CHAPTER 15 
CHAPTER 15 Nathan, Chad, and Ellie hopped down to help Shen load the mining tools in the back of the wagon. When the last hammer had been piled in, they stashed his cart in an out-ofthe-way corner off Main Street. Shen climbed into the wagon bed and settled himself between the firewood and the tools. He let out a long, weary sigh, which made Jem extra glad he’d offered his friend a lift. With all the tension in town, Shen probably dreaded walking down the street.
Copper and Quicksilver made quick work of the steep, winding road that rose just beyond Goldtown. When they passed the still-silent stamp mill, the horses veered to the right. They knew Jem’s firewood route as well as he did. They looked eager to finish the route and return home to a shady pasture.
Jem clucked his tongue and directed the horses away from the Morrison place. “We’ve got an errand first,” he told them. Copper snorted and tossed his head, but he and Silver turned and continued up the rest of the way to the Belle diggings.
The mine opening looked exactly as it had a few days before, but the same tingly thrill shot through Jem’s arms at the sight. There was just something about a mine. No matter how dark and empty it appeared, there were always possibilities. A gold vein might be hiding just a few feet away, behind the rocks. One never knew.
“Oh, my!” Ellie gasped and climbed down from the wagon.
“Stay away from—” Jem paused. For once, his sister was not rushing ahead to be first. She stood with one hand clutching Copper’s mane, staring at the mine entrance.
“It’s lots bigger than a coyote hole,” Jem said, coming up beside her. “I bet if you ask real nice, Wu Shen will let you and Nathan take a look.”
Shen was all smiles. “Yes, of course. I have plenty time now.”
Ellie didn’t jump at the offer, which was unlike her.
“We can help you haul the tools inside,” Chad offered. He looked in the wagon bed and scratched his head. “These things are heavy. We’ll have to take more than one trip, unless …” He looked around.
Jem spied the old ore cart at the same time Chad did. It sat just outside the entrance. “Can we load the tools up in the cart and save ourselves some work?” he asked Shen.
Shen nodded. “It is empty. Must take back inside to load more ore. We can use.” He waved the group to follow him and set off toward the dark hole. “But first, come.”
Ellie hung back.
Jem wanted to chuckle. Ellie was usually the first to plunge into an old mining hole. Of course, most of the coyote holes she and Jem explored were shallow. She’d never seen a mining hole so large—or dark-looking—before.
Shen disappeared inside the mine and hollered, “Come!”
“Maybe I’ll stay with the horses,” Ellie murmured.
Jem snatched her hand. “You wanted to see it, so come on.”
Nathan and Chad trooped behind Jem, who held Ellie’s hand as they crossed into the shadow of the Belle mine. Shen was on his knees, rummaging around inside a large wooden box. He stood up and held out a double handful of candles. “You take. Dark inside mine. Cannot see with no light.” He grinned and looked proud of showing off his family’s claim.
Four pairs of hands eagerly reached out. Some candles were nearly new, with plenty of use left in them. Others were stubs, good for only a few minutes of light. Jem stuffed his pockets full.
Shen brought out a small tin cylinder of matches and handed it to Jem. “Keep in pocket. Put back when we leave.”
Jem was more than happy to take charge of the matches. Shen’s loose-fitting tunic and pants held no pockets. If their candles went out, Jem wanted a quick way to relight them. “Can’t we use the lanterns?” He glanced around for the lamps he’d seen the miners carrying the other day.
Shen shook his head. “Cannot waste kerosene.”
Jem understood and nodded. “Let’s get the ore cart and load up the tools.”
It took three trips to unload the pickaxes, shovels, drills, and hammers from the wagon. They dropped the mining tools into the ore cart with a clang and began to push it.
The cart was heavier than Jem expected. They pushed and pulled it on creaking wheels into the mine. No smooth, iron tracks lined the scavenger diggings. Instead, the cart scraped and lurched its way over rusty rails on the rock-strewn tunnel floor.
They had gone no more than a stone’s throw when Ellie said, “Aren’t we going to light the candles?”
Jem hid a smile. Sunlight streamed in through the mine opening. They didn’t need the candles yet. But he welcomed the chance to stop and rest. “You and Nathan take the lead,” he told Ellie and thrust a lit candle into her hands. “Point out the holes and kick any rubble out of the way.”
Step by step, they made their way through the tunnel. It was slow going. The cart creaked along, occasionally jamming up against a loose stone Nathan had missed clearing from the tracks. When that happened, Chad and Jem groaned. Only Shen plodded along, uncomplaining.
Ellie glanced back every few seconds. She looked scared.
Maybe I should have let her stay with the horses, Jem thought. What if she trips over one of those holes Pa warned me about? He was opening his mouth to remind Ellie to watch where she was going, when a hand gripped his shoulder from behind.
Jem’s heart leaped to his throat. He whirled. And yelled. “Hang it all, Will! What do you mean by sneaking up on me like that?”
“I didn’t sneak up on you,” Will yelled back. “I called, but you didn’t turn around. So I followed you inside this hole.” Against the bright light of the mine entrance, Will looked like a dark, inky shadow. “I was riding by and saw your wagon. What are you doing?”
None of your business. Jem’s natural response to nosy Will’s question came easily to his mind. But his gratitude for Will’s help during the fight kept those thoughts inside where they belonged.
“We’re helping Wu Shen haul mining tools.” Jem kept his voice pleasant and didn’t add, What’s it to you? Instead, he said, “We could sure use another strong back to push this cart.”
Will paused and looked around at the group. Then he shrugged. “Sure. Why not? I’m here now, and”—he nodded at Jem—“I need to talk to you.”
Jem frowned but said nothing. He made room for Will at the back of the ore cart and called out, “All right, let’s get this thing rolling.”
Ellie and Nathan held their candles up, and Chad and Shen yanked on the cart’s front end. Slowly—as if it were making its final, gasping run—the ore cart began to move toward the back of the mine.
Jem didn’t ask what was on Will’s mind. Pushing the cart took all of his energy. But his heart beat a little faster, wondering why Will was suddenly ready to get his hands dirty.
With deep sighs and a good deal of groaning, they brought the ore cart to a halt at the end of the scavenger diggings. Candlelight flickered against the rocky sides and overhead as the boys lifted the mining tools out and piled them where Shen pointed.
“Thank you. Thank you very much,” the Chinese boy said. He seemed in no hurry to shoo the boys and Ellie from his family’s mine. Instead, he squatted in a corner and began organizing the tools, his face wreathed in smiles. “A fine claim, yes?”
Ellie held her candle higher. “It’s … it’s—”
“A bit gloomy,” Nathan finished for her.
“More light would take care of that,” Jem said. “It was bright in here the other day.” He sat down on a pile of rubble to rest and looked up at Will. “What’s so important that you crawled into a mine to tell me?”
Will licked his lips and waited until the rest of the group lit more candles and found places to sit. He glanced warily in Shen’s direction then turned to Jem. “Father met with Judge Reece this morning.”
Jem’s stomach lurched. Will’s tone was enough to tell Jem that the meeting had not gone well. Shen clunked around with his tools, and water dripped from the ceiling, but nobody said a word.
Will took a deep breath and continued. “The judge found a loophole in the town’s mining laws.” He paused.
“What kind of loophole?” Chad asked. “Spill it, Will. Don’t stretch it out like you’re pullin’ taffy. Just get on with it.”
Jem couldn’t agree more. Usually, Will spread news fast and far—the unofficial town crier. Why was he holding back today? He seemed almost afraid to speak.
Will swallowed. “Foreigners can’t own property, even if their claim is registered under local mining laws. Only U.S. citizens can. So”—his voice dropped—“the Chinese don’t legally own this mine, no matter what the town books say.”
Jem flicked a glance at Shen. The Chinese boy had finished arranging the tools. He was listening to the conversation with his head bowed. “We pay foreign miner tax each month,” he whispered, looking up.
Jem nodded. “That’s gotta count for something.”
“I reckon it means they can mine,” Will agreed, “until a citizen re-registers the claim.”
“Does my pa know about this sneaky loophole?” Jem asked.
Will shook his head. “Not yet, but he’ll know soon enough. Father re-registered his claim this afternoon. Judge Reece is going to tell the sheriff that he has to evict the scavengers from the Belle by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Jem leaped to his feet. He wanted to light into Will with both fists. If the boy had acted stuck up and mean with his news, Jem would have. But Will sounded regretful, as if he knew what a hard position this court order put the sheriff in.
“Pa told Wu Hao the law is on his side,” Jem said. “But now? If Pa has to kick them out, he’ll look like just another backstabbing, Chinese-hating, white sheriff. Wu Hao will never understand.”
Jem knew Pa would be furious at this legal trickery. Most likely, he would refuse to follow the judge’s order. He’d lose his job as sheriff if that happened. But when it came to his principles, Pa never wavered. Jem could hear him now: “It might be legal, Judge, but it’s not right. Not by a long shot.”
Jem whirled on Chad, grasping for any straw of an idea. “Your pa’s part owner of the Midas. Can’t he do anything about this?”
“When Father finds out what Mr. Sterling has done, he’ll be just as upset as your pa,” Chad replied. “He’s a real stickler for honor and individuals’ rights—no matter what color people are.” He shrugged. “But Father only owns forty percent of the Midas mine.”
“What does that mean?” Ellie asked. She’d been quiet a long time.
“You should have learned your arithmetic better last term,” Jem said. “It means the Carters don’t own as much of the Midas as Will’s family, so—”
“So Father can’t overrule Mr. Sterling’s decision,” Chad said. “And he sure can’t stop him from re-registering his claim to this mine.” He picked up a rock and hurled it down the dark tunnel. “I wish we didn’t own any mines.” He glared at Will in the dim candlelight. “Mother wanted me to learn about the mining business, but all I’ve learned so far is that I’m glad I’m a rancher.”
“Jem,” Will said. He looked as glum as a cold fried egg. “I’m sorry too.”
“Why are you sorry?” Jem snapped. “So what if my pa loses his job by sticking to his principles. Somebody else will force Wu Shen’s family out … legally.” He turned and faced the rocky wall. “I’d rather the town just shriveled up and died.”
Jem was glad for the murky light and dark shadows. Tears pricked the inside of his eyelids, and he blinked hard. Pa lose his sheriff’s job? No! A month or two ago, Jem would have rejoiced. But not now. And certainly not in this way.
“I don’t know why I care,” Will said. “Maybe I’ve watched—and learned—a few things these past couple weeks. Ugly things. Listen, Jem. I didn’t come looking for you just to spread bad news. I came to tell you how to get your pa out of this fix.”
What? Jem brushed a shirt sleeve across his face and turned around. Will’s eyes glinted with sudden excitement. Jem snorted. Will was a sneaky weasel and not worthy of trust. “You’re going to figure out how to get my pa out of evicting Wu Hao without losing his job?”
Will’s head bobbed up and down. He didn’t seem to catch Jem’s mocking tone. “I’m not going to figure it out,” he said. “I’ve already figured it out.”
Jem paused. For once, Will did not look like a sneak. He looked like a boy eager to share an idea to help somebody else. Did Will really have an idea? I reckon it can’t hurt to hear him out.
“All right.” Jem sat down and crossed his arms. “I’m all ears.”