The Treasure Hunt by Rebecca Martin

blanket over him. Apparently he had been too sick to get it himself, even though it was at the foot of the bed.
    Forgetting the game he’d shot, Joe loped across the grain stubble. He hoped Father would be able to go andsee Willie. Father had seemed quite well yesterday, but this morning he had been very tired again. “Seems it takes all my strength to heal this wound,” Father had remarked with a wan smile. It made Joe wonder just how bad that cut was underneath those bandages.
    He found Father sitting at the kitchen table. “Willie’s sick,” Joe announced. “Real sick. Looks like he hasn’t been out of bed much for a few days.”
    â€œWillie,” repeated Father, as if he couldn’t think who that was. “Oh, you mean the prospector who lives in the creek bank. I never did get around to visiting him.”
    â€œWell, he’s very sick,” Joe said again urgently.
    Father looked at him. “From what you say, I’d guess someone should go for the doctor. In the meantime, someone should go to Willie as well. Maybe I could do that if Jake would agree to go after the doctor.”
    â€œIs it far to the den?” asked Mother.
    â€œNot terribly far,” Joe answered.
    â€œWell, I’ll go along,” decided Mother.
    â€œJoe, will you ask Jake to go get the doctor? He can ride King. Then please show us where Willie lives.”
    Jake was forking straw in the barn. He listened to Joe’s story, asked a few questions, saddled King, and set off. Meanwhile, Father and Mother had started slowly across the field with Lydia trailing after them. Joe could easily catch up. In fact, he found it hard to walk slowly enough for Father.
    They eventually arrived at the door in the riverbank. Father nearly stumbled over Joe’s pan and asked, “What’s this?”
    â€œOh, that’s to pan for gold,” Joe mumbled.
    â€œOh. Well, Joe, will you go in first, since he knows you?”
    Joe knocked. As soon as he heard Willie’s voice, he went in and stood near the bed. “I brought my parents here. They want to help you.”
    Again Willie’s face got that look. He pulled the blanket up higher as Father and Mother approached the bed. “Leave me alone,” he begged.
    Father told him kindly, “We just want to help.”
    Mother quickly made a fire in the stove. Finding the oatmeal, she stirred together a thin gruel and brought it to Willie. “Here’s something for you to eat.”
    Willie stared at the bowl. Finally he reached out a claw like hand that shook badly. Anybody could see that he wasn’t able to hold the bowl, much less handle a spoon.
    Father helped Willie hold up his head, while Mother dribbled the gruel into his mouth, a few drops at a time. Lydia watched wide-eyed from the door. She had never seen such a sick person.
    After a while Father stuck his head out the door. “Where’s Joe? Oh, there you are. You’d better go back to the house. When the doctor comes, someone will have to tell him where Willie is.”

    Father helped Willie hold up his head, while Mother dribbled the gruel into his mouth.
    â€œOkay,”
    Lydia scrambled up the bank after Joe, but he trotted so fast that she couldn’t keep up. She wanted to beg him to wait, but she knew he should hurry. What if the doctor was already there at the house?
    Sure enough, Dr. Crawford’s car came bumping towardLydia across the field. Joe grinned at her from the passenger side. Getting a ride in a car wasn’t something that happened often to the Yoder family.
    Lisbet was full of questions when Lydia finally reached the house, so she told her all she knew. Soon they saw the doctor’s car coming back, more slowly this time. “He’s probably got the sick man in the car, so that’s why he’s driving carefully,” Lisbet surmised.
    Joe loped along beside the car, and last of all came Father and Mother.