Three Coins
Cold Night
by
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Chapter One
The precipitation started in the afternoon, after threatening during the morning. At first it was only a mist, but as the day wore on, it increased in intensity. When the day turned into twilight, it increased to a steady drizzle that could then be called a rain. There was no threat of a flood to the land, because the dry spring soil seemed to soak up the water as it fell. However, such a rain was apt to discourage any would-be traveler from venturing out into its dreariness. It gave no sign of stopping anytime soon. To make matters worse, there was a chill to the precipitation that seemed to penetrate the very bones of anyone who felt its presence. This was the situation in the country, where Sam lived. People were apt to say it was a rain that seemed to go right through you, all the way to your soul.
Sam didn’t have to be out in the dreary rain because he was fortunate enough to own his home. In fact, his home protected him from the dampness and chill because it was well built, and shed the rain well. The atmosphere of the home was a different matter. It was quiet and lonely because Sam no longer had a companion. She had passed away approximately four months previously, just after Thanksgiving. He had his period of disbelief, then his anger at his loss, then his bargaining period with the Lord, and a reluctant acceptance that her death really was true. He now felt truly alone. It was definitely not the first time in his life that he had felt alone. But he was now completely alone and his sole possession, at that moment, was a house cat that he had inherited from his deceased wife. All his cattle had been sold, since his wife’s death, and there were no outside animals to be fed. He made his living by teaching school and that was sufficient for his livelihood. His problem was not money but companionship. He tried to tell himself that he really was fortunate to have no outside work to do in the rain, but his attempt to cheer himself up seemed to fall flat. The steady shower ran off the roof of his home and seemed to pass his lonely heart on the way. It was the spirit of gloom that visited him on this dreary March night in 1982.
Sam knew of many rainy nights before. Because of that he was prone to view them all with a note of gloom. It seemed to him that he had been left alone much too often. His memories of the lonely nights surfaced openly now. These memories were generally unpleasant and showed up at times like this, especially when there was darkness.
He turned and walked into his kitchen for a possible bite of food on that Saturday evening. With food he sought to shake the feeling of doom around his household. He realized once again that he was truly alone with no living relatives around to engage in conversation. He had not yet studied his Sunday school lesson for the next day but at the moment he was not interested in the church lesson or any other reading. When he viewed the contents of his refrigerator he slowly closed the door and left the kitchen because nothing tempted his lagging appetite. He made it a point to leave the kitchen light on to keep back the darkness in his home.
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About the Book
Sam the main character finds that he has a problem of being left behind by the women in his life. At a very early age his mother dies and leaves him and his father. When he graduates from high school he loses his only girl friend. Both of these events are devastating to him. But it only in college that he loses the love of his life to circumstances beyond his control. He runs away to U. S. Army for a stay before returning and marrying. Later he loses the fourth female from his life and appears completely lost. Then he returns to the town of
About the Author
I was born in Lawrence County Tennessee on
I taught elementary school, spent time in military service and did some manufacturing work before settling down to my life’s occupation. The main work of my life was for the State of
My early years were greatly influenced by the rural community in which I lived in those days of very little money. The church was also a main influence to me. I enjoyed sitting at the two grocery stores and hearing the local tales of the customers as they spun them on rainy days and in wintertime. In their lives I have found characters for my later writings. These memories continue strong in my head even today after all the years.
Various family members influenced my early life. There was no one more colorful than my grandmother. She was a strong minded person who spent a lot of time in brewing her own medicine of “Catnip Tea,” and many other types of home remedies. She was supposed to have a lot of Indian blood in her veins but to me she was just “Granny”. She loved to talk with almost anyone who would listen. She had enough energy left to jump the rope with the little girls at school at age seventy. She was an early inspiration for my writings because of her character.
I was widowed in the year 2002 when my wife of forty-six years passed away with cancer. I am still adjusting to her loss. We had lost a son earlier in our marriage. I have a daughter who lives near by and she has three children who call me “Daddy Tom.”
I love to write poetry as well as prose, to paint natural scenes in oils and compose songs on occasions. I spend a lot of my spare time doing volunteer work for the community. I try to be active in my church. There I am the Lay Leader, teach a Sunday school class and lead the music. I love the things of nature around my home including birds and trees. Over the years I have become a student of the arts. I don’t believe I will ever outgrow those passions. They continue to furnish inspiration for poems and pleasant thoughts.
My serious writings started in 1983 due to the “empty nest syndrome.” My only daughter married and moved away. I found that I could put down my thoughts on scrap paper and a composition books Writing has been very rewarding since that time and I have finally admitted to myself that I will never quit dabbling in the arts.
Recently, in July of 2005, I unfortunately had a heart attack. Because of this I will probably spend more time in reworking a lot of the old manuscripts for possible publications. Thus far I have a novel entitled “Who Killed Beth.” I have also penned a novel entitled “Harry’s