Pig in a Poke Chapter 10 Charlie going home



We were in the Shipping Business
courtesy photobucket.com

 

Over the next six months Bartlett made several trips to San Francisco and wouldn’t discuss the reason for doing it.  

The last two times when he came back he brought a couple of men with him.  They went over the mine and into the shaft part way.  Cindy said she didn’t know what was going on but had some ideas she didn’t want to discuss because she might be wrong.

When I would ask her about things she would say, “Honey don’t you worry, I’ll take care of you and if I find out anything I will tell you.”

With all that was going on the mine was producing well and our bank account was increasing.  

I had given my share of our claim to Charlie for I wasn’t working on it any more and I didn’t need the proceeds from it.  He had struck a vein that produced a fair amount of gold until it played out.  While it was still producing it just was not as much as it had been.

I went down to see Charlie and he said he was selling out and leaving for home.  He said he had plenty of money, enough to last him for life even after getting married.  He had been writing to a young girl who had grown up since we left and was going to see if she wanted to get married to him.

If she didn’t he said his Ma said there were several others who wanted to know when he would be back.  I told him I would miss him for we had been together since we were born and we had always supported each other.

He said that I was fixed up and it was time for us to go our way.  He was leaving the next day with a small caravan for Sacramento and was sailing to the Panama Peninsula and trek across to the other side to catch a ship home.

I wished him the best of luck getting home safe and finding a wife.  I was sorry to see him go but he had to find a new life for himself.

As for me I was happy just as things were, but things were going to change in a few days.

With Charlie gone I felt a void and the feeling of loss would hit me every so often. This feeling grew less and less as time went by.

We had been married for a year now and were just as much into each other as ever. Fact is she wouldn’t leave me alone and was with me most of the time.  When Bartlett returned from one of his trips to San Francisco he announced that we were selling the mine.  

This opened up many questions in my mind wondering what we were going to do now. The next day the final papers were signed and I thought I should have been let in on what was going on before now.

I found out another thing, and that was my ownership in the mine was by being married to Cindy.  She had to sign the papers to sell the mine instead of me.  

I pouted about that for a few minutes until Cindy kissed me and made it better. She said, “What is mine is yours and so forth.  Pa several years ago signed half of the mine over to me and we never changed it. When we became one it all became ours.”

As usual she had a way of making everything right.

 

After the signing off on the mine Bartlett said, “I have a surprise for you.  We are in the shipping business.  A man died who had ordered three ferry boats and I bought them from his widow at a very good price and they have just arrived. Along with the ferries there came dock space in Stockton and San Francisco. We are in the shipping business.”

To be continued