Meg Mackintosh Solves Seven American History Mysteries by Lucinda Landon Page B

uncles. You were looking at their photograph a moment ago, Xu Ming and Kam Ming.”
    â€œThe twin bothers had twin lanterns!” said Peter as he held them up. “That’s odd, your lantern is much heavier. I mean a lot heavier.” He handed the lanterns to Wesley to judge.

    â€œYou’re right. Even though they seem to be identical,” said Wesley.
    â€œPeter, that’s it!” said Meg “You just solved this history mystery!”
    What is Meg getting at?

    â€œI bet there’s something hidden inside of your lantern, too,” said Meg. “I’ll show you.” She carefully turned the lantern over and removed the piece on the bottom like she had before. A heavy shiny object slid out.
    â€œWhat is it?” asked Gramps.
    â€œIt’s gold!” exclaimed Peter. “No wonder it was so heavy!”
    â€œIt looks like a gold spike. Like the spikes they drove into the railroad ties,” said Wesley. “And there’s a piece of paper with a message.” He translated, “ Brothers switch places. I can’t believe this has been found! It’s from my twin uncles!”

    â€œThat’s like the message we had, only ours said, Brothers switch lanterns ,” explained Peter.
    â€œThey switched lanterns and places? What’s this all about?” asked Meg.
    â€œThe story is that Kam Ming went to work on the railroad and Xu stayed behind in San Francisco,” said Wesley. “When Xu heard about the strike, he sneaked into the camp to make sure his brother was okay, carrying the lantern to find his way. Maybe he brought food and clothing. When he found his brother in poor health, Xu switched places with Kam and sent him back to San Francisco — they were identical twins, so no one noticed.”
    â€œBut why did they switch lanterns too?” Peter asked.
    â€œThe lanterns held the messages. The old family must have known about the secret hiding places. If something happened to either of them, the message would explain. A Chinese worker always would return the lantern to the Ming family,” said Wesley.

    â€œKam, the twin on the railroad brought the golden spike back with him,” he concluded. “Chinese workers often made precious things out of the gold they had mined and hid the items to get them back to China.”
    â€œA narrow spike fit into the hollow hiding place,” said Meg.
    â€œIt’s also like the golden spike that they drove in when they connected the two railroads at Promontory Point!” added Peter.
    â€œOnly this spike commemorates the Chinese workers!” said Wesley proudly. “These are small signatures of workers on the spike — my ancestors and their friends! I’m so glad you found me. I never would have known the spike was hidden in here.”
    â€œNow the twin lanterns have found each other,” said Meg.
    â€œThey make a nice pair,” added Peter.
    â€œSo near and yet so far away,” mused Gramps, as he gave Meg and Peter a hug. “Case closed.”
    â€œ Cases closed,” said Meg. “We solved the seven history mysteries.”
    â€œWe still have to drive all the way home,” said Peter. “There is still more to see.”
    â€œAnd there is always another mystery on the horizon,” said Meg with a smile.

Extension Activities
    Peril at Plimoth — Who Were the Pilgrims?
    Pose the following research questions. Who were the Pilgrims and why did they come to America? After students complete their research, challenge them to present their findings in creative ways, for instance, as a time-travel interview with a Pilgrim or a web site.
    The Minuteman’s Secret — “Child’s Play”
    What kinds of games did children play in colonial America? What songs did they sing during the American Revolution? What types of arts and crafts did children do? Young readers can be urged to research Amercan games, songs, and arts