it," he whispered as, buried deep in warm deer skins, hetold his story. "But yonder on the raft, just as I was carrying it, youwill find the green gold, every piece. Every piece. Just as we found itso many years ago.
"Take it, Gordon Duncan." His whisper came from deep in his throat. "Formany years I have prized and guarded it. Now it must be entrusted to yourhands. I am soon to pass to that happy land where there are no springtorrents, no snow, no cold, no smoking mountains and no night."
"No! No!" said Faye Duncan, pressing his hand. "You are going to findhealth in the spring sunshine. We will carry you from this dreary land tothe place where yellow roses bloom and the air is heavy with thefragrance of daffodils."
Timmie read the distress in her tone. He smiled and said no more. Yet heknew what he knew, and was content.
"But why did you run from us?" Gordon Duncan asked.
A pained, puzzled look came over the face of the aged recluse. "I do notknow. I am growing old. When one is old he becomes afraid of manythings."
The hoard of green gold on Timmie's raft was indeed a great treasure.Johnny, who had traveled much and knew the value of such things comingfrom a very remote past, reckoned their value in many thousands ofdollars.
One day, two weeks later, having buried Timmie among the hills he hadloved so long, bidding an affectionate farewell to their Indian guidesand the strange hunchback, the party of three, Gordon Duncan, Faye andJohnny, put off from shore in a new dugout which their friends had madefor them.
Three days later, as they drifted down the silent river which was nowquite free from ice, to their great surprise they caught the distant drumof an airplane.
Straining their eyes, they saw it at last just clearing the mountains tothe north. Imagine their surprise when it went out of sight behind thetimber not five miles from where they were.
When, two hours later, on rounding a bend in the river, they sighted thecamp of more than a hundred white men, their joy knew no bounds.
Soon enough they were told of a fresh gold strike on these upper reachesof the river. The passenger airplane which was bringing men into thecountry was to start on the return journey in two hours. It was nearingthe lunch hour now. They might have dinner at the outskirts of the whiteman's land if they liked.
Their decision was quickly reached. After a royal feast of white man'sfood, they bundled their precious relics of green gold aboard the planeand, climbing in, sailed away.
A week later Johnny stood in the doorway of a cabin. Before the cabinyellow roses bloomed and the air was laden with the scent of springblossoms.
Beside him stood Faye Duncan. No longer garbed in the dull brown and grayof the trail, but in a gay red dress, she was the picture of health andbeauty.
Much had been done in these days. A mystery had been cleared up and afortune assured.
From Faye's own lips Johnny had learned the secret of their hiding awayin the north woods so many weeks before. Her grandfather was to have beena witness in a murder trial. He believed the man being tried wasinnocent, yet he realized that his own testimony would go far towardconvicting him. In order to avoid being called as a witness and in orderto give time for hot anger to cool and the real culprit to be found, hehad hidden away in the forest.
"But now it is all more than right," Faye had said with tears of joy inher eyes. "The real murderer has confessed; the other man is free."
Gordon Duncan had sold half the green gold for a sum large enough to makehim comfortable for life. Timmie's half he had given to a museum, thereto remain as a monument to his lost comrade.
Faye and Johnny stood in the doorway watching the sunset fade. Neverbefore had Johnny been so tempted to give up the life of a wanderer andsettle down. And yet--
"Letter for you," said Gordon Duncan. Coming up the path, he handed it toJohnny.
The boy read the letter with interest. It was from Curlie Carson. Perhapsyou have read about him. Johnny had heard of him. In this letter Curlieproposed that the two of them join in a daring enterprise. Would Johnnygo?
Would he? When one frank, daring, straight shooting adventurer says toanother of his kind, "Come, let's go," the answer is sure to be, "Leadon."
"But I'll be back," Johnny said to the ruddy-cheeked Scotch girl as hebade her goodbye next morning. And who can say he will not?
If you wish to read of the adventures entered into by Johnny Thompson andCurlie Carson, you'll find them all written down in a book called, "TheRope of Gold."
The Roy J. Snell Books
Mr. Snell is a versatile writer who knows how to write stories that willplease boys and girls. He has traveled widely, visited manyout-of-the-way corners of the earth, and being a keen observer has foundmaterial for many thrilling stories. His stories are full of adventureand mystery, yet in the weaving of the story there are little threadsupon which are hung lessons in loyalty, honesty, patriotism and rightliving.
Mr. Snell has created a wide audience among the younger readers ofAmerica. Boy or girl, you are sure to find a Snell book to your liking.His works cover a wide and interesting scope.
Here are the titles of the Snell Books:
_Mystery Stories for Boys_
1. Triple Spies 2. Lost in the Air 3. Panther Eye 4. The Crimson Flash 5. White Fire 6. The Black Schooner 7. The Hidden Trail 8. The Firebug 9. The Red Lure 10. Forbidden Cargoes 11. Johnny Longbow 12. The Rope of Gold 13. The Arrow of Fire 14. The Gray Shadow 15. Riddle of the Storm 16. The Galloping Ghost 17. Whispers at Dawn; or, The Eye 18. Mystery Wings 19. Red Dynamite 20. The Seal of Secrecy 21. The Shadow Passes 22. Sign of the Green Arrow
_The Radio-Phone Boys' Series_
1. Curlie Carson Listens In 2. On the Yukon Trail 3. The Desert Patrol 4. The Seagoing Tank 5. The Flying Sub 6. Dark Treasure 7. Whispering Isles 8. Invisible Wall
_Adventure Stories for Girls_
1. The Blue Envelope 2. The Cruise of the O'Moo 3. The Secret Mark 4. The Purple Flame 5. The Crimson Thread 6. The Silent Alarm 7. The Thirteenth Ring 8. Witches Cove 9. The Gypsy Shawl 10. Green Eyes 11. The Golden Circle 12. The Magic Curtain 13. Hour of Enchantment 14. The Phantom Violin 15. Gypsy Flight 16. The Crystal Ball 17. A Ticket to Adventure 18. The Third Warning
Transcriber's Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original printed text--this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
--Relocated promotional material to the end of the book, and completed the list of books in the three series (using other sources).
