Occasional Poems and Verses (1893)

Joe Noble survives a brutal attack in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, but he loses all memory of his past life. While a prisoner in a German POW camp he tries to save the life of another wounded American soldier. Before the soldier dies, Joe promises to deliver letters to Mary, the wife of the dying man. Friendship and compassion develop into love, and they marry. Unable to have children, they become Grandpa Joe and Grandma Mary to the villagers of Crooked Corners, Vermont. Before Mary dies, after a half century of a wonderful life together, she insists that Joe begin to search for his forgotten past. It is a search that takes him back to the POW Camp, Bastonge, Belgium, France, and beyond. It is a journey that brings unexpected, sometimes frightening memories. The journey allows Joe not only to retrieve his past, but also to touch the lives of others along the way, and to make connections beyond his wildest dreams. It is a journey proving that goodness can overcome evil.