with that! What would I do with the rest of my clothes?” Jenny wailed.
“Sell ’em to a used clothing store,” Clint said almost harshly. “Take the money with you. You’ll need it when you get there. It was rough enough in the South before this thing broke. It’s going to be even harder now.”
“Why, I couldn’t go sell my clothes at a store!” Jenny said and lifted her chin. “I just couldn’t.”
Clint laughed. “ I could. You’d go with me, wouldn’t you, Kat?”
“Yes, and we’d make ’em pay good for us too!”
Clint pushed his chair away from the table and said, “I’m going to go outside and let you folks talk about this. This is family business. I don’t think you realize just how difficult it would be to live on a farm in Georgia. You don’t know what shape that house is in, you don’t have much money, and things are going to be tight. But if you want me to, I’ll take you back to Georgia even if it snows ink!” He got up and left, and as soon as he stepped outside, he took a deep breath. I sure hope I’m not going to get this family into a bigger mess than they’re already in.
****
Clint pulled the truck up the circular driveway to the front door of the Winslow estate. He got out on the driver’s side, and Kat got out on the other side. The girl ran to meet Hannah, waving a bunch of bills. “We sold them all, Hannah! Look at all the money we got.”
Clint walked over and saw Hannah counting the bills. “Didn’t get too much, Miss Hannah, but it’s better than throwing those nice clothes away.”
Hannah hugged Kat and then smiled warmly at Clint. “You did fine, Clint, you and Kat. Do you have any ideas about what we ought to take?”
“You’ll have to have blankets—all you’ve got. We’ll be sleeping outside, and when we get there, there probably won’t be any blankets at the house. We’ll have to have pots and pans and dishes too, both for when we get there and for on the road. I’m going to take all the tools I can lay my hands on around here. You’ll need tools to make that farm work.”
“What would we do without you, Clint?” Hannah said sweetly.
He smiled at her. “You may like it now, but by the time we get to Georgia, you’ll want to shoot me for dragging you into this.”
“You’re not dragging us,” Kat protested. “God sent you.”
Clint laughed and tugged her pigtail. “You just keep on thinking like that, sweetheart. I’ll need all the supporters I can get before we even get to Georgia!”
****
After a final breakfast at the big table in the kitchen, the family had worked together to pack the trailer until it was dangerously overloaded. Clint had included as many tools as he could, and Hannah had seen to it that they brought all the remaining food. Clint said with a grin, “At least we won’t starve to death on the road.”
Now that the moment had actually come, Jenny felt weak and fearful. She stood on the front step for the last time andlooked at the truck suspiciously. It was so old she couldn’t imagine getting very far in it. The trailer hitched to the back was piled high and covered with a tarpaulin. She wanted to run away, but there was no place to run, so she walked over to the truck.
Hannah gave her a motherly hug and said, “You and Kat and I will squeeze in the front seat with Clint.”
“Maybe I could let you drive, Kat.” Clint grinned and winked at her. He saw the look on Jenny’s face and knew better than to prolong the moment. “All right, everybody in. We’ve got a full tank of gas and a long way to go.”
Lewis and Josh crawled up in the back of the truck and tried to get comfortable on the blankets that would serve as bedding. Clint had already informed the women that he had brought a tent for the three of them.
Josh said not a word, but Lewis managed to smile. “Take us to Georgia, Clint.”
“Yes, sir.” He started the engine and then got in behind the wheel and said, “It’s a long
“Sell ’em to a used clothing store,” Clint said almost harshly. “Take the money with you. You’ll need it when you get there. It was rough enough in the South before this thing broke. It’s going to be even harder now.”
“Why, I couldn’t go sell my clothes at a store!” Jenny said and lifted her chin. “I just couldn’t.”
Clint laughed. “ I could. You’d go with me, wouldn’t you, Kat?”
“Yes, and we’d make ’em pay good for us too!”
Clint pushed his chair away from the table and said, “I’m going to go outside and let you folks talk about this. This is family business. I don’t think you realize just how difficult it would be to live on a farm in Georgia. You don’t know what shape that house is in, you don’t have much money, and things are going to be tight. But if you want me to, I’ll take you back to Georgia even if it snows ink!” He got up and left, and as soon as he stepped outside, he took a deep breath. I sure hope I’m not going to get this family into a bigger mess than they’re already in.
****
Clint pulled the truck up the circular driveway to the front door of the Winslow estate. He got out on the driver’s side, and Kat got out on the other side. The girl ran to meet Hannah, waving a bunch of bills. “We sold them all, Hannah! Look at all the money we got.”
Clint walked over and saw Hannah counting the bills. “Didn’t get too much, Miss Hannah, but it’s better than throwing those nice clothes away.”
Hannah hugged Kat and then smiled warmly at Clint. “You did fine, Clint, you and Kat. Do you have any ideas about what we ought to take?”
“You’ll have to have blankets—all you’ve got. We’ll be sleeping outside, and when we get there, there probably won’t be any blankets at the house. We’ll have to have pots and pans and dishes too, both for when we get there and for on the road. I’m going to take all the tools I can lay my hands on around here. You’ll need tools to make that farm work.”
“What would we do without you, Clint?” Hannah said sweetly.
He smiled at her. “You may like it now, but by the time we get to Georgia, you’ll want to shoot me for dragging you into this.”
“You’re not dragging us,” Kat protested. “God sent you.”
Clint laughed and tugged her pigtail. “You just keep on thinking like that, sweetheart. I’ll need all the supporters I can get before we even get to Georgia!”
****
After a final breakfast at the big table in the kitchen, the family had worked together to pack the trailer until it was dangerously overloaded. Clint had included as many tools as he could, and Hannah had seen to it that they brought all the remaining food. Clint said with a grin, “At least we won’t starve to death on the road.”
Now that the moment had actually come, Jenny felt weak and fearful. She stood on the front step for the last time andlooked at the truck suspiciously. It was so old she couldn’t imagine getting very far in it. The trailer hitched to the back was piled high and covered with a tarpaulin. She wanted to run away, but there was no place to run, so she walked over to the truck.
Hannah gave her a motherly hug and said, “You and Kat and I will squeeze in the front seat with Clint.”
“Maybe I could let you drive, Kat.” Clint grinned and winked at her. He saw the look on Jenny’s face and knew better than to prolong the moment. “All right, everybody in. We’ve got a full tank of gas and a long way to go.”
Lewis and Josh crawled up in the back of the truck and tried to get comfortable on the blankets that would serve as bedding. Clint had already informed the women that he had brought a tent for the three of them.
Josh said not a word, but Lewis managed to smile. “Take us to Georgia, Clint.”
“Yes, sir.” He started the engine and then got in behind the wheel and said, “It’s a long
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