Saints Among Us Read Online Free PDF

fabric bag. I could write up the directions and find a few volunteers to make them.”
    “I’m sure some of the seniors would help.” Jane made herself a note to mention it to them.
    “And note cards would be another easy craft idea.”
    “Note cards?” Jane envisioned stick-figure sketches.
    “Like these.” Sylvia lofted a package toward Jane.
    Catching it in midair, Jane opened the sealed plastic sandwich bag and pulled out eight simple note cards. Made of a finely woven heavyweight paper, there were two each of four designs glued onto the front. The first was a simple Christmas tree cut out of printed green scrap fabric. The edges were sealed with a product designed to prevent fraying, and the print on the fabric gave the impression of ornaments. The tree was topped with a simple star of some shiny gold fabric.
    The second was a set of two flat fabric bells, one glued to overlap the other a bit. A red bow garnished the top, and it looked as though the bells were ringing. Yet another note card design was a wreath made of felt holly leaves and tiny red circles for berries with a ribbon bow. The final one was a Christmas gift in a deep red print with shiny silver ribbon “wrapping” it, and a silver bow glued at the top.
    “I taught a 4-H club in Potterston how to make these for a fund-raiser,” Sylvia explained. “I would be happy to help a group of volunteers make some to sell at the crafts fair.”
    “I’m getting excited about this,” Jane declared. “We’re going to have some lovely things to offer. Already we have more than I’d expected to come up with.”
    “I was thinking,” Sylvia said tentatively, “that perhaps we could ask Florence to contribute. She wasn’t very happy last night at the meeting, and I thought that if she felt needed, she might be more supportive.”
    “I agree.” Jane thought of her conversation with Alice and Louise just a few hours ago. “I’m going to speak with her this afternoon. Any good ideas on how to present this?”
    “Very carefully,” Sylvia said with a sly smile.
    Jane laughed. “Exactly.”

Chapter Three
    A s soon as she returned home from her planning session with Sylvia, Jane called Florence to make arrangements for a visit.
    “What’s this about?” Florence asked suspiciously.
    “My aunt has asked me to chair the crafts committee for the upcoming crafts fair.” Jane strove for an innocent tone. “You immediately sprang to mind since you’re the local expert on crafts. If you’re interested, I would like to talk with you about some ideas I have had. I know you’re a busy person, though, so I will understand if you can’t fit me in.”
    There was a short silence. “All right,” Florence finally said. “You can visit around two o’clock today and tell me what you’re planning.”

    It was a good thing she had not made any plans for the afternoon, Jane thought a short while later as she parked her car in front of the Simpsons’ lovely brick home. Florence had not even appeared to consider that Jane might not be able to see her that very day.
    She knocked on the beautiful mahogany door, eyeing the colorful autumn arrangement displayed there. Florence’s tastes, like Jane’s sister Louise’s, veered toward what Jane considered a formal, traditional look. Jane herself preferred simple, clean, uncluttered modern lines.
    Florence answered the door so quickly that Jane supposed she had been peeking out a window waiting for her guest. “Come in, Jane,” she said graciously.
    Florence was a heavy woman. She dressed carefully and usually looked well put together. Today she was wearing brown slacks with an oatmeal-colored cotton sweater covered with embroidered squirrels and acorns. Gold acorns hung from a chunky necklace of deep green, sand, rust and brown polished stones separated by small gold beads, and similar acorns hung from her ears. Florence was quite possibly the only person Jane knew who could afford to buy jewelry to match one