Epilogue
Sam, had indeed come home that Christmas day. Remember the stock that Sam had transferred into Frank and Sally’s account after Mary’s death? Well Frank had transferred it back out just about as fast.
Frank opened up a new brokerage account in Sally and Sam’s name and had been doing some aggressive investing. Frank had taken Sam’s life savings of a little over $300,000 and turned it into something a little shy of two million dollars.
Sam learned of this when he was presented his brokerage statement all Christmas wrapped. For at least the last two years of Sam’s meager existence in the hills of Good Hope he had been a millionaire and didn’t even know it.
Sam lived the rest of his days with his family and used his money to make other people’s lives easier. He set up a trust for his two grand children, Jessica, and Sammy and little Peggy Beaumont. The Summer following his return home, saw Billy and Ellen being delivered a 4 wheel drive deluxe American made SUV. The following Christmas Santa brought the Beaumont’s a new snow mobile. Sam also left a generous amount for the Beaumont family in his will.
About the only thing he bought for himself was a new pick up truck and a new metal detector. Oh he never gave up gold prospecting or going to Good Hope now and again; but he did it just as a part of his wonderful life, not just to exist.
He learned that living was much better for the soul than just existing. He saw to it over the next couple of years that he “got right” with the Big Guy upstairs.
Sam passed and went to be with Mary in the early Summer of 1999. Sally, Frank, and Jessica were sad, but they knew that Sam was with the only true love of his life, again, and forever.
It is said that even to this day, in the evening, when modern day prospectors sit around the camp fire in the darkness of the night, the spirit of Sam Nathaniel Lewis is nearby. Sometimes when there is a light breeze you can hear the melodic sounds of a harmonica being played somewhere way off in the distance.
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