"We'll be ready when we get the seed," Ruth told Ayita as she washed her dirt-covered hands in the bucket of water. "I got all the earth broken up. It's just a matter of keeping it weeded now until we can plant."
"You think he'll find the corn then?"
"My husband is a very persistent man. If there's a way to track him down, he will. God willing of course."
A woman with a little girl came over the small hill behind Ayita's cabin.
"Miss Ayita, you need help around here?" the woman asked. "I heard what happened."
"It's under control thanks to the nice missionaries staying with me. You met Sister Ruth at church, didn't you, Tamar?" The woman nodded and then gave a friendly nod toward Ruth, which Ruth returned, and Ayita continued, "And I know you have plenty to do your own self."
"I did find a big fat bee hive. I'd love to get some of the honey before the bears beat me to it. I'll be sure to bring you some at church, Sunday."
"Why don't you leave your daughter with us?"Miss Ayita suggested. " We'll walk her home later and it'll make your job easier. Having one more youngen under foot's not going to bother us."
The young mother looked agreeable to the idea, but then she looked uncertainly at Ruth. "If she won't bother you."
"Not at all. You'll be doing me a favor, giving my daughter someone to play with. She gets the opportunity to play with other children so rarely."
Satisfied, she looked at her daughter. "Listen to Miss Ayita and Sister Ruth, Effie."
Though the girl didn't make direct eye contact with her mother, she was listening to her. "Yes, Ma."
Effie and Mercy stared at each other a few moments after Effie's mother left, not quite sure what to make of each other.
Effie had a simple cornhusk doll in her arms, but it was made nice by a fancy dress made from animal fur and real black hair, probably her mother's hair. Mercy was staring at it really hard but was too shy to ask for it or take it, but it outshined her own handkerchief doll. Ruth made a mental note to make her a cornhusk doll of her own for her birthday.
Effie, who was a year or two older than Mercy and so a little bolder, broke the standoff first by announcing, "Let's play." She came over and took Mercy by the hand after depositing her doll by the bench and ordering it to take a nap.
She led Mercy further from the house but not so far that they couldn't be heard or the children couldn't be gotten to if need be.
Ruth and Ayita began working on salvaging the blankets, sewing the rips that could be sewed and making rags from what they couldn't. They sat on one of the revival benches to do the work. It wasn't as comfortable as a chair with a back, but at least Ayita didn't have to get up off the ground.
"One thing about it, you'll be able to make a lovely rug rag for your home. I'll give you my destroyed pieces since I don't have much use for one in my wagon."
"Thank you. A rug might be nice."
Effie had gathered up sticks and made a circle from them to represent the fire. "We can make stew!" she declared.
She wasn't sure Mercy quite understood the concept of the imaginary stew, but she enthusiastically joined in the fun of pulling the grass and wildflowers up and throwing them on top of the branches.
"It looks like Mercy's made her first friend," Ruth said with a smile, wishing Kid was here to see it and praying he was having success with his mission.
"They don't see their differences, do they?" Ayita remarked.
"How different are they really? They're both little girls who like to play. But you're right that there's some adults who could learn a thing or two from them. There's a reason God says our faith must be like that of a little child's."
sss
Kid had discovered that the shot came from a grizzled old man with a beard halfway down his chest, who had just bagged a bird. He was either a white man browned in the sun or had mixed ancestry like many around here. In any case, he was sure the neighbor would have mentioned a beard, which made him not the man he was hunting. He didn't look the threatening sort and he didn't seemed threatened by Kid's drawn gun.
"Can I help you, neighbor?" asked the man in a thick, backwoods southern accent.
"You might be able," Kid said, putting his gun away. "I'm looking for a man in uniform who's got more than one horse with him."
"I saw such a man yesterday evening camped out a couple miles back that way. I figured he must have gotten them unlawfully. The army's not known for paying their soldiers well."
"No, they're not."
"Cocky fellow too or he wouldn't have had a campfire going. He don't fear getting caught."
That was good news for Kid. There was hope of catching up with the thief yet, so he had to take the chance. He hoped Ruth wouldn't worry overmuch at his being gone longer than had been planned. "Thank you, sir. You've been most helpful."
