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wagon was emptied of its contents. Meanwhile, Emmalyne helped Mother into the house. She could see her mother’s immediate dismay, so decided to direct her attention elsewhere.
    “If you sit here, you can see what’s going on.” Emmalyne helped her mother to the rocker in the front room. “Maybe if you feel up to it, you could peel some potatoes for me.”
    “This place is worse than I imagined,” her mother said in a whisper.
    “Aye, it has many problems, and a great deal of work is yet to be done.” She tried to make the statement sound casual and unimportant, but Emmalyne knew exactly how her mother felt.
    “Oh, this is terrible.” Mother buried her face in her hands.
    “It will be better soon,” Emmalyne assured her, trying to hide her own dismay.
    She left her mother sitting in the rocker and went to searchfor the mattress ticks. She found them quickly and immediately went to work. Stuffing mattresses was a tedious task; having rolled up her sleeves for the hot work, Emmalyne suffered countless scratches to her skin by the prickly pieces of straw. But there really wasn’t an alternative. If she put her sleeves down, the straw would merely work its way through, and then she would have the added task of later picking it out of her clothing.
    Once she had her parents’ tick stuffed, Emmalyne and Angus carried it to the bed.
    “I have the sheets and quilts ready,” she told him. “I’ll get the bed made, and you can help Mother. She’s taking this rather hard.”
    “I know,” Angus said, nodding. “City living was easier for her.”
    “Aye. More convenient and orderly,” Emmalyne said.
    Their mother hadn’t wanted to make this move, but she had known it would happen with or without her approval. She had instructed Emmalyne in the packing and because of that, items that were necessary to everyday life were arranged at the top of the crate, while others used less often were settled below. The bedding, which had been freshly washed and ironed, had been carefully secured in cloth sacks before being put in the crates. Mother had hoped this would protect them from dirt and soot during the trip
    Emmalyne unfolded her mother’s quilts and sheets and smiled. It looked like the trick had worked. “They seem to have fared quite well.” To her surprise, Angus helped her make the bed, and the process went faster with the two of them working together.
    “As soon as Mother is in bed, I’m going to go upstairs andsee about that hole in the roof,” Angus told Emmalyne as they returned to the front room.
    “There’s a hole in the roof?” their mother asked, shaking her head in disbelief. “Is there nothing good in this place?”
    “There will be only good once we set it to rights, Mother,” Emmalyne declared. “As you’ve often said, sometimes the only good to be had is what you bring with you.” She smiled. “Now we have your bed ready, and you can have a little rest.”
    She was glad to get her mother settled in the back bedroom before turning to the massive endeavor of cleaning the kitchen. She’d managed a portion of the work the day before, but the room was nowhere near ready to prepare a meal. No doubt her mother would fret and fuss if she were to see the true state of that most essential room.
    Emmalyne lost track of the time as she prepared hot water for cleaning. From time to time she heard hammering and smiled to herself. Angus would see that she had a solid roof overhead before nightfall.
    For now she tore through the cabinets in the kitchen and scoured them thoroughly. She wasn’t about to unpack her mother’s good dishes until she could be assured that they would be safely stored.
    Goodness, but what was Father thinking? This is no house in which to bring a sick woman .
    The heat of the day was well upon them, and sweat trickled down Emmalyne’s face and neck. She pulled the scarf from her head and wiped at the dampness, then got back to work. She was battling cobwebs near the corner