Editor’s Note: This is an ongoing series which runs each Thursday morning titled the Richland Chronicles Volume 2, by author Paul Lintern. It is set in the summer of 1831 and tells the story of Richland County through the eyes of young people. This is the second in a three-book trilogy. Volume 1 was Amelia Changes Her Tune.

The next day was time for Isaac and Wolf Paw to escort Grandmother and Mrs. Big Rivers back to Mansfield to sell goods.

Isaac had left all of the bear at the reserve, for others to use, but he did take a front paw with him, as proof of the story he couldn’t wait to tell his family.

And Eliza said she’d make him a fur cap. Isaac smiled every time he thought of that.

The journey was an easy one, with clear skies and comfortable weather, and all were in a good mood. Grandmother and Mrs. Big Rivers sang much of the way, with Wolf Paw singing along at times, to Grandmother’s obvious joy.

Isaac felt he was riding on the clouds, so full was he of stories and accomplishments and images and voices and sounds and ideas and dreams. He truly missed his family at the Inn, even John, because he wanted them to be part of what he had just experienced. 

He knew they would be worried for him, when he told them about the bear, but proud of him for being able to protect himself. And wait until they find out that Simon Kenton himself gave him shooting lessons.

As the wagon left Galion and headed toward Millsborough, Grandmother suggested they stop and get water at the artesian well there. Isaac, wanting to give his horse a workout, offered to take the buckets and casks and run ahead, to have them filled by the time the wagon arrived.

He took the six containers and galloped on ahead. The path, which had been quite straight before now, began to be curvy as the edge of foothills that would eventually become the Appalachian Mountains, started rising out of the flatlands.

He was almost to the well when something caught his eye to the south. A glimmer of metal, flashing in the sunlight. He decided to stop and investigate. He tied Green just off the road, inside the woods, grabbed his musket and walked toward the sight.

Suddenly he stopped. Three men were loading two boxes into a big hollow log. One box was plain and wooden, apparently very heavy. The other was about the same size, but very nicely carved, covered with decorations. The men’s backs were turned to Isaac, intent on hiding the boxes.

Then one turned around to look. Isaac held his breath. It was Jack Bender. He could see by their shapes the others were Tom and Bo. That’s the cargo.

Who is the customer? Isaac thought, remembering that night on the Black Fork.

He kept hidden, glad he had kept Green up by the path and hoping the men would not walk this way out. He also hoped Wolf Paw wouldn’t arrive with the wagon too soon. It seemed like forever, but the men actually worked quickly, trying not to be discovered.

They looked around again, then left to the south, away from Isaac. Isaac waited until he felt sure the three were completely away from the area, then he walked down to the log, and pulled away the brush and stones that hid the boxes.

Sure enough, the plain box was heavy, so heavy Isaac could hardly lift it. It was locked and when he moved it, its sound betrayed the many coins that were inside. The second box was indeed beautifully carved. It had a ship and an eagle and the letters “L” and “S.”

It was as heavy as the first box, making the same noise as it was moved.

This definitely is not theirs, but I can’t just take it. That would be stealing, if I don’t know who to give it to, Isaac thought. Still, I don’t suppose it is against the law to hide it somewhere else.

He quickly set to work, finding a large dead tree standing about 50 feet downhill. He put the boxes in, and covered them with brush and twigs, enough to hide the boxes, but not so much that it looked like something was hidden.

Then he put the other brush back over the first hiding place and hurried back to Green, galloping to the well and filling the containers just in time to sit down against a tree and look like he had been sitting there for an hour.

“You didn’t want to give Green a workout, you wanted to take a nap,” Wolf Paw said.

“Maybe,” Isaac said, as he loaded the containers on the wagon.

“So why are your knees dirty?” Wolf Paw asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” Isaac replied.

I’ll tell you a lot, later.

They took Grandmother and Mrs. Big Rivers to their campsite, unhitched the horses and took care of them, before hopping on Green and riding to the Inn. It was the shortest part of the journey, and Isaac really wanted to get home and tell all his news, but he had the most important news to tell Wolf Paw, so he kept Green at a slow pace, while he blurted out the whole hidden box story.

Wolf Paw was stunned.

“Who’s money is it?” he asked.

“Well, who knows? Theirs, for now, but you know it belongs to somebody. But who?” Isaac asked.

“We really can’t do anything until we find that out. We can’t take what isn’t ours,” Wolf Paw said.

“But at least it is safe from those thieves. Anyway, I hope they can’t find it.” Isaac said.

“I can see them digging up everything on that hill, when their hollow log comes up empty. I would love to see it.”

“As long as they don’t see us. We won’t be as lucky the next time,” Isaac said.

“What do you mean, ‘we?’ They’ve never even seen me,” Wolf Paw smiled.

That might work to our advantage, Isaac thought.

The possibilities were discussed right up to the door of the Inn, when both knew they should keep it to themselves. That was not a problem. They had plenty of other things to tell the folks inside.