John Hard - Easy Gold & Hard Losses: The Hard Ranch Series

By George M. Goodwin

After Walter and a miner they have befriended named Donel shows John the amount of money to be made from the gold without destroying the much needed creek John relents. He even makes plans of how to use part of the money from it to improve the ranch and increase it's size. John finds a treasure himself when he meets beautiful young Millie Randall while in town on business. It's soon discovered he's already met her father. Just as things are about to work themselves out with that there is a terrible loss at the ranch. Little does John know a second loss is in his future. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pale Horse Publications
• Release date: May 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227766816

George M. Goodwin

George was born in 1960 in Jefferson County Alabama. The fifth of nine children, eight boys and one girl. The family was raised poor, but not poorly raised. At home, George was taught morals, ethics and respect. Reading, writing and arithmetic at school. Love, honor and obedience to God at church. He grew up on John Wayne movies, country music and the writings of Louis L' Amour, Robert Louis Stevenson, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne.  

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Estabon was content just to be in his kitchen.

Jim and Joe Ames were interested and offered to help if needed, but considered their duties of the ranch to come first. They felt Walter and John had given them a second chance when they came back after failing in California. They would do anything to show their appreciation for that. The second watercourse, John followed showed promise when he saw several small nuggets gleaming in the rippling water as he made his way to its beginning. Maybe this one would lead to the vein, then he could quit this mountain goat act he was doing. Ten feet below the trail he found where the snow melt first began to follow that path. He picked and dug around a little, nothing that should change the water course, but found nothing that looked like a vein of gold to him.

After a few more minutes, he was convinced those nuggets had not started from there. Neither, it turned out was the third, fourth or fifth one he followed. Just before noon, he decided to take a rest and go down to see what results Walter and Donel were having.

Well how goes it? he asked when he walked up.

Grab a set down, said Walter, we’ll take a break ourselves.

When they were seated John asked Walter if they’d found any more gold.

Hold on just a minute. Walter told him. Walking to the edge of the pond he picked up a burlap bag and came back. Take a look in there. he told John.

John opened the bag and looked inside.

CHAPTER 2

Then he reached in and brought out a fist full of little nuggets. Most no bigger than a pea. His eyes got so big Walter thought they might pop out of his head.

All of this is gold? he asked.

Both of them shook their heads, yes.

Hefting the bag John said, there must be about ten pounds or so here. Walter them little nuggets must have been washing down to this pond for a coon’s age. The bottom of the pond appears to be covered with ‘em and with gold being heavy like it is, as more washed down the deeper the first one sunk in the muddy bottom. This pond bottom may be a couple of inches or a couple of feet deep with ‘em. Just buried up in that soft mud.

And this said, John picked up the bag again. How much would you say this bag is worth?

I’d say roughly thirty five hundred dollars, said Walter. That sound about right Donel? he asked.

Aye, said Donel. Gold is bringing twenty eight dollars an ounce right now.

Wait, said John, are you telling me the two of you without hardly breaking a sweat, have scooped up thirty five hundred dollars in half a day?

The proof’s right there at your feet, said Walter.

You’re sure this ain’t some of that fool’s gold I’ve heard of? asked John.

Donel did that barkeep take those nuggets? Walter asked him.

Aye, said Donel, without trouble.

That’s a bartender, not a banker, said John.

A bartender in a boomtown saloon probably sees more of the gold than the bank does, said Walter.

CHAPTER 3

P yrite only fools a beginner. said Walter.

A man who’s actually seen and handled ‘em both can tell the difference right off. How about you ask Walter?

Have you figured out where it’s coming from up there?

Not yet, John told him, but I’ve still got four or five places to check.

Well, why are you setting around here talking to us then? asked Walter.

Right, said John, let’s get back to it.

By four that evening they had all had enough for the day.

John still had not found any one particular place the gold seemed to be coming from. Every one of the rivulets showed a few of the small gold nuggets here and there. At the pond Walter and Donel had added five or six pounds to their bag. As they rode toward the ranch house, Walter told them he figured they had about five thousand dollars worth of gold in that bag.

Not bad for a day’s work huh?

He also told them about some ideas he had for getting the rest of the gold from the pond. For one thing, he said, "a sluice box set up just below where the last of the rivulets tie into one before it reaches the pond.

It won’t even slow the water up, he told John, but it will trap any more gold that comes down. I have an idea working in my head too, about how to get what’s in the deeper mud on the bottom. If it don’t work, all it’ll do is make the holding pond bigger and deeper which won’t hurt