AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not sure,” Grace said, quickly opening the note that was written in her father’s bold hand.
Dear Gracie,
When I was in Salem at the dairymen’s meeting last week, I wandered into a store selling vintage items, which I never do. We have enough of our own junk at home without paying good money for someone else’s cast-offs.
Grace smiled, envisioning her father wandering through a shop filled with turn-of-the-century treasures and snarling at each thing he encountered.
Don’t ask me what or why I felt compelled to go into that store, but the moment I saw this, I knew you had to have it. Not only is it pretty, but it will also come in handy if you ever need to defend yourself. Also, the clerk who sold it to me said it once belonged to Adelaide Brennan—the actress I’ve always been so fond of watching. I have no idea how the gun wound up in Salem, but it seems to have quite a storied past. Ironically enough, it has even been in Holiday before, in the possession of one of our relatives. There’s a note in the pocket inside the case you should read. Use this key to open it.
We miss you, baby girl, and hope life is good there. Looking forward to your next visit.
Love you,
Dad
P.S. Your mother mailed a letter to you yesterday, so if you haven’t received it yet, it should arrive shortly. You can get all the gossip from her.
“Wow!” Grace said, setting aside her father’s note, lifting the case from the box, and setting it on her lap.
“Is that a gun case?” Cindy asked, leaning closer as the two of them examined the ornate pink mother-of-pearl inlay in the lid.
Grace reverently smoothed her fingers across it before she lifted the little brass key on a tarnished silver chain from the envelope that had held her father’s note and inserted it into the lock on the case.
The click echoed throughout the room as she and Cindy held their breaths, anxious to see what treasure the case contained.
“Oh, my,” Cindy said when Grace lifted the lid to reveal a pistol made with pink mother-of-pearl grips that appeared to match the lid of the case. “Why on earth did your family send this to you?”
“Dad sent it. Apparently, he found it in a junk store in Salem when he was recently at a dairymen’s meeting. According to what he wrote in the letter, he bought it because I need protection, the gun is pretty, and it was supposedly owned by an actress he likes.”
Cindy grinned. “Was it Adelaide Brennan? Your dad seems quite smitten with her. He practically runs over people in his haste to get to the television if one of her movies comes on.”
Grace laughed, knowing what Cindy said wasn’t much of an exaggeration. “It was Miss Adelaide. The woman has to be what, close to eighty now?”
“I would think so,” Cindy agreed, then motioned to the pistol. “I’ve never seen anything so pretty and deadly. It’s like a Wild West weapon tangled with something entirely feminine.”
“Dad said there’s a note in the pocket that explains about the gun.” Grace found the pocket in the lining of the case and gently extracted a letter that was growing yellow with age.
The words were written with a type of penmanship she’d only seen on postcards and notes sent by her relatives from decades ago.
She who possesses this pistol possesses an opportunity that must not be squandered. Cast in the tender dreams of maidens from ages past, the steel of this weapon is steadfast and true and will lead an unmarried woman to a man forged from the same virtuous elements. One need only fit her hand to the grip and open her heart to activate the promise for which this pistol was fashioned—the promise of true love. Patience and courage will illuminate her path. Hope and faith will guide her steps until her heart finds its home.
Once the promise is fulfilled, the bearer must release the pistol and pass it to another or risk losing what she has found.
Accept the gift . . . or not.
Believe its promise . . . or not.
But hoard the pistol for personal gain . . . and lose what you hold most dear.
“Well, that’s quite a … warning.” Cindy grinned again. “What do you think? If you hold the pistol and make a wish, will Prince Charming come knocking at our door?”
Grace scowled at her. “Not likely. For goodness’ sake, who believes in such silliness?” She glanced down and noticed more writing on the aged parchment.
A gift from the great Annie Oakley, this pistol carries a legacy of love. If you possess this pistol and find love, please record your name and a bit of your story to encourage those who follow.
Tessa James married Jackson Spivey on March 3, 1894, in Caldwell, Texas - I was aiming for his heart but accidentally winged him in the arm. Thankfully, forgiveness and love cover a multitude of mishaps.
Rena Burke wed Josh Gatlin on June 2, 1894, in Holiday, Oregon – When my trousers and target practice didn’t send him running, I knew true love had hit the perfect target for me.
