Gertrude Warner - The Mystery of the Lost Mine

He led his horse to the beginning of the trail. The horses formed a single file with Luis at the head. Benny was next, followed by Jessie and Violet. Henry brought up the rear.

The trail wound upward between boulders and large cacti. The horses moved at a steady pace.

After they had been riding some time, Jessie turned around on her horse, Diamond, and grinned at Violet.

“Isn’t this great?” she said.

At that moment, Luis cried out, “Benny!”

Jessie was riding right behind Benny. She, too, saw him lean over his pony’s neck, then tumble off.

“Benny!” she exclaimed.

But Luis had already dismounted. “Are you okay?” he asked. Violet and Henry rushed up.

Benny brushed dirt off his shorts. “I’m okay.” He grinned to show them he was fine.

“What happened?” Henry asked.

“I wanted to show Ginger my lucky rock,” Benny explained. “Then she sort of twisted around, and I fell.”

Luis stroked the pony’s nose. “She probably thought you were feeding her a lump of sugar. Horses aren’t very interested in lucky rocks.”

Benny turned his pockets inside out. “My rock! Where is it?”

Violet picked up the shiny stone from the ground. “Here it is. You must have dropped it when you fell off.” She handed it to him. “Put it in your shirt pocket, Benny, and fasten the button. It’ll be safer there.”

Jessie shaded her eyes from the glare of the sun. “What’s that funny-shaped mountain up ahead?”

“That’s Weaver’s Needle,” Luis replied.

Violet gasped. “It looks like a heart! Just like in the stone maps!”

“It does,” agreed Henry. “Is that the ‘heart’ we’re supposed to follow?”

“A lot of people believe so,” Luis said, passing around his canteen.

Benny was excited. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Luis shaded his eyes. “I don’t know,” he said thoughtfully. “The rock isn’t as close as it seems.”

“It’s just over that hill,” said Jessie.

“Distances are deceiving in the desert,” Luis told her. “It’s actually much farther away than it seems. And we’ll have to hike the rest of the way, because the trail is too narrow for the horses.”

“Do we have enough time today?” Henry asked.

Luis shook his head regretfully. “Sorry. We should have started earlier.”

Violet was disappointed. “Will we ever start looking for the mine?”

“Tomorrow,” Luis promised. “We’ll get up early and be at the stables by six. We’ll pack our breakfast and lunch.”

Everyone agreed that they’d been out in the heat long enough. Remounting their horses, they headed back to the stables.

Halfway down the trail, they spotted a small dust cloud. Mr. and Mrs. Clark trotted up on matching horses.

Mr. Clark looked hot. He didn’t even have on a hat. Mrs. Clark was wearing shorts and tennis shoes. Neither of them was dressed for riding.

“Nice day for a horseback ride, isn’t it?” Mrs. Clark said cheerfully. A diamond pin on her shirt flashed in the bright sun.

“Yes, but we’re heading back,” said Henry. “It’s getting too hot.”

“Is it?” said Mr. Clark. “I hadn’t noticed.” Sweat streamed down his red face. “Well, see you later.”

They bumped down the trail.

Violet stared after them. “Did you see that fancy pin Mrs. Clark had on?” she said to Jessie.

“Just to go riding! There’s something weird about those two,” Jessie said.

When the Aldens and Luis returned to the stables, they asked Rex about the Clarks.

“Took my last saddle horses,” Rex replied, shaking his head. “I told ’em they weren’t properly geared for a midday ride, but they wouldn’t listen. Said they knew what they were doing and paid me with a brand-new credit card.”

“May we have these same horses tomorrow?” Luis asked Rex. “At six. Is that okay?”

“They’ll be ready,” Rex promised. “See you kids in the morning.”

As they walked to RV Haven, they talked about the Clarks.

“Maybe they’re looking for the mine, too,” said Benny.

“If they are, they won’t last long,” Henry put in. “Mr. Clark wasn’t even wearing a hat.”

“Maybe Jake will find them,” Violet said hopefully. “He could take them to his camp.”

Luis was concerned, too. “If they aren’t back by this evening, we ought to tell Tom and Janine. They might have to send out a search party.”

“A search party!” cried Benny. “That’s just like in the Wild West days.”

Back at the campground, after everyone dressed in fresh clothes, they trooped into the Chuck Wagon for lunch.

“We ought to buy some supplies,” Jessie said, while waiting for their sandwiches and soft drinks to arrive. “Especially since we’re going to pack breakfast and lunch tomorrow.”

As they ate, they discussed what they should take. Jessie and Henry planned a breakfast of fruit and granola. For lunch they would eat rolls, cheese, and cookies.

They strolled into the camp store. Benny picked out his favorite brand of cookies. Violet found some nice oranges. Henry bought an extra canteen.

Jessie took the supplies to the counter.

Janine rang up the purchases. “Nice that somebody actually pays their bill,” she said when Jessie gave her the money.

Everyone knew she meant old Jake.

“Where is Jake?” Violet asked. “Has he been in yet today?”

“Haven’t seen him,” Janine replied.

Henry remembered what Luis had told him. “But Jake comes in every morning. Could something have happened to him?”

“Maybe he was tired today,” Benny suggested.

“I’m worried,” said Violet. “Jake looked frightened yesterday when he showed us that note.”

“Now we have three people to worry about,” said Jessie. “First the Clarks, now Jake.”

“We should wait until the end of the afternoon and then decide what to do,” Luis said. “Let’s go for a swim.”

They spent an enjoyable afternoon at the recreation center. Between refreshing dips in the pool, they worked on a puzzle.

At around four o’clock, the Clarks straggled in. Mr. Clark’s face was tomato red. Mrs. Clark looked wilted. Her ever present smile was gone.

“I told you to use sunscreen,” she said to her husband. “Now you have a terrible sunburn.”

“It’s nothing,” Mr. Clark snapped.

“Don’t yell at me. We had to tell—” Mrs. Clark stopped suddenly, as if aware they weren’t alone.

They passed the children with weak smiles.

“They’re certainly acting strange,” Henry said. “I wonder why they went riding, since they obviously didn’t enjoy it.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about the Clarks anymore,” said Jessie.

Violet put her chin in her hands. “Now it’s just Jake.”

Just then Tom Parker came inside.

“Whoo-ee!” he exclaimed, wiping his face with an oversize red bandanna. “It’s a scorcher out there today.”

“Tom,” Henry said. “Have you seen Jake today?”

Tom wrinkled his forehead. “Nope, don’t believe I have.”

“But he comes into the store every day,” said Violet. “Do you suppose something has happened to him?”

Tom just laughed. “That old man is as tough as a gopher snake.”

“Maybe so,” Luis admitted. “But even gopher snakes get in trouble.”