RAILCAR GOLD Chapter 5 . . Westward . . Part 2
RAILCAR GOLD is a historically accurate multi-generational fictional tale of hidden treasure, primarily set in York County, Pennsylvania during the latter half of the Nineteenth Century. This is Part 2 of Chapter 5 . . . Westward. A new part will be posted every Thursday. New readers may want to start at the beginning.
CHAPTER 5 . . . WESTWARD . . . Part 2
Billy’s sack, lying in the corner of the crate cave, had Dan preoccupied ever since the railcar left Columbia. Dan wished that he would not have to deal with the sack; hoping that Billy would walk across the bridge and rejoin him in the railcar this morning.
With the railcars moving out of Wrightsville, Dan realized the chances of seeing Billy again had significantly diminished. Dan picked up Billy’s sack and reluctantly opened it.
Inside were a handful of train schedules, several pencils, two pairs of socks, a shirt, several pieces of dried beef jerky, a knife, a spoon, and a tin cup. Dan was looking through the train schedules when he heard the train whistle and felt the train slowing down.
Dan noted a sign, “Ewing’s” as he peered out a crack in the boxcar as the train came to a stop. This matched the first stop on the train schedule; therefore he was definitely headed towards York. The door to the boxcar opened and Dan did not hear any crate movement but he did hear some cans being moved about. The door closed and almost immediately the train departed.
Yesterday after their canteens ran dry, they had examined the large cans stacked at the back end of the railcar. They suspected they were milk cans, however they were all empty.
Dan went back to the cans and started rapping each one on the side as Billy had done yesterday. Sure enough, just as Dan suspected, two of the cans answered with thuds; they were full!
Dan opened up a can. He stuck his finger in to taste; definitely milk. Dan scurried to get Billy’s cup and drank two cups of milk before he heard the train whistle and felt the train slowing down again. He quickly closed the can and returned to his wood crate cave at the front of the car.
Again cans were loaded at this train stop. Dan started munching on some of the dried beef jerky, now that he knew he had plenty of milk to drink. He saw a sign, “Stoner’s” as the train pulled out. This puzzled Dan when he looked at the train schedule; it appeared that the train was not stopping at every stop on the schedule.
Dan got another cup of milk and took a cupful back to the crate cave as he continued to munch on the beef jerky. He peered over Billy’s stack of train schedules. Many were from Virginia. Billy would never discuss where he lived when he ran away, Dan wondered if Billy was originally from Virginia.
At the next train stop an additional wooden crate was loaded into the railcar, plus several more cans of milk. It appeared that for every can picked up, the train crew would leave an equal number of empty cans from the boxcar. Dan checked out the new crate; it was from the Hiestand Distillery and had a York delivery location.
Dan did not see any station sign where the Hiestand Distillery crate was picked up. He looked at the train schedule and started to panic that it might have been the Heistand Station. If that was the case, there were would be no more stops before arrival at the York Train Station.
Go to Part 3
