As they walked the length of the tunnel, every once in a while a beam of white light appeared on the floor. Looking up, they could see a small shaft going up.
"My grandfather cut those openings along the tunnel for the air. He was killed when one of the shafts caved in and buried him. My pop had to shovel into a pile of debris for three days before he found his father." Roy's voice trailed off. Abe and Billy had run ahead but quickly returned.
"Maw, there's water in here," Abe said excitedly.
When they all arrived, Roy showed them the natural spring. "In 1871, granddad and Pop discovered this spring." Roy pointed further down the mine using the lamp. "They rerouted the tunnel in that direction, and the spring became our drinking water."
Roy grabbed a metal scoop hanging on the wall and gave everyone a drink.
"Goodness, Roy, that tastes better than our well-water," Sara said smiling.
Roy smiled. "It's an artesian spring. By the temperature of the water, I'd say it's deep."
After showing them the tunnel, they walked back to the log cabin. The boys sat at the table resting while Sara walked over to the mantel. She let her fingers dance over the treasures. Roy joined her.
"That's my grandfather William and his wife, Rebecca. The picture was taken before they moved here, I think the day they got married."
"She looks so young."
Roy nodded. "The round metal piece belonged to my friend Stanley. It's his dog tag. We wore them around our neck so someone could identify our bodies if we were killed."
Roy grabbed the green Army hat and opened it, setting it on top of his head. Grinning, he looked at the boys. "We wore these tent-looking hats too."
Billy and Abe burst into laughter.
Sara picked up the postcard from the Dubois family.
"That's a long story for another day." Roy took the card from Sara's hand and set it back on the mantel. "It's from some folks I met in France during the war. All the writing is in French, so I don't know what it says."
Sara picked the card back up. "I can read it to you if you'd like. It's been a long time since I used my French, but may I?"
Roy nodded but was nervous. He was allowing Sara to delve into his past and Roy was not sure he wanted it exposed. Sara studied the card frowning as she tried to decipher the words. She suddenly looked up and smiled.
"They had a little girl and named her after you."
"The Dubois' named their daughter Roy, after me?" he said in disbelief.