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Authors: The Adventures of Vin Fiz
and stopped for something to eat," Lacey answered.
"What are your names?"
Casey answered, "I'm Casey Nicefolk, and this is my twin sister, Lacey."
"It's not right for children so young to be loading ore carts," spoke the nice lady, who was not much taller than the twins. She had long red hair that hung down to her waist, and her eyes gleamed dark green.
"Are you from the town?" asked Lacey.
"I am Stoke Firepit, and this is my wife, Blaze. I'm the mayor of Gold City, or least I was until the Boss and his henchmen came to town and rounded up all the citizens. They brought us here and put everyone to work making them rich."
"He said you didn't fight because he took your children."
The mayor nodded. "Before we knew and could resist, they had captured all the children along with their teacher at the schoolhouse and imprisoned them deep in the mine. We had no choice but to do as they ordered. They threatened to harm the boys and girls."
"Has anyone tried to escape and go to Fort Blodgett for help?" asked Casey.
The mayor shook his head. "We'd be on foot and they have horses. We wouldn't get very far before they ran us down."
Lacey and Casey looked at each other and smiled knowingly. "We could get to the fort without being caught," Casey informed the mayor and his tiny wife.
"Not possible for you youngsters to outrun horses," the mayor whispered as a henchman walked past, prodding a pair of young ladies to push a loaded ore cart. While they walked by, Blaze Firepit made a show of shoveling ore while her husband lifted a rock and heaved it toward the crusher. Intrigued, he asked, "What have you got in mind?"
"We have an airplane," Casey informed them. "Lacey and I could fly to the fort."
"Airplane?" questioned the mayor skeptically.
"Didn't you hear them, dear? They said they flew in from Castroville."
"I've never heard of Castroville."
"It's in California," Lacey informed him. "It's where they grow artichokes."
The mayor was not an optimistic man by nature. He always looked on the downside and rarely looked up. But he was also a logical man, who liked to consider every possibility. "Where is this airplane of yours?"
"In the main cavern before you enter the mine shaft. The Boss had it towed from town after we landed."
The mayor went into deep thought, as he did before he made any decision. Then he shrugged.
"No, no, no. There is no way to escape from the mine. You'd be caught long before you reached your airplane."
"If you don't try," Lacey said sensibly, "you don't do. If you don't do, you don't achieve. And if you don't achieve, you don't succeed. That's what my father always says. So we must find a way."
Mrs. Firepit was not as logical as her husband, but she was more creative. "Why not hide them in an ore cart?" she suggested grandly.
"Yes, yes," Lacey said excitedly. "You could cover us with the ore. Then after we're pushed out of the mine shaft, the ladies who are pushing the cart can dump us onto the ore pile. The henchmen guarding the cart probably won't be watching very closely something they've seen many times."
"They have a point," said Blaze Firepit.
"Could be," mused her husband. "The children are small enough to lie on the bottom of the cart." He interrupted himself and looked to see if any henchmen might be watching or listening. But none paid them any attention. Without any further gloomy thoughts involving logic, he said, "If the Boss and his men catch you, they will be very mad."
"Once we're in Vin Fiz, they'll never catch us," said Casey firmly.
"When I give the word, jump into the cart. All set?"
Lacey and Casey each moved around and crouched behind an ore cart. After a minute that seemed an eternity, Mayor Firepit hissed loudly, "Now!"
6 Escape to Fort Blodgett
Lacey and Casey did not shilly-shally. They both leaped into an ore cart as quick as you could say "jump in the ore cart."
The Firepits wasted no time in shoveling the ore from the crushing machine that had been cleaned of
"What are your names?"
Casey answered, "I'm Casey Nicefolk, and this is my twin sister, Lacey."
"It's not right for children so young to be loading ore carts," spoke the nice lady, who was not much taller than the twins. She had long red hair that hung down to her waist, and her eyes gleamed dark green.
"Are you from the town?" asked Lacey.
"I am Stoke Firepit, and this is my wife, Blaze. I'm the mayor of Gold City, or least I was until the Boss and his henchmen came to town and rounded up all the citizens. They brought us here and put everyone to work making them rich."
"He said you didn't fight because he took your children."
The mayor nodded. "Before we knew and could resist, they had captured all the children along with their teacher at the schoolhouse and imprisoned them deep in the mine. We had no choice but to do as they ordered. They threatened to harm the boys and girls."
"Has anyone tried to escape and go to Fort Blodgett for help?" asked Casey.
The mayor shook his head. "We'd be on foot and they have horses. We wouldn't get very far before they ran us down."
Lacey and Casey looked at each other and smiled knowingly. "We could get to the fort without being caught," Casey informed the mayor and his tiny wife.
"Not possible for you youngsters to outrun horses," the mayor whispered as a henchman walked past, prodding a pair of young ladies to push a loaded ore cart. While they walked by, Blaze Firepit made a show of shoveling ore while her husband lifted a rock and heaved it toward the crusher. Intrigued, he asked, "What have you got in mind?"
"We have an airplane," Casey informed them. "Lacey and I could fly to the fort."
"Airplane?" questioned the mayor skeptically.
"Didn't you hear them, dear? They said they flew in from Castroville."
"I've never heard of Castroville."
"It's in California," Lacey informed him. "It's where they grow artichokes."
The mayor was not an optimistic man by nature. He always looked on the downside and rarely looked up. But he was also a logical man, who liked to consider every possibility. "Where is this airplane of yours?"
"In the main cavern before you enter the mine shaft. The Boss had it towed from town after we landed."
The mayor went into deep thought, as he did before he made any decision. Then he shrugged.
"No, no, no. There is no way to escape from the mine. You'd be caught long before you reached your airplane."
"If you don't try," Lacey said sensibly, "you don't do. If you don't do, you don't achieve. And if you don't achieve, you don't succeed. That's what my father always says. So we must find a way."
Mrs. Firepit was not as logical as her husband, but she was more creative. "Why not hide them in an ore cart?" she suggested grandly.
"Yes, yes," Lacey said excitedly. "You could cover us with the ore. Then after we're pushed out of the mine shaft, the ladies who are pushing the cart can dump us onto the ore pile. The henchmen guarding the cart probably won't be watching very closely something they've seen many times."
"They have a point," said Blaze Firepit.
"Could be," mused her husband. "The children are small enough to lie on the bottom of the cart." He interrupted himself and looked to see if any henchmen might be watching or listening. But none paid them any attention. Without any further gloomy thoughts involving logic, he said, "If the Boss and his men catch you, they will be very mad."
"Once we're in Vin Fiz, they'll never catch us," said Casey firmly.
"When I give the word, jump into the cart. All set?"
Lacey and Casey each moved around and crouched behind an ore cart. After a minute that seemed an eternity, Mayor Firepit hissed loudly, "Now!"
6 Escape to Fort Blodgett
Lacey and Casey did not shilly-shally. They both leaped into an ore cart as quick as you could say "jump in the ore cart."
The Firepits wasted no time in shoveling the ore from the crushing machine that had been cleaned of