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Back The Land Beneath Us Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Endorsements
  3. Books by Sarah Sundin
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Presidential Radio Broadcast
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. Epilogue
  58. Acknowledgments
  59. Discussion Questions
  60. About the Author
  61. Back Ads
  62. Back Cover

Miss Stratford’s face softened. “However, I can show you the information pertaining to you. Would you like to see it?”

What did it matter if she couldn’t find her sisters? Yet how could she not? “Yes, please. I know so little about my past.”

She pulled out a paper. “This is fine. So’s this. Some have carbon copies. You may have the copies.”

“Thank you.” A photograph was attached to one of the papers with a paper clip. A sad-faced curly-haired girl sat on a bench with her tiny arms around two dark-haired babies. “Oh my.”

She’d never seen a picture of them. “May I? Is it too much to ask?”

“Very well. You may have it.”

Leah held the picture before blurry eyes. This might be the only glimpse she’d ever have of her sisters.

“Miss Stratford?” A young woman in a white apron leaned into the office, hair askew. “It’s that Yardley boy again. He’s throwing dishes in the dining room.”

“That barbarian. Belongs in a mental asylum.” Miss Stratford bolted from her desk. “Pardon me, Mrs. Paxton.”

What a horrible woman to have in charge of an orphanage. Leah stared after her, then at the empty doorway, then at the manila folder.

Her hand stretched out.

A voice screeched in her head. Thief! Thief! Rotten little thief!

The voice lied. These were her sisters. Taking what belonged to her wasn’t stealing.

She slid the folder close.

On the first page: “Three girls: Thalia Karahalios, Calliope Karahalios, Polyhymnia Karahalios.”

She almost laughed. She’d been right about their names!

At the bottom of the page . . . “Thalia Karahalios adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Jones, November 20, 1929.”

On the next line . . . “Calliope and Polyhymnia Karahalios adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Hobart Scholz, November 26, 1929.” With an address!

Leah memorized it and glanced to the door. A ruckus toward the back of the building assured her Miss Stratford wouldn’t return for a while.

She pulled her pen from her purse and wrote her sisters’ information on the paper she was allowed to take. Then she reassembled the folder.

A notepad sat on the desk, and Leah wrote a note, thanking Miss Stratford for the papers, the photograph, and the pieces to her past.

Leah tucked her papers into her purse. She had so much more than pieces.

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39

POINTE DU HOC

Clay ran down the exit road with two Rangers from another company, the only men he’d found at the assembly point. Either Gene and his friends had already proceeded, or they were—no, he wouldn’t think of that.

Booms of artillery fell behind him, closer and closer. Might be German artillery or it might be the US Navy, unaware that the Rangers were already so far inland. Didn’t matter where it came from. It only mattered that he needed to run.

His breath came in hard puffs, and Lyons’s Browning Automatic Rifle bumped against his back.