Meg Mackintosh Solves Seven American History Mysteries by Lucinda Landon

mystery solved.”
    â€œAmazing,” said Mr. Gonzales. “Allow me to cut your silhouettes in thanks.” And he did.

History Mystery 7
The San Francisco Riddle

    â€œSan Francisco here we come,” said Peter Mackintosh as he gazed at the map.
    â€œHow many miles is it from Santa Fe?” Meg asked her brother.
    â€œIt’s about 1,200 miles,” said Peter. “It depends on which way we want to go and where we want to stop. There’s so much to see.”
    â€œJot down the places you’d like to visit and we’ll make a plan,” suggested their grandfather. Meg, Peter, and Gramps were traveling across the country solving history mysteries.
    Peter started a list and marked a route on the map.
    â€œWhile you do that, I’ll take a look at my notes,” Meg said as she chewed the tip of her pencil. “Hmmm, The San Francisco Riddle . I wonder what this mystery is about.”

    Meg thought about the artifacts. “This lantern is interesting,” said Meg as she examined it with her magnifying glass. “It’s made of a metal,” she observed, “oil must have been poured in the base and then burned with this withered wick.”
    â€œWhat kind of a design is that?” She showed it to Peter.

    â€œClean it off and we’ll have a better idea.” He tossed her a paper towel.
    Meg rubbed he lantern softly. “Maybe a genie will appear, and I’ll be granted three wishes!” she joked.

    â€œLet’s wish that Gramps will stop in all of the places on my list,” said Peter.
    â€œLook!” said Meg. “I think it’s a Chinese character. Xu Ming sounds Chinese. I think we know who the history mystery child is!”
    â€œAnd the Chinese character might be a clue to our destination once we’re in San Francisco,” said Peter as he showed Meg a map of the city.

    Where would you go in San Francisco?

    â€œChinatown!” exclaimed Meg. “I can hardly wait!”
    â€œThere are lots of exciting places to see on our way,” said Gramps. “We’ll try to cover as much of Peter’s list as we can.”
    Gramps was right. All of the National Parks were exciting. But a few days later, when they headed into the city limits of San Francisco, Meg and Peter were happy to return to their investigation.
    â€œHere’s the clue from the professor,” said Gramps.
    â€œIt’s a riddle,” Meg said, puzzling over the clue.
    â€œThe twin has the gold. Maybe Xu Ming had a twin brother?”

    â€œWhere do we start?” asked Peter.
    â€œWe start by parking the minivan and taking a trolley,” said Gramps. “Driving up and down these hills is exasperating!”
    What do you think the riddle means?
    While Gramps found a place to park, Peter opened his history book to do some research on Chinese immigration to America. Meg continued to puzzle over the riddle.

    When did the Chinese start coming to America? Why did they come?

    â€œMaybe the lantern has something to do with the gold rush,” suggested Meg.
    â€œOr building the railroads,” said Peter. “It could have been used to light tunnels they were digging.”
    â€œOr gold mines?” said Meg.
    â€œOr both,” said Gramps. “Many Chinese came to California to look for gold, like everyone else did. Some left their families behind in China with plans to return with their fortune. But when the gold rush ended, they stayed on to help build the railroads.”

    Meg thought hard, then reread the clue. “’Look within to be told.’ There’s got to be a clue inside this lantern somewhere,” she said. She undid the stopper that once held in the oil, but couldn’t detect anything inside.
    â€œWait a minute,” she mumbled, turning the lantern over. “These tin columns seem hollow.” Sure enough, she was able to undo a circle of tin on the base that opened up to a hollow