The Treasure Hunt by Rebecca Martin Page A

Father trudged ever so slowly. Mother supported him by holding onto his good arm. As soon as he reached the kitchen, Father dropped into a chair.
    â€œIs Dr. Crawford taking Willie to the hospital?” Lydia asked.
    â€œFor now he’ll just take him to Mrs.Whitsun’s boarding house. He wants to make some inquiries and find out if Willie has relatives nearby. He thinks Willie may just have the flu,” Mother replied. “We offered to take him into our house, but Dr. Crawford said he’d rather take him to town.”
    â€œHe thought,” Father put in with a wry smile, “that we already have enough sick people the way it is.”

15
    The Miller Boys
    O nce Father’s hand was better, Jake finally got his wish to go to work on a threshing crew. On the morning he was to leave, Father read from Proverbs 3.
    My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments…Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart…Trust in the L ORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
    Closing the Bible, Father said to Jake, “The crew you will be joining is quite decent, but there are a few fellows who are mainly out for a good time. With God’s help, may you resist temptation and stand strong in the faith.”
    Jake nodded very seriously. He didn’t seem to know what to say.
    Lydia felt a lump forming in her throat as she watched her big brother pick up his bag and start toward the door. “Goodbye! See you soon,” she called to him.
    â€œSee you,” Jake echoed back to her.
    â€œI’ll be back in a month or so. There’s Samuel Miller coming up the road now with Jonas.” With that he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Jonas was Jake’s age, and he too was going to join the threshing crew. His father had agreed to drive the two young men to the train station.
    Lydia ran to the window and said, “Maybe Rebecca and Veronica came along to visit me while their father is in town.” When no girls climbed down from the wagon when it stopped to pick up Jake, Lydia said sadly, “They haven’t been here for quite a while.”
    â€œI know what,” began Mother. “When Samuel comes back, we’ll try to stop him. We’ll ask him if they could come for Sunday dinner.”
    â€œYes, let’s,” cried Lydia. “May I bake a cake? I’d like to make a pumpkin cake.”
    â€œThat’s a good idea!”

    Everything worked out fine. Lydia saw Samuel Millerwhen he was still quite a distance down the road, so they had plenty of time to intercept him. He was sure his family would like to come on Sunday, so Lydia and Lisbet got busy with preparations. They cleaned the house, peeled potatoes, and stewed fruit besides baking a pumpkin cake.
    The Yoders’ table ended up being quite crowded that Sunday. Thinking that Barbara must be feeling lonely with Ben gone, Mother invited her and the children too. Of course they thought of Polly and Sam and invited them as well. What with the Millers’ four children and the Yoders’ three, that made seventeen people!
    Joe knew exactly what he wanted to do with the Miller boys. “Would you like to see the prospector’s house in the creek bank?” he asked as the boys went outside after dinner.
    â€œSure thing,” said fourteen-year-old Israel, and, of course eleven-year-old Levi agreed.
    They reached the den in record time. “Willie’s not home yet,” Joe told the other two. “I guess he’s still sick.”
    â€œIn the hospital?” Levi asked.
    Joe shrugged. “I don’t know. To tell you the truth, we haven’t heard from him since Dr. Crawford took him away. Maybe he’s gone to live with relatives. He was pretty old to be living alone.”
    â€œYou know, I