Breath and Death
by
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Sam never tired of watching the seals. At the foot of the cliff near the Golden Gate, seals of all sizes, barking and squabbling, sunning themselves, diving into the cold water, they covered a dozen fragmented rocks. After dark, the main attraction was the Golden Gate, where ships passed constantly. A great steamship, loaded with passengers lit the sky with multi-colored signal lights. Brilliant with lighted saloons, it had come from the Isthmus of Panama. Miles out at sea, on the desolate Farralones, a powerful lighthouse beacon flashed intermittently. Inside the Golden Gate another lighthouse beamed, marking the Fort that guarded the entrance to the Bay. After passing the Alcatraz Fort and rounding the point, the ship made for its dock, passing clipper ships and steamers, some at anchor in the stream, others tied fast to the busy wharves. The valleys of the city stretched from the bay to the mountains, from the Mission to the Presidio, flickering with streetlights and soft beams from the lamps of hundreds of homes. The dock was crowded with wagons and handcarts to carry luggage, coaches and hacks carried the passengers and their friends to their destinations.
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About the Book
In the concluding book of the quadrilogy, Sampson, Sam’s son sees a beautiful woman at the slave auction and Sam buys her, along with an additional abused slave. Both slaves receive manumission papers, declaring them to be free, and Sampson soon marries the woman. Sam visits his home in Poland, becomes ill, is cared for by a sharp-tongued widow, marries her and they return to the plantation. A Misouri cattle raiser comes to buy some of Sam’s prize cattle and Sam decides to go back with him. After a pleasant visit, Sam decides to see parts of the West, and leaves on a fascinating journey that ends in San Framcisco, where he gets involved with a former prostitute, a Chinese-American Tong leader, and the construction of a gambling, prostitution, and opium palace. Disgusted with the immoral aspect of the enterprise, he returns home. He and his family at the plantation have been brutally treated by a Union Army officer at different times and the story culminates in a confrontation between Sam and the officer.
About the Author
Dan Grayson switched from dentistry to writing, following a disabling accident. He learned to use the computer to study his family’s genealogy and to write about it. One result is the quadrilogy that began with GOD LAUGHS and continued with LICK SALT, EMPTY BARREL, finishing with BREATH AND DEATH. He had so much fun writing the books, he is wondering if he should continue the story and tell about later generations. Grayson is an increasingly crusty curmudgeon who loves his wife, enjoys his grandkids, along with fishing, skeet shooting, dog training, furniture making, and desperation to grow the largest pumpkin in the world. The family lives on a hilltop in Northeastern Ohio with three Bouviers des Flandres, sixteen cats, and a crossbred flock of Bantam/Fighting chickens.