Disappointment spiraled in Jacob’s chest. He swallowed and nodded.
Joe caught his eye and chuckled. “Don’t look like I just shot your dog, Duncan. A rib is no small discovery. And it’s hefty. We need strength like yours to make sure it doesn’t crack when it comes out of this confounded rock.” He took off his hat and beat it against his leg. “Besides, the other guys need to get to know ya. Know your skills.”
Jacob’s face burned. He needed to be careful about his attitude. He was here to work and learn from those who had worked in this field much longer than him.I’m sorry, Lord. Helpme not to let my pride get in the way.He picked up his rucksack that held his tools and slung it over his shoulder.
The foreman led him down a small path to a quadrant southeast of his workstation. Several men were positioned in front of the rib bone, tapping rock with chisels and hammers.Other men hauled buckets of dirt to a pile not unlike what he moved last week.
Jacob watched the scene in fascination. There was a rhythm to the work that was satisfying to watch. He looked at his foreman. “Where do you want me to work?” He held his breath, hoping not to have to move dirt again.
“You see Abe over there on the left?” Joe gestured to a slim man bent over the thick end of the bone.
Jacob nodded.
“You’ll be helping him get that end out today and possibly tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.” He grinned and made his way to Abe.
Setting down his rucksack, he pulled out the cloth roll holding his tools. “Hi, I’m Jacob Duncan. Joe told me to come over and give you a hand.”
Abe glanced up. His face was streaked with red dust. “Abe Smith. You any good with a fine point chisel?”
Jacob unraveled the roll and pulled the tool from a pocket. “Where do you want me?”
“Back of the bone, opposite me,” Abe said, a cough strangling his words. He grabbed a canteen and took a long chug of water. Then he dumped the rest of the water over his head, the water making small rivers in the dirt on his skin. “The end here is stuck. I’ve been working to get it out for the last hour, but it won’t budge.”
Jacob walked around the ridge sticking up from the earth. He pulled out a small brush and flat-headed hammer along with the chisel. Swiping rock debris away from the bone, he inserted the chisel into a small crack in the dirt. With a few taps, red clay broke away in chunks, revealing a bit more of the rib.
A giddy grin threatened to split his face. He pressed his lips together, determined not to look too green. But the thrill of finding and revealing something hidden for hundreds andhundreds of years never got old. And this was the biggest bone he’d seen, by far.
“You from here?” Abe’s voice cut through his thoughts.
“What? Oh. No. I’m from Chicago. How about you?”
“Wyoming territory.”
Jacob swept more fine dust off the bone. “Do you have family back home?”
“Just my ma.” After a long moment of silence, the other man went on. “My pa died when I was young. Had a brother too but he died when he was just a little ’un.”
Jacob’s heart twisted. He thought of his big family back home. Even with six people crammed into a small two-room house, he couldn’t imagine life without them. To lose family so young was incomprehensible. “I’m sorry to hear that, Abe. That had to be hard.” He swallowed. His words sounded hollow to his own ears.Lord, please help me show this man Your kindness and comfort.
Abe shrugged and bent back down over the dirt. “Don’t know no different. Just how it goes sometimes.”
What could he say to someone who’d lost so much? He tapped and dug in the dirt, praying for his digging partner.
“I’m gonna get more water down at the creek. Do you need some more?”
“Thank you. That would be helpful.” Jacob passed the canteen to the standing man. “Do you want me to go with you?”
Abe shook his head. “Just keep working on that rock over there. Whatever you’re doin’ is helping me on this side. I’ll be back.”
Jacob watched Abe walk down the path toward the small creek that ran along their worksite. His shoulders hunched tight, and his head stayed down. No one greeted him or acknowledged him.
Sighing, Jacob scooped more dirt and rocks out of the small hole he created. He tapped his chisel again, scattering the antstrying to climb the bone. Maybe he could make friends with Abe. And not just because Abe seemed lonely. But because he could use a friend too.
His canteen careened over the boulder behind him, sliding to a stop with a solid thud into another rock.
He jumped up and found Abe sitting back down on the other end of the rib. “You could have warned me.” The words released on a chuckle.
