The Mystery of the Death Trap Mine - M. V. Carey [21]
“He’s going tomorrow,” reported Allie.
“And we’re going with him. We’ll see exactly what’s in this pebble.”
Chapter 10
Is the Glitter Gold?
UNCLE HARRY PARKED the station wagon beside the express office in Lordsburg. “I ordered three flats of young trees from San Jose,” he said. “After I pick them up I have to go to the builder’s supply company for some things I need. I’ll meet you boys back here at one o’clock, and we’ll have some lunch before we start back to the ranch.”
“I’m going with Jupe and Pete and Bob,” Allie announced.
“Okay. Just stay out of trouble,” said Uncle Harry. “Though I don’t know why I should worry. There’s no mine here for you to get into.”
He left them and went into the express office.
“What’s first?” demanded Allie eagerly.
“We check out Jupe’s pebble, huh?” said Pete. “That shouldn’t take long. Do we tell the jeweler where we found it when we show it to him?”
“I think not,” said Jupiter. “We don’t want any more prowlers, and if the streak in the pebble is gold, that might bring them swarming. Leave it to me. I’ll think of something to say.”
Two blocks from the express office they found a small shop with a display of watches and pendants in the window. A sign indicated that the proprietor, J. B. Atkinson, bought old gold and silver.
“Exactly what we need.” Jupiter Jones opened the door and they went in.
A plump, rosy-faced man sat on a stool behind a glass partition. He had a jeweler’s lens in one eye and was repairing a watch. They saw a case with some worn but beautiful silver pieces on display and several handsome old gold pins and rings.
“Mr. Atkinson?” said Jupiter.
The man behind the partition put down a tiny screwdriver, took the lens from his eye, and smiled.
Jupe took out his pebble. “We’ve been staying with friends near Silver City,” he told the man. “We were out hiking in the hills yesterday, and we met an old prospector.”
Atkinson nodded. “There are still some around.”
“He said he needed money,” Jupiter went on. “He said he’d been carrying this for a long time, but he’d sell it to us.” Jupe handed the pebble to Atkinson.
Atkinson looked at the pebble, squinted, and rubbed it with his finger. His smile did not change. “How much did you pay for it?” he asked.
“Five dollars,” said Jupiter.
“Is it real?” asked Allie.
“It’s a real pebble, right enough,” said Atkinson. “Whether the stuff in it is gold or not, we’ll see.” He opened a drawer and took out a small bottle of liquid and a little file. He cut
a tiny notch in the shiny streak of the pebble with the file, then put a drop of liquid onto the notch. “This stuff is nitric acid,” he said. “Most any metal except gold will react with it.”
After a moment he nodded. “Yep. I’d say you’ve got gold here.”
“Does pure gold often exist in nature?” asked
Jupe.
“It’s usually combined with other metals,”
said the jeweler. “This looks to be pretty fine stuff. Wonder where your prospector pal got it.”
“He didn’t say,” Jupe replied.
“I doubt if it matters.” Atkinson handed the
pebble back to Jupe. “I’d guess it’s from some worked-out
mine,
probably
in
California.
Prospectors can still make enough to keep themselves in beans by panning the streams near the old
mines.”
Jupe put the pebble in his pocket. “You say
gold is usually combined with other metals. Do you think there’s any silver in this gold?” he asked.
“No. It’s reddish, which might mean some
copper. Silver gives gold a greenish colour.” He opened one of the cases and took out a pin which
looked very old. It was made of gold which had a
greenish cast, and it was formed in the shape of a
leaf. “This is what we call green gold. It’s about twenty-five percent silver, which means it’s
eighteen-carat gold. Those little finger rings there in the case are even finer. They’re baby rings. People used to buy them for children for christening presents. They’re more than twenty-carat gold, and that’s why some of them