“I’ll be takin’ this, too.”
Samuel’s men set them up in the barn for the evening. The five of them were given flimsy cots on wooden legs, but it was better than rocks and dirt. The far corner of the barn had been cleared out for such an occasion, including a small smoke stack above for any campfires, but they still had to share the space with a few dairy cows and a small group of clucking chickens. By the time they turned in, the Railwalkers had successfully negotiated their haul in exchange for sugar, flour, salt, whiskey, cornbread, coffee, beans, tobacco, a basket of random vegetables, ammunition, an extra blanket, some fresh clothes, and a tiny tin can of corn starch. The starch had been Violet’s request. While their supper cooked (chicken stew and dumplings), Violet used a spare pot
