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girl she had met at
the lake. “That woman has suffered and seen pain; I can see it in
her sad eyes. She was a lady, I could tell by her small, soft but
firm hands. She’s done some work but not hard labor. She’s
southern, there’s no mistaking that accent, and schooling. Yes, I
bet she was one of those rich southern bells. Not spoiled though,
and she doesn’t put on airs. I like her.”
    “Why don’t you invite her to supper one
night?” asked Seth, showing interest in meeting the young lady.
    Vida, seeing the mischief in her son’s eyes,
waved a finger under his nose. “Now don’t go
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    getting any fancy ideas, young man. She’s a
lady and older than you. I don’t want a love-sick boy moping around
the rest of the trip!”
    Her husband chuckled and she rewarded him
with a cold stare. Boris quickly wiped the smile from his face and
added, “You mind your ma, boy.” He chuckled again, and then he
walked over to the men already sitting around the fire.
     
    “Effie,” Melissa said, sitting up front. She
was driving the team as Sam was napping. Effie was rocking Daphne
in her arms with a soothing song. She stopped humming when Melissa
called again. “Effie, I don’t know what to do? Vida, the woman I
told you about, invited me to eat supper with them tomorrow
night.”
    “Whut’s yo’ problem chil’? Go!”
    “You know I don’t dare leave Daphne for any
length of time.” After a moment of silence she cried, “Effie!”
    “Ah done heah yo’ honey. Ah ain’t deaf likes
mah Sam. Ah tol’ yo’ t’ go an’ brings yore sister with yo’. It do
her good bein’ wid people. She’ll neva fin’ her mind bein’ cooped
up hea’ all de time.”
    She hashed over the servant’s words most of
the day, still uneasy about introducing Daphne to strangers. How
would her sister take to them? Since the hellish day, Daphne
had
    stayed cooped up in the wagon with only her,
and Sam and Effie. She slapped the reins. “Get!” she yelled at the
smelly animals. They were slow but they were strong and were
capable of pulling the wagon over rutted and sometimes muddy
trails. After much deliberation and probing from Effie, she made
her decision.
     
    The next day Melissa accepted the invitation
and gave Vida one of the rabbits Sam caught that day. She could see
Vida was delighted. That night Adam’s family greeted her and Daphne
warmly; she liked Boris and Seth right away. Boris was a big man
and his son was just as tall and both men were good looking. Seth’s
eyes were dark like his mother’s, while his hair was red like his
father’s. Melissa figured. the boy was young, around Daphne’s age.
She wished the circum-stances were different, this lad would have
been just right for her sister. He smiled when he
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    handed Melissa a plate of stew. She returned
the smile, although it was a smile that made her a little
uncomfortable under his gaze. The boy studied her short time when
she noticed his gaze wander over to Daphne.
    “The dinner was delicious, Vida,” exclaimed
Melissa. “Best stew I’ve ever tasted.” She hugged Vida. “You must
tell me your secret. Although, I don’t think Effie would like me to
change her recipe. She prides herself on being the best cook in the
south and no one would dare tell her differently. Her meals were
the best, I have to admit.”
    Vida’s laugh sounded more like a snort, as
if her comment was debatable.
    She shook Boris and Seth’s hand then took
Daphne by her arm and led the silent child home. A couple of
minutes later, as she neared the wagon, the sound of footsteps
startled her.
    Seeing it was Vida’s boy, she let out a
relieved breath. “Seth!” she gasped, putting her hand to her heart.
“You frightened me.”
    Seth looked ashamed and nervously stubbed
his booted toe in the dirt. “Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to startle
you, it’s just.., Um, I want t-to ask you s-something.”
    He stammered. She sensed the boy’s
uneasiness and placed her hand softly on