Twelfth Angel Read Free

woman with a lovely voice singing the Streisand classic “Memories” while I held my wife and my son’shands very tightly, thanking God again and again for all my good fortune.
    Judge Duffy then rose slowly, walked to the microphone with no introduction, tilted the instrument slightly upward, cleared his throat and said, “Ladies and gentlemen of Boland, this is indeed a special chapter in the history of our old town as we gather here to honor one of our own for all that he has made of his life in such a few short years. I am most proud to say that I was a friend of Priscilla and Leland Harding. I can remember when John was born and how proud his dad was when we met outside the bank and he shoved a cigar into my shirt pocket. Leland’s pride in his son would have multiplied through his later years had he lived. John was an all-star shortstop in the Boland Little League, he was a member of the National Honor Society and he graduated from Boland High with straight A’s. During his senior year he captained both the football and the baseball teams and was an all-state forward in basketball. Also, during his senior year on the baseball team, his batting and fielding were so sensational that he won a scholarship to the college with perhaps the finest baseball program in the nation, Arizona State University. During his senior year at Arizona State, John was batting more than four hundred and had major-league scouts drooling before torn knee cartilages sadly ended his dreams of a big-league career.…”
    Main Street had obviously been closed to traffic as soon as the program had commenced, but what amazedme, as I sat and listened to Judge Duffy, was the behavior of the huge crowd. Except for an occasional cry from a baby, everyone was, or seemed to be, hanging on the judge’s every word. I wasn’t sure whether they were captivated by his marvelous oratory or my record.
    The judge continued, still without referring to any written notes. “As broken-hearted as John Harding was when his baseball-playing dreams came crashing down, he still graduated near the top of his class in 1971, was recruited by a California high-tech firm and now, in less than twenty years, he has certainly made it to the major leagues in the business world! As most of you know, our beloved young friend was recently selected to become president and chief executive officer of a computer company, perhaps the largest in New England, with annual sales of more than a billion dollars—that’s a thousand million, in case you’ve forgotten your high school arithmetic, folks! The media, from our own
Concord Monitor
and
Manchester Union Leader
to the
Wall Street Journal, USA Today
and
Forbes
, have all joined the loud chorus singing the praises of John’s managerial style as well as his character. If you have had the pleasure of seeing him on national television recently, you cannot help but like as well as respect this bright young man. However, what makes me most proud is that when John came east to assume leadership of his company, he chose this town as the place where he wanted to settle with his family. Oh, he could have selected many high-fallutin’ communities around Concord, but he picked Boland. He’s homeagain, right back on the land where he spent so many happy years growing up, back with the people who remember him and still love him!”
    While the applause grew louder and louder, Judge Duffy turned toward me, smiling as he reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew what seemed to be a large bronze medal dangling from a wide red ribbon. “John Harding,” he said in his best courtroom voice, “would you kindly come forward to receive a small token of how these good people feel about you?”
    The medal was at least three inches in diameter. The judge held it close to his face and said, “On this medal are the words, ‘To a favorite son, John Harding. Boland is truly proud of you.’ Our town seal is on the other side along with the state’s