Miriam was gasping for breath by the time she had successfully biked to town. She could no longer paddle and now pushed the bike up snow littered street in the muddy trails of horses and wagons careful not to step in droppings and further soil her skirt. She parked the bicycle by a hitching post outside the general store and went inside.
A woman had just left the register as she came in and three men lingered in the back of the store talking about some other none of them liked.
Miriam made her way up to the counter where a large man was counting money. When he had finished he looked up at her and his brows met his eyes.
"What you want?"
"Pardon me, sir," Miriam said. "But seeing that your store is well visited I wanted to inquire if you knew of any persons who can read foreign languages."
The man leaned one big hairy arm on the counter top. "What language are you talking about?"
"Well," Miriam said, relieved that was paying her attention. "Something like this." She took the scroll out of her purse and unfolded it on the counter before the storekeeper. The man picked up the paper and held it up to the window light. Miriam watched eagerly as his lips twisted and his frown increased.
"I can't say I know someone who could read this," He said. "It don't look like anything I've ever seen before." He tilted his head to see around one of the store shelves. "Hey, Lesley! Come here a minute."
One of the men at the back of the store turned at his name being called and made his way up to the counter with his friends following him. "Sir?"
"Take a look at what this gal brought in." The man behind the counter handed Lesley the scroll. "What you make of that, you think it's Indian?"
Lesley turned the scroll over in his hands then passed it to one of his friends who took it roughly.
"Do be careful," Miriam said reaching for the scroll only to have the man pull it away. "Might I have that back please?"
The man grinned and held the scroll out of her reach. "Look here, Lesley by the way this broad is after this here parchment I'd say it's worth something." He passed it to their other companion. "What do you think, Bill?"
Bill took the paper and held it up. Casually he reached into his pocket and took out a lighter. "Let me see..." He held the flame to the edge of the paper.
"No!" Miriam dove for it but Lesley grabbed her.
"Burn it, Bill!"
"No!" Miriam said which only fueled their twisted jubilee.
The door to the general store suddenly flew open and the owner stepped back. Lesley and his friends stopped what they were doing and looked to the door.
"Jessop, odd seeing you here this time of day," Lesley said.
Jessop analyzed the scene before him. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Bill said. "We were just—"
"They took my scroll," Miriam said and Jessop shot her a venomous look that muted any other words that dare came to her tongue.
His dark eyes went to Bill. "Hand it over."
"Finders keepers," Bill slurred.
YOU ARE READING
Fairchild's 7 Daughters-The 12: Book One
Historical Fiction-Old Ghosts Die Hard- Mr. Fairchild has always been an honest man, so no one can understand why he and his family are suddenly driven from their house. Without a word of objection the family settles in a little house beneath the pines. But each Satu...
