by Larry Hunt
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Brother Charles
Back at the farm Sam and William sit by the fire; old Kentucky Lead lies warmly at their feet as usual. Sam is the first to speak, “William, I’ve been givin’ it some thought about goin’ back to Caroline.”
“Okay Sam, when are you proposing we set out to go back home?”
“Nah, that ain’t exactly what I’ve been thinking about. What do you say we light out for Pennsylvania, and take your brother Matthew and Mizz Kim’s father some of our gold that we find? It shouldn’t delay us getting back home for more’n a few weeks?”
Sam goes on to explain that Matthew and Mark depend on donations to build the artificial legs. He reminds William the story Luke and Catherine has told about Matt and Mark being out of money, and without money, they have no choice but suspend their construction of the soldier’s artificial legs. Sam says he and William could journey to Gettysburg, first to help Matt and Mark build the legs and second he wants to see the actual battlefield where his brother Charles was killed. He also wanted to visit the spot where Williams’s father was killed.
This was the first time William had heard about Sam’s brother, and it came as a shock. William wondered why Sam or Catherine had not mentioned their brother Charles. When questioned, Sam answers they did not want to bring up the name Gettysburg since it would revive the sad memory of Robert, William’s father.
Sam indicated his father, being a Quaker, was not too pleased with his son joining the Army, even if to serve as a hospital attendant. Sam said Charles had tried to explain he would be trying to save lives not taking them, and he felt he had to do his part. His father would have nothing to do with him since his indication to join, saying Quakers should abstain from anything to do with War. Charles did not let his father persuade him out of his intentions, and he joined up the first chance he got.
Sam said his father disowned Charles, as did his church. His father even going so far as to say he now had only one son. Sam said he walked past his father’s room when news arrived of Charles’ death and saw him sitting with his face buried in his hand sobbing. He could hear his father repeating over and over, “My boy! My boy!”
“Sam I am truly sorry to learn of your brother’s death at Gettysburg. It seems the more I learn about you and your family the closer we become. In some ways, our friendship is more akin to you and I being brothers more than just my sister-in-law’s brother.”
“Yes, William I feel the same.”
POUCHES OF GOLD
Spring came early – the early melting of the snow is no fluke, the weather cleared in late March and by April the sun is beginning to shine brightly each and every day. The creeks up and down the mountains have run full of melted snow for weeks but are now running at average depths and with typical amounts of water flow. It is once again time for Sam and William to venture back into the mountains and return to the gold stream.
The trip this time, thinks William, is pleasant, and, thankfully he is riding his horse. The days are warm, and he does not have to trudge along on those ludicrous and cumbersome snowshoes. Occasionally they would run upon a patch of deep snow, but the sun has already done its handy work, and they easily travel around it.
It wasn’t long until they reach the top of the ridge they had discovered a couple of months earlier; however, this time the trail is easily visible and it isn’t much of a task walking their horses to the creek at the bottom.
The first day they have to search for gold, Sam ventures out into the creek barefoot, and all he does is complain about the cold water. It was freezing cold until he sees a flicker of gold lying on the stream’s bottom. He reaches his hand into the frigid water and finds his first nugget. The coldness of the water is forgotten. “Hey!” He says to William, holding the nugget high into the air for him to see. William doesn’t need much encouragement; he is already shedding his boots and walking into the glacial water.
“Here’s one!” yells William. It was like picking up pecans from underneath a pecan tree. Nuggets lay everywhere. “Sam, did you ever in you life believe such a place existed?” Sam did not answer he was too busy picking up the shiny golden stones.
A few days of hard work in the creek yields them two heavy sacks of nuggets. “How much gold you think we have William?”
“I don’t know Sam, but if we pick up anymore we won’t be able to carry it,” he said laughing. “Let’s pack’er up and get out of here. It’s time to travel up to Pennsylvania and get some of this gold to Matthew.”
