Free Mission of Hope by Allie Pleiter Page A

stared harder. “The post looks nearly full.”
    â€œAnd I need to talk to you about that.” Quinn leaned in as close as propriety would allow. “I know someone. If we could write all these down, I could get the list to him and he might…help out.”
    â€œSomeone? Who can find these things?” Her eyes grew wide, and he feared he’d blurt out his secret any second.
    â€œCould be. A bit early to tell, but it’s worth trying.”
    â€œReally? How wonderful.”
    â€œWe’ll have to be quiet about it. Careful. Things might get out of hand otherwise, there being so much need and all. Will you help?”
    He had expected her to hesitate, to worry about the clandestine nature of it all. She didn’t. “Absolutely,” she said, taking in a breath. “How could I not?” Looking over her shoulder at her father, who was thankfully otherwise occupied, Nora asked, “But why do you need me?”
    He hadn’t thought about that. He’d just wanted to make sure she was involved. With clever moment’s inspiration, he held up the bandaged right arm. “Hurts still. Besides, you’ve got more access to decent paper than I do.” He’d thank Major Simon at tomorrow’s lesson. Maybe.
    â€œOh, of course. I should make two copies again, like we did with your mother. That way I can look while your…friend…does his own looking.” Resolutely, she brushed off her skirts and nodded back toward the mail cart. “I’ll just go fetch another piece of Papa’s ledger. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
    â€œYou mind your pa, now. Don’t give him any reason to decide it’s not wise for you to be coming here anymore.” Quinn didn’t even want to think about how he’d endure the days if two o’clock didn’t mean seeing Miss Nora Longstreet anymore.
    â€œI’ll mind.” Her smile was as warm as sunshine. He had a partner. Actually, if Major Simon and Reverend Bauers counted, he had a tiny army. Quinn felt like he could take on the world if God asked him to do so.
    Quinn felt himself grinning like a fool the entire time Nora ventured across the street and wrote down items from the post. She slipped him a conspiratorial smile as she climbed back aboard the mail cart and handed him his copy of the list. “Do you really think this will work?”
    â€œNo harm trying. Oh, by the way, I’m meeting with Revered Bauers to set up that tour you asked for.”
    â€œThat’s wonderful. I think Mrs. Hastings could be a grand patroness if she chose. And I imagine Reverend Bauers can be most persuasive. I do hope it will be all right with them that I come along.”
    Quinn wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter Eight
    A s it turned out, Reverend Bauers was already familiar both with the Longstreets and the Hastingses, and it took little convincing to arrange a tour. The hardest part about it turned out to be accommodating Mrs. Hastings’s packed social schedule and her limited visits to town. How anyone managed to do so much socializing in the wake of an earthquake, Quinn didn’t know. That world was as foreign to him as the hatch-mark signs that used to hang in the Chinese quarter of town. And while Ma raised an eyebrow when Quinn asked if there was anything close to a clean, pressed shirt in the camp, she’d long learned to expect strange things from Quinn’s association with Grace House. She’d only looked at him for a quizzical second when she handed him a surprisingly tidy shirt on the appointed day.
    â€œThere simply isn’t enough space,” Reverend Bauers said as he pointed the tiny tour group down the hallway. “With the camp right next to us in Dolores Park, the needs have been enormous. The army is doing a commendable job with the official camp, of course, but I think we can all see how much more help is stillneeded. He pointed to a row of