Homer King Gordon

“ Just when you think you’re all ready to make a stake, something comes up. It’s always been like that.”
“We’ll make it or bust.” Jimmy promised.
“I wasn’t thinkin’ so much of that,” Weber declared, “I know you’re doin’ your best, son, but you ask any old prospector. Gold’s a funny old gal. She’ll flirt with you for years and then go throw herself on some total stranger’s neck, right in his lap, as it were.”
A pilot friend of Jimmy’s sauntered over and inquired their trouble.
“You headed for Keno, too?” he asked, looking in the passenger cockpit and seeing the blanket rolls and grub sack. ”

“ He was considering putting the Calico Peacock on the auction block and knocking it off to the highest bidder when he had his first lucky break.
It happened early one Saturday morning. Jimmy’s Calico Peacock was one of the first aeroplanes on the starting line. After he had made sure that enough gasoline remained in the tanks to accommodate a passenger if some miracle should happen and one should appear, Jimmy wandered over to the field headquarters and stretched his lean, lanky frame against the side of the Administration Building to soak up some of the warmth of the morning sun. ”

“ Jimmy questioned.
“Unless somebody thinks of going there in an aeroplane like we are, we’ll beat the leaders,” Weber predicted. “They kain’t get there until before tomorrow morning at the best, and that means travelin’ around the sun. It ain’t a big valley, though, and if anybody gets there after tomorrow night, they’ll be out of luck. There’ll be five thousand men make the rush, and there’ll be a lot of land staked out that’s plumb worthless.”
When all their preparations were made, Jimmy helped his passenger into the Calico Peacock and buckled a safety belt around him. ”

“ Jimmy protested.
“It ain’t goin’ to be necessary,” Weber declared. “No use of you gettin’ up a fever by arguin’. I got you into this mess, and I’m goin’ to stay right by you until you get out of it. I’ve been thinkin’ it over for the last hour or two, and after all, maybe that Keno strike don’t amount to much. Every strike I’ve ever heard of was always the world’s biggest bonanza, but they generally all peter out. I don’t mind tellin’ you I was a little disappointed when your engine commenced to get hot goin’ up over the summit and I could begin to figger that we’d never make it. ”

“ He made so much racket that this old hard-shelled prospector went over to see what all the fuss was about, and believe it or not, his dog had uncovered the ledge that all of us had been lookin’ for.”
“I’ll bet that dog gets a good home,” Jimmy grinned.
“Wal, that’s the way it goes,” Weber declared. “Maybe I’ve set on that very ledge of rock and cussed because I couldn’t uncover any color. I heard tell of a strike made down in Arizona when a burro kicked off a piece of rock and uncovered the ledge. Gold strikes are made like that.” ”

“ Between Stockton and Sacramento the engine began to smoke. It was a race between a forced landing in some grain field or landing at the Sacramento airport. Jimmy made Sacramento, but by a narrow margin. He landed with a dead prop and an engine that was practically frozen stiff. Mechanics came out across the field and pulled the Calico Peacock out of the way of incoming ships.
“Anything wrong?” Weber asked.
“Engine’s heating up,” Jimmy explained. “We’ll have to wait here a while until it cools off.”
“Then can we go on?” Weber inquired. “We’ll make it, won’t we?” ”

“ They say they’ve made a big gold strike up there.”
“You know who went?” Weber asked eagerly. “I mean, who the passengers was?” The pilot shook his head.
“I reckon it don’t matter none anyway,” Weber said, “’Tain’t likely they know Keno like I know it. Most likely they’re just mining men anxious to be the first on the ground and ready to buy good claims if they can’t stake them themselves.”
“We’ll get off as soon as we can,” Jimmy promised.
“Take your time, son,” Weber cautioned. “There’s plenty of land up there for the first forty or fifty that shows up. ”

“ Jimmy assured him. “Unless we crack some of the bearings we’ll be all right as soon as this cools off a little.”
“You know, a gold strike’s a funny business,” Weber mused. “You can’t put your fingers on gold. ”

“ Instead, when he had inquired into the cost of operating a plane and what dope and fabric and replacements cost, he seemed to appreciate Jimmy’s generosity in attempting the trip for fifty dollars.
“You stand to lose more than I do,” he commented. “If we don’t get there, all I’ll lose is somethin’ I never had, while if anythin’ should happen to us, you’d lose your whole investment. ”