Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Everyone had a good laugh—everyone except Josh. Then Pa asked Ed Getz to do a magic trick. Ed stood up and showed his audience that his hands were empty. Next, he draped his napkin over one hand and mumbled a few magic words. When he yanked the napkin away, an egg was sitting in his hand. Everybody clapped, and then Thumbs stood up. "Fine breakfast, Lulu," he said. "Those of you who want to, we're gonna pan for gold."

Twenty minutes later, all seven guests hiked with Thumbs and Jud along a gravel path on the other side of the pond. A stream followed the path, splashing and gurgling over rocks. Before leaving the main house, Jud had given everyone a wide, flat pan. "This is it," Thumbs said a few minutes later, stopping at a sandy bank on the stream. "I don't see any gold," Josh observed, peering into the water. Jud laughed. "You won't see it," he said. He pointed farther upstream, toward the mountains. "There's gold in those hills," he explained. "Every time it storms, nuggets get washed downstream. Show 'em how to find gold, Thumbs." Thumbs squatted and dipped his pan into the water. "Don't step in the stream or you'll disturb the mud," he said. With a flick of his wrist, he brought up a panful of water and gravel. "Gold is heavier than the gravel," Thumbs went on, "so it'll settle on the bottom of my pan." Thumbs shook his pan gently back and forth, swishing the gravel and water. Then he tipped the

pan and let the water and gravel slide over the edge. "Lookee here," Thumbs said, holding his pan up. In the bottom lay a few dull pebbles. But among the pebbles was a shiny golden nugget the size of a pea. "Is that gold?" Dink asked. "Sure is," Thumbs said. He picked out the nugget and let everyone have a look at it. "How much is it worth?" Josh asked. Thumbs dropped the nugget into his shirt pocket. "This size? Not much." He pointed his chin toward the distant hills. "To find the real gold, you'd have to go up there." "Can we try panning now?" Ruth Rose asked. Thumbs backed away from the stream. "Pick yourself a spot, and remember, don't get in the water." The seven guests knelt along the stream. Jud joined the kids and dipped his pan into the water. "I've been doing this since I was a kid," he said. "One year a guest found a nugget the size of a golf ball. I heard he sold it and bought himself a new Jeep!"

"Cool!" Josh said. "I need a Jeep!" He knelt in the sand and dipped his pan into the water. Everyone began dipping. For a while, all you could hear was the sound of gravel swishing against metal. Dink soon got the hang of it. He liked the feel of the sun on his back as he dipped his pan over and over. Suddenly, Fiona Nippit let out ayell. "I found one!" she said. Grinning, she held up a gold nugget a bit larger than the one Thumbs had found. "Great!" Jud said. "Now let's see if everyone else can find one." Over the next half hour, others began to shout and hold up small nuggets, even Jud. Eight nuggets were found. Finally, only Josh hadn't brought up any gold from the stream.

"Gotta pack up soon," Thumbs announced. "Lulu's a bear if we're late for her meals." "I'm gonna try a different place," Josh announced. "There are no more nuggets here." "Where are you going?" Ruth Rose asked. Josh pointed his pan upstream. "Up there," he said, "where the real gold is." Dink watched Josh pick his way along the stream, tramping over rocks and branches. "I hope he finds one," Ruth Rose said. "Otherwise, he'll be grumpy all week!" Dink held his nugget up to the sun. It was the size of an M&M. "Do you suppose I can get enough money for this to buy a bike?" he asked. Suddenly, they heard Josh yelling, then a big splash. They looked upstream and saw Josh sitting in the water! Dink and Ruth Rose ran to help, but Jud reached him first. "Are you okay?" Jud asked, reaching for Josh's hand. Josh grabbed Jud's hand and stumbled out of the stream. He was soaked from the waist down, but grinning. "Look what I found!" Josh said, sticking out his other hand.

Dink's eyes bugged out. Josh was holding a chunk of gold the size of a potato.