Spring finally reached the valley after several months of cold and often miserable weather. Winter had seemed to zip by, probably because there were no memorable storms. Sure, there had been a few snow flurries, but nothing bad enough to close down the schools. If the kids at Marsh High wanted a snow day they would have to move to New York which had received a record snow fall.

Christmas for the Trogdon family had been merry, as was the birthday on January 4th which brought Perry into his fifteenth year. MT spent a lot of time on the estate that winter, especially after his pickup truck was given a fresh coat of paint.

In February the reward money for Nathan Bates arrived in the form of a large check. Carl had agreed to MT's request, allowing a small portion of the funds to be spent on fixing up the truck and paying for the insurance. Now there were new seats, the paint job, and a set of chrome wheels. They had no idea what Perry might do with his half of the reward, but after expenses MT's remaining portion was going into the bank as a college fund.

By the time spring rolled around MT's provisional license evolved into something permanent. He could now take Perry anywhere they wanted to go. But that first trip was less than exciting, as MT only drove them over to Fairview to sit in court and witness Jason's trial.

The District Attorney looked pleased when Jason's lawyer entered a guilty plea, but it was all for show. Deputy Dave had already told them Jason would plead guilty to the drug and assault charges in order to avoid the attempted murder rap. The DA said his piece, the lawyers argued and the gavel came down. The judge set Jason to state prison for seven years.

Brian would soon get his day in court, but he was facing lesser charges, thanks to Perry. Still, perhaps Jason and Brian would be reunited in the prison yard, at least for a short time. But none of that mattered much to either of the boys. They had better things to think about.

The winter had been a time of contemplating how they were going to go about getting down that well. Neil Trogdon seemed amused at the proposed venture; at least until Ben said there were four crates of gold missing from the tally. And so the planning went ahead and was only awaiting the first good weather of spring, which had now arrived.

The swimming pool was thirty-two feet long and sixteen feet wide, which meant it held a considerable amount of water. The filtration system consisted of a permanent tank of sand and gravel through which the water flowed on a regular basis. Ben didn't know how all that worked and relied on his pool maintenance company to figure it all out and keep it running.

The shed that contained the filters, assorted pipes, and the chemicals that kept the water clean and clear was outside the fence thirty feet from the pool. A low concrete building some twelve feet square, it had a metal roof that was painted a deep green which allowed it to blend in with the landscape.

It was this roof that attracted most of Neil's attention because he planned to remove it and allow a crane access to the interior. Perry had wondered how they were going to lower someone down the well and so he had followed Neil and MT through the shed door on Christmas Day to survey the space.

"Just as I thought," Neil said, looking at the concrete floor illuminated by a single 100 watt light bulb. "There's an access hatch beside the water pump."

The metal hatch was about three foot square which would allow maintenance on the pipe which ran down into the water and filled the pool when needed. The bolts that held the hatch in place looked old and rusty so they didn't touch anything. Besides, it was too damn cold for any exploration.

As the new growth of leaves began to appear on the trees the roar of a diesel engine was heard coming up the driveway. A large truck, equipped with a telescoping crane, pulled around the side of the house and stopped in the driveway. Doors slammed and Clarence Finley crawled down out of the cab and met Neil as he ran down the back steps from the porch.

"Good Morning," Clarence said, and he shook hands with Neil.

It was a Saturday and Clarence had offered his services for the day, but one day only. Sunday was the Lord's Day and he wouldn't work on the day the Bible said he ought to be resting. Neil was pretty sure they could accomplish what they needed fairly quickly with the right equipment, and here it sat.

Ben, Perry, MT and Carl all left the breakfast table and followed Neil out into the yard where Clarence was positioning the crane down in front of the barn. Carl and MT had spent Friday afternoon crawling over the roof removing the screws that held down the metal panels. Once that was done they could reach the bolts that held down the metal support framework, and now the crane could lift it with ease.

Clarence had been curious about the odd request for services Neil had thrown his way. But he chuckled when Neil explained that Perry intended to inspect the old well for any signs of things dropped down there during the Civil War. Clarence had seen some strange things pulled up out of wells around the county; old rifles, a wagon wheel and several skeletons, the latter forcing him to call the law and stop his work.

But old things did find their way into wells, and the old Trogdon well might just hold a few surprises, Clarence figured. He had brought the large tripod rig used to lower a man down a well, but this would be the first time he'd ever seen a boy filled with desire to make that trip.

Wells were cold, sometimes slimy, and often scary places to dangle on the end of a cable, but Ben had said his grandson was ready to make the trip. Neil had insisted they might need the crane if there was anything down there to pull up. Clarence didn't know if it would be needed, but who was he to argue?

The roof framework took about fifteen minutes to remove. It hung in a sling until it was set down in the grass, and then Clarence lifted the tripod framing off the bed of the truck. The tripod would support an electric winch and Perry would ride down the well at the end of a cable. Clarence had the harness to outfit the boy with large D-rings sewn into the webbing which would attach to the cable.

The filter pumps had been shut down and the bolts removed from the metal hatch. Clarence rubbed his hands together, slid on his heavy leather gloves, and then opened the hatch. Neil moved in with a powerful halogen lamp and pointed it down the hole.

"Water looks to be about seventy feet down," Clarence said.

Neil smiled. "How can you tell?"

"Just experience," Clarence said. He opened a small metal case attached to the legs of the tripod and withdrew a coil of knotted string and a plumb bob.

The line was fed out, dropping deeper and deeper into the well until they heard a distinct splash in the hole. Clarence pulled the line up a few feet and lowered it again, making another splash. Then he lowered the weight until the string sagged before pulling it up hand over hand.

"I was wrong, it's seventy-five feet to the water" Clarence said, and then he studied the string. "Water looks to be about three feet deep."

"Is that all?" Neil asked. "I thought it would be much deeper."

"No need. The bottom is down there in the water table so there must be a constant flow into the well."

The strong lamp was played on the walls of the well which appeared to be about six feet in diameter. The top part of the well was lined with brick which was heavily mortared in place. Below that Neil could see stones and then what appeared to be solid rock.

"How did they ever get through that rock?" Neil asked.

"Picks I imagine," Clarence said. "Using explosives would be the wrong thing to do. Might just collapse all the work they put in. So, are we ready for this exploration?"

Perry's Uncle Richard and Ben had helped the boy don the harness, checked all the fittings and declared him ready to go. Perry was already wearing hip-high rubber boots that were a little large since they had once belonged to Neil. But if he went in the water at least he would remain dry.

They had already had the final argument that morning since Ben was not disposed to allow Perry to perform this part of the operation. But he soon discovered that his grandson was a true Trogdon, and that meant he was stubborn to the core.

The hook on the crane held a net made of sisal rope, soft enough to collapse and fit through the hatch. That would be lowered if Perry managed to find anything once he got down there. MT handed Perry the large flashlight and they walked over to the open hole where Clarence attached the harness to the winch cable.

"Good luck," MT said. "I hope you find something."

Perry looked around at all the equipment and the family gathered to watch. "I think we already have something here," Perry said. "But if Aloysius left us anything down there I'll find it."

MT smiled, wanting more than ever to give Perry a kiss for luck ... but that would not happen. The smile he got in return said that Perry had read his mind, that would have to be enough. Perry strapped on the metal helmet Clarence had provided and everything was ready.

"Okay," Clarence said. "We'll take it slow so you don't have a chance to rub off any skin on those walls. You holler if you want to stop and look at anything."

With that Clarence toggled the winch control and Perry was slowly lifted off the concrete floor. He dangled for a moment, pulled at one of the straps to get comfortable, and then Clarence pressed a button. Ever so slowly Perry was lowered through the hatch and into Trogdon history.

They had finally agreed that Perry would make the initial trip down and become the first Trogdon since the Civil War to explore the well. Neil would make the second trip with a camera to document anything that they found ... should there be anything worth finding.

MT was pretty sure the gold was all gone. It didn't make any sense to leave anything that valuable sitting down there when the need for it was up here. But Perry thought there would be something worth finding because Aloysius just seemed like the kind of man who would leave a legacy.

There was really no reason for Aloysius to leave anything about gold in his writings. He had never penned the word but left no doubt in his description that the crates held something of great value. The riddle in his journal was an enticement, an encouragement to his family to go look for themselves.

Franklin's crate was the only artifact left from that moment in time, and certain proof that the events included in the journal had happened. The gold might be gone, the crates would surely have decayed and crumbled by now if they were left below ground, but Perry felt that something awaited discovery.

The electric winch was slow, and yet capable of lifting several tons. At a hundred and forty-three pounds, Perry was hardly a strain on the system. Neil had moved the lamp shining down the hatch so that Perry would not be blinded if he looked up. And now as Perry descended it was time to turn on the flashlight and examine the walls of the well.

The brick looked like it had come from an old chimney. It was a deep red in color and had a smooth texture like it had been fired. The mortar between the bricks was old, and yet with all this moisture it had not crumbled. Yes, it felt wet down here, and the deeper he went the more moisture seemed to cling to his skin.

The pipe that brought water up from the bottom was anchored to the brick with large ugly straps, and it was covered in condensation. Perry was wearing leather gloves which allowed him to grip the cable that ran upwards only inches in front of his face. But he removed one of the gloves so that he could touch the brick and they felt gritty. The brick layer ended and below that began the stone.

Someone with great skill had laid these stones. Perry turned himself to study the layer and he could see that each stone had been dressed to fit snugly with its neighbors. There was no mortar between the stones, it wasn't needed. The weight from above kept everything in place and with that thought Perry looked up and realized he was about twenty feet underground.

The escape through the tunnels with MT had filled his mind with fear, something he had overcome because the boy he loved was leading the way. But now he was alone down here, and yet when he looked up he could see MT staring down at him. Perry waved and MT waved back, it felt reassuring.

The stones gave way to a mixture of soil and rock packed solid and unmoving for decades. The very smooth walls of the well now became rougher and the reason became apparent as the soil disappeared and the walls of the well became solid rock. Perry was about halfway down now when he began to hear the sound of trickling water.

He pointed the flashlight down and bumped his helmet against the cable when he tried to see where the beam was aimed. Moving his head to the side he could see places where the rock walls were wet, and just as he had seen in the caverns there was a trail of mineral deposits on the rock.

It was quiet down here, except for that trickle of water and Perry could hear himself breathing. The tiny pool of water at the bottom seemed to be coming up fast, and then he saw a change in the rock on the wall. The limestone was gray-green in color, except it was darker where it was wet. But this spot was darker still, and Perry began to realize he was looking at an opening perhaps ten feet below.

The few moments it took to reach that level seemed incredibly long, and Perry realized he was holding his breath. He let it all out with a sigh that echoed off the walls. Yes, it was an opening, and from it trickled more water.

"Stop," Perry yelled, and the sound echoed off the walls. The cable stopped moving and Perry gazed down into the opening. "Two ... feet," He said, knowing that they would be listening carefully now.

The cable resumed moving and Perry was lowered the requested two feet. There before his eyes was a small rounded opening no bigger than three feet in diameter, but it seemed to bore into the rock for an indeterminate length. He pointed the light into the opening and realized this was just an opening that led into a much larger cave ... a small cavern carved in the rock.

Perry played the flashlight beam from side to side, trying to fathom the size of the cavern. There were mineral deposits coating the walls and water had pooled on one side, but then the light passed across something. Perry pushed off the wall behind him with a leg and tried to pull himself closer. Whatever it was seemed just out of reach.

Perhaps if they brought down a ladder. The bottom of the well was only five feet below and the water was only three feet deep. An eight foot ladder would do the trick. Perry didn't think he could reach the object by himself, but perhaps Neil could.

The object appeared to be a metal box, but it wasn't at all rusted which didn't make sense. Any iron based metal would have rusted away in this damp climate. Whatever it was had been sitting down here for a hundred and fifty years.

"Aloysius Trogdon, what have you left us?" Perry said to himself.

Okay, he'd had enough of a look. It would take time to recover the object and the sooner he reached the surface and told them about it the better.

"Up," Perry yelled. "Bring ... me ... up."

The cable began to move and Perry watched the opening disappear. A shiver shot through his body and Perry started to laugh. "Yahoo," He yelled for the sheer joy of it, and he rode to the surface with a grin on his face.

The cable slowed as he reached the hatch and hands guided him through the opening. MT was there and Perry shot him a glance that said it all.

"Yes ... we have something to see," Perry said.

Clarence unhooked the cable and Perry stepped out of the pump shed and into the grass. He looked straight at Neil and nodded.

"It's your turn." And then he explained what he had seen.

The metal box was indeed just that, only it was made of lead. Neil spent almost an hour down the well before he could bring it to the surface. There were photos to be taken, and as Perry had predicted, they used a ladder to reach the object.

At first Neil thought he could just reach in and pull the box over to the opening where he could drop it into the net, but he couldn't make it budge. It sat only four feet inside the opening but Neil said it must weigh a hundred pounds. That proved to be an exaggeration because they weighed it when it was recovered and the scale said it was only seventy-six pounds.

Neil finally managed to cast a rope around the box and work it back and forth to slide it into the net. When it was finally captured they pulled Neil up first and then raised the net with their prize. The diesel engine on the crane roared and spooled in the cable until the net rose through the hatch.

"What have we here?" Ben exclaimed as Clarence swung the boom out over the yard and lowered the net to the ground.

The net was pealed back to reveal the metal box, and the fact that there was no clasp to open it. But MT thought it was significant that the box was about the size of one of those biscuit crates. It was Neil who discovered the seam that ran around one side and realized the box had been soldered shut.

"Completely waterproof, isn't it?" Clarence said.

"I would hope so," Ben said.

They were all distracted by the arrival of a patrol car, and Dave stepped out. But the passenger door opened and Norman Albright soon joined the little crowd gathered around the box.

"I thought you should be here, Norman," Ben said.

Albright shook hands all around and gave Perry a glance. "Were you going to tell me about this?"

Ben chuckled. "It was Perry who suggested you be here if we found anything, and that's why I called."

Albright looked down at the box and smiled. "Imagine that, a Civil War time capsule."

MT nodded because that was exactly what this was. Perry and MT carried the work bench over from behind the barn and it took four of them to lift the box up onto the surface. The seal was unbroken and so Carl produced a pocket knife and they began to slice their way through it.

The box was about twelve inches wide, eighteen inches long and nine inches deep. The lid finally came free and was lifted off to reveal a wooden liner made of solid oak. Upon examination the lead sides and lid on the box were determined to be about a half inch thick.

"That isn't thick enough to make up for all this weight," Neil said, and then he smiled. "What does everyone think is in the wooden box?"

Perry was all for grabbing a hammer and smashing it open when Albright prevailed.

"Let's be gentle," He cautioned. "This box is just as old as the contents and should be preserved."

So they decided to be reasonable and carefully pried up the wooden cover with a screwdriver. Ben looked down at the leather covering inside which seemed intact after all these years. If this was another old book filled with pages then the paper would not be in very good shape. But Aloysius was not a stupid man and he fooled them all.

The leather was carefully lifted revealing a wondrous sight. It was a page all right, but it was made of solid gold.

"Good Lord," Albright said as they all looked down on the shiny surface.

Etched into the surface was a depiction of the Trogdon mansion as it was during that early time, and below it was the word Trogdon. The gold plates that followed were all about ten by fourteen inches and easily a quarter inch thick. But each of them held the same flowing script MT and Perry had first seen in Aloysius' journal.

"What is it?" Dave asked.

"It's Aloysius Trogdon's legacy to the family," Ben said, and there were tears of joy in his eyes.

It took them two trips to carry the sixteen pages into the house and set them gently on the dining room table. Ben turned on all the lights and one by one everyone began to study the writing on the gold surfaces.

"How very clever," Albright said. "The metal is soft enough that he probably used a steel pen without ink. Paper would never have survived the dampness ... my, my."

MT nodded. "I think he felt that whoever discovered this would have to be in the family. But since he couldn't know the circumstances of that discovery he at least knew the gold was valuable, just in case it was needed."

Albright smiled. "A helping hand from beyond the grave? But I see your point, and this would have been of major assistance if the family was in dire straits."

"How much do you think all this is worth?" Perry asked.

"It's priceless," Albright said. "We will have to analyze the writing and see what he has to tell us. As for the gold, I have no idea of the current value."

"Richard?" Ben said.

"The current price of gold in the U.S. market is around $1700 per ounce," Richard said. "That's about $27,000 per pound. Now each of these pages seems to weigh about five pounds so ... "

"Oh My God, that's a $136,000 per page," Perry said.

Albright smiled. "Glad to see someone pays attention in math class."

Everyone laughed at that and then stared down at the table. There was over two million dollars in gold lying there.

"The gold has a certain value, but the history we have here is priceless. I'm not sure we can house something this valuable at the Historical Society," Ben said.

"Agreed, "Albright said. "But we can copy the pages and put them on display. I think the gold needs to be secured in a bank vault."

"I'm too excited to read this now," MT said. "Can we leave it here for a while?"

"Yes, I think we should take the time to study what Aloysius thought was so important that he had to leave all this for us to discover," Ben said. "And my thanks to Perry and MT for giving this project, and yours truly, a shove in the right direction. Is anyone beside me a wee bit hungry?"

Bernice had anticipated she would have a dozen mouths to feed, and there was a large pot of soup and a huge platter of sandwiches waiting for them in the kitchen. Clarence had inspected the piping and set the roof frame back on the pool shed by the time they were finished with lunch, and he was packing up to leave. He had volunteered his time and equipment to Ben, mostly from guilt over Brian, but he still was given a healthy check for the effort.

Norman and Ben retired to the porch for a chat. It had been a long time since their last conversation, and now they had something grand to discuss. Neil and Richard were back buzzing around the dining room table, agog at the wealth which lay before them, but more interested in the family history.

This left Dave and Carl standing in the back yard with the boys, looking at the pile of roofing metal.

"So you managed to have an adventure without anyone getting hurt," Dave said. "I think you're learning."

"It's a new year, a new season," Carl said. "They still have plenty of time to get in trouble."

"Nope, not going there," MT said. "I think Perry and I are going to take the scholarly approach to our adventures from now on."

"That's progress," Dave said. "So what did you have in mind?

"We have a month and a half of school left," Perry said. "Then I think MT wants to spend some more time in Florida."

"Yeah, that was lots of fun ... and no trouble," MT said.

Carl smiled. "I suppose you can go ... what have you got planned?"

Perry laughed. "We just pulled two million dollars out of the ground. I'll bet I can get Pops to spring for a few days at Disneyworld."

"Cool," MT said. "Hey, I can drive us down there."

"Now wait a minute," Carl said. "That's a mighty long trip for an inexperienced driver."

"So I have a month and a half to become an expert. You'll help me, won't you, Dave?"

"How did I get caught up in this family business?" Dave asked.

Carl shook his head. "Can't you tell ... he's got a little Trogdon in him. They usually get what they want. Now I better scoot on home, June will have a fit if I don't tell her what we did today."

"Thanks, Dad," MT said, and they all waved as Carl pulled away.

"So driving lessons," MT said. "When do we start? Hey, can I drive the patrol car?"

Dave shook his head and looked over at Perry. "I'm going back in the Marine Corps, it was safer there."

Perry just laughed. "Just think, we'll be gone all summer and you'll have the whole town to yourself."

"Is it June yet?" Dave asked.

The day ended and Perry lay in the bedroom of the summerhouse with MT beside him. It was late and yet neither of them felt like sleeping. If Perry had ever needed to define the love he shared with MT then it would be in the feelings he had felt today. Hanging in the darkness of that well there had been a moment where his courage was tested, and yet when he looked up MT was there ... life was grand.

It was made grand because of what they shared ever since they had first met. Perry knew he didn't mean the moonshiners, falling through holes or even crawling through long dark tunnels. It didn't require the excitement of burning a whole barn filled with pot or feeling the terror of Brian with that knife in his face. All it required was the companionship and love he had discovered with MT by his side.

Grand defined their future and the way their lives had become one. Great things were expected of a Trogdon and Perry felt the possibilities were there because MT was a part of his life. Today they had discovered something very real and it would define them and bind them together.

The first golden page of this new journal confirmed that Aloysius knew where the gold came from. Perhaps that was why these final entries had been presented in this fashion. The cover page was the only thing Perry found interesting. After that the journal resumed a boring statistical analysis of the events in the county. At least his ancestor was consistent.

To whoever is reading these words and for my sake I can only hope your name is Trogdon, I bring greetings. This missive is penned in the year of Our Lord, 1873. It has been a good ten years since the town of Trogdon faced the reality of Southern defeat in war and was brought back from the brink of disaster.

My father's actions before his death provided the means of this communication and proved to be the salvation of the town and its people. Lindsey Trogdon will forever be remembered as the man who provided for and set in motion the changes necessary for Marsh County to survive this senseless War Between the States.

What you have discovered is just one sixteenth of the treasure placed in my care. Perhaps you will recall the Union troops overrunning Chattanooga and the search General Rosecrans' minions made for the wealth of the South.

His plans did not take into account the four desperate men who emptied the vaults of the three major banks in town and shot many innocent people for the gold you now see. The truth of their mayhem was hard in coming and took me years to discover. It was just their bad luck and my father's fate which brought them together in the dark recesses of Steven's Gap.

I was not alone in my knowledge of this precious metal. The trusted members of the militia closest to my father knew what was in these boxes. In the year after my father's death the families Ball, Tilley, Jackson and Thomas were in dire need and I was only thankful that they came to me.

It was a time of planning and prosecuting a grand design that would save the families and the town. In secret we removed half of the crates from the well. The metal was melted down and reformed into nuggets. By dropping the molten material into wet sand the shapes produced were distinctly like the naturally occurring mineral found in the Blue Ridge.

With careful spending we managed to purchase the materials necessary for the sustenance of two hundred people. But we were cautious because the sudden appearance of Trogdon gold would only attract the wrong sort. We established a saw mill and produced a fine quality of building material that was used to bring the poor freedmen of Lively Corners into moderate comfort and security.

The remainder of this document will continue my accounting of the events in those years following my father's death. The figures will show that Marsh County prospered because of the moral strength of its people. A man free of bondage will make an investment in his life and work like no other. The Trogdon family took a firm stand against the tide of injustice and my only regret is that we waited so long to do it.

The Parson Ball tells me that all things are possible under the Lord's guidance and I would like to believe that what we have accomplished is in His name. The Lord's Way is the only way, the Parson often reminds us, and I agree. We have done everything but move mountains in the past decade, all of it by prayerful worship and the sweat of our brow.

But I would also like to believe there is a Trogdon way. My father, Lindsey Trogdon, had a vision for this family and the good we could each accomplish in our lifetime. I have tried to do my best to further that ideal, and pray the generations which follow may do the same.

Aloysius Lee Trogdon, Marsh County, Georgia


The End

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