I love ancestor stories . . .
1854.
The Council House was being built in Manti, Utah, using
volunteer labour.
And borrowed tools.
My GGGrandfather Stringam was one of those labourers.
With one of those borrowed tools.
In this instance, a hammer, lent to him by his friend,
Augustus Dodge.
GGGrandfather, together with the rest of the crew, was busily laying flooring on the upper level of
the mostly-finished building when the call came for lunch.
Setting the hammer down, he happily answered said call.
When he returned, he discovered that everyone had not left
when he did, but had continued working.
And the entire floor had been finished.
In dismay, he looked over the beautiful job, knowing that,
somewhere under those boards, was the hammer he had borrowed.
Yeah. I know. That happens to things I borrow, too.
Sigh.
Back to my story . . .
He found Augustus and told him his dilemma. He added, “If
you’re around when that building is demolished, I guess you can claim your
hammer.”
Moving ahead . . .
In 1910, fifty-plus years and a new century later, the Council House
was scheduled for removal to make way for a spanking new library.
GGGrandfather, now an elderly man, heard the exciting
announcement and went to observe the proceedings.
When the time came for the floor in the upper story to be
removed, he was on hand to personally examine the space under every board as it
was pulled up.
And finally, there it was.
Augustus Dodge’s borrowed hammer. Safe and sound.
There's a lesson in this.
Always return what you borrow.
Even it it's centuries later.
P.S. I wonder what the fine would be on that 'library book'?!
What an amazing story! It gave me goosebumps!
ReplyDeleteHeehee! Fun, right?
DeleteI think there was a story from New York where a guy returned a movie and received a $1M+ late fee. I don't think he paid it.
ReplyDeleteThat had better be one heck of a good movie!
DeleteThere IS a reason for that adage!
ReplyDeleteSo true! :)
DeleteA gift from the past, returned finally. How thrilled he must have been.
ReplyDeleteLike a little blast from the past!
DeleteWhat a great story!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was great fun!
DeleteNow that's what I call perseverance! I'm pretty sure I would have completely forgotten about the hammer about ten years in...
ReplyDeleteAnd I would have forgotten fifteen minutes later . . .
DeleteYou'd think whoever kept working on the floor would have noticed a hammer and moved it.
ReplyDeleteWas Augustus still around to get his hammer back?
That's what I was wondering. I don't know if Augustus was still around. My Dad didn't know. Darn.
DeleteI hope the library has the hammer on display . . . and a copy of this story next to it would be just perfect!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! I love that he got to go back and find it! I agree with Susan it should be put on display!
ReplyDelete