Arthur Harris

Perils of the Gold Rush Arthur Harris

The story is written as a diary by a young woman, Dorothy, at the age of twenty-one, recounting her adventures from seventeen, of living in Baltimore just before gold was discovered in California. She recounts the sudden death of her mother. Her father, a professional gambler, sinks into despair but arouses from it to win a Coach House and Inn along with other property, which he gives to her. A slave, Meg, part of the winnings, is freed and stays on to work for them. They operate the property, and when the gold strike of 1848 sweeps the country, they become quite wealthy operating the Coach House and Inn. She meets and is attracted to a young gold seeker, Theodore, to whom she has let a room at the inn while waiting for the ship to take him to California, and after a whirlwind courtship, they marry and then leave for California. Another young man, Eli, has arrived, and though bound for the gold fields, he plans to open a general store supplying the prospectors and accepts Theodore as a partner in the venture, and they quickly become friends. The ship arrives, and the trio finally set out for California. Both she and her new husband develop malaria while on board, and Theodore dies at sea. With no one else to care for her, Eli nurses her through it, saving her life Arriving in San Francisco, Eli heads for the gold fields, where he sets up a store in a new frontier boom town. Dorothy remains in San Francisco, acting as agent but, tiring of this, joins Eli in the new store. A disgruntled worker stabs Eli. She shoots the worker, thereby saving Elis's life. Now it's her turn to nurse him, and they confess their love, and he proposes. The colorful era is the background to a love story and the adventures of a courageous young woman who is forced to face challenges and succeeds.