Here is a story I know is true, as how one man found his lost dog. (In no way, shape, or form, am I suggesting Rick try this. Probably couldn't find the right person, anyway. )
Years ago, while I was still in college, my dad owned a lumber & building materials business in Little Rock, Ark. One of his salesmen, who when he was not working, was a Bob white quail hunting fool. He owned three highly trained English pointers. This was long before chips and tracking collars, etc.
One Monday he came to work and was extremely upset. Over the weekend, while hunting quail, one of his English pointers just "disappeared." No matter what he did, he could not find his dog no matter how he, then his son and wife helping, looked, the dog was gone.
The lumber yard manager, a middle aged black man, told the distraught salesman to call a certain telephone number and tell the old woman who answered he told the salesman to call her. The salesman asked, how an old woman could help find his lost dog? The black man said, "I ain't sayin' she can find your dog, but she might. She's been known to "find" other lost things. She's a "conjur woman."
The salesman was skeptical but had no other choice, so he called her. She gave him her address in the black community and told hm to bring something belonging to the dog with him. He took the dog's blanket and went to see her. He later said she, a black woman, lived in a small "shotgun" style house and was over 80 years old. He gave her the blanket. She went into a back room. After awhile, she came out, handed him the blanket and told him to go to a small town south of Little Rock and ask for XXXXX. He said that was nowhere close to where he was hunting. She told him, "Go there." He asked how much she wanted and she said, "Five dollars." He paid her and left.
He drove to the small town, asked for the man the "conjur woman" told him about, went to see him and sure enough, the man had his dog. Found him running in the bushes "up the road" so he brought him home. No name on the collar. The salesman tried to pay the man who'd found his dog but he refused payment. Said he was glad he could help out. He had dogs too.
I talked with the salesman later and he was astounded but was very happy he'd got his dog back. Could not explain how the old "conjur woman" determined where his dog was ... and didn't care. His dog was home.
So, if any of you boys lose something very valuable to you, just go find yourself a ......
FWIW.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
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