Texas was dustier than any land Violet had stepped foot on. It was flat, like Indian Territory, but with nothing but bramble to dot its landscape. The hot moisture was replaced by an unrelenting, dry heat. Water, Violet realized, was scarce there, and the Railwalkers took to conserving as much as they could. On their second day of Texas travel, they came upon a strange crop of plant and took pause. It had like gigantic, green leaves, perforated with thousands of long needles. On the crown of some of the taller spines were bushels of bright red fruit.
“Prickly pear cactus,” Linus announced, dismounting Ginger. He took out a long pocket knife and began to saw a few fruits from their perches. “A rare blessing in a place like this.” Holding it by his fingertips, he skillfully skinned the pear
