The Finder of Forgotten Things by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Author:Sarah Loudin Thomas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;FIC042030;FIC026000;FIC074000
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2021-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Sulley flopped into the back seat of the dusty automobile and pulled his hat low over his eyes. Jeremiah opened the passenger door and handed Gainey in. She thanked him and clasped her hands in her lap, still feeling the strength of his fingers wrapped around hers. The two of them attempted conversation, but it soon petered out and they rode the last few miles to the burial field in silence.

Gainey reached for the bunch of black-eyed Susans she’d gathered and wrapped in newspaper. While she’d spoken boldly to Jeremiah, her prayer now was to find the field empty of anyone living on this hot July day. She didn’t think she had it in her to put on a show.

Her prayer was answered. As they approached the spot, the phrase silent as a tomb came to mind. Even the birds and insects seemed to have hushed in honor of the unknown dead. As they got out of the automobile, her two companions lagged behind a few paces as though she really were visiting the grave of her son and they wanted to give her space for her grief. Well. She wasn’t quite ready to grieve yet.

“Are you tired?” she asked, glancing back at them. They exchanged surprised looks and hurried to catch up with her. All three approached the tree, unmistakable in its girth.

“What made you look here?” Gainey asked.

“Some old-timer told me a tale about the Phillips gold buried at the foot of the cross.” Sulley pointed up. “When I saw a cross carved on this tree, I figured it was worth a try.”

She furrowed her brow. “But how did you know where to dig?”

“Dowsed for it.”

“For a body?”

Sulley heaved a breath. “For gold, I thought. Never did have much use for folks trying to dowse for the dearly departed.”

Gainey shuddered. Nor did she. Squinting up at the cross, carved a good twenty feet high, she thought there might be something more there. “My eyesight isn’t so good anymore. Are there words carved up there?”

Sulley peered up. “Luke twelve, six through seven. Guess that’s a Bible verse.”

Jeremiah spoke the words in his deep, resonant voice: “‘Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.’”

Gainey was impressed. She admired a man who carried Scripture in his heart. “Hardly seems a clue to buried treasure,” she said.

Sulley shrugged. “Didn’t say it was. All I saw was the cross, and this”—he pointed down—“is the foot of it.”

“Maybe if we head into town and ask around, we’ll find someone who knows about this place,” Jeremiah suggested.

“Perhaps.” Gainey wasn’t sure what she’d hoped to find here, but she was disappointed. The cross, the verse, the grave—how was she to know what any of it meant? “Then again, what does it matter?” She laid her flowers at the base of the tree. “If this is my son, he’s beyond my reach.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.