Free Place to Belong, a by Lauraine Snelling Page B

offering to start the fire. “Is Mor ill?”
    â€œNot that I know of.”
    â€œNo, she is not ill” came a voice from behind him. “But I can’tbelieve I slept in like that.” She lifted an apron off the hook on the wall and, after sliding her arms through the crossed straps, tipped it over her head and fastened the ties at the waist. “Now, Cassie, how do you want me to help?”
    â€œIf you’d like to start the coffee, I’ll get the cornmeal mush out and slice it. We fry it in the saved bacon grease, right?”
    Mavis nodded and walked to the sink to pump the handle for water to flow and filled the coffeepot.
    The fire crackled in the stove and perfumed the air with the fragrance of pine from the pitchy kindling Cassie had started it with. Ransom made a mental note to check the chimney for tar buildup. He hadn’t done that lately. Most people just let it burn out now and then. That sort of wild and roaring fire made him too nervous. He’d sweep, thank you.
    Mavis set the coffee water on the hottest part of the stove and fetched the ground coffee from the cupboard. Instead of grinding coffee every day like many people did, she usually ground a quart jar full and kept it in the cupboard.
    â€œLooks like we’re about due for some grinding here.” She emptied the last of the coffee into the pot.
    Ransom looked at the clock over the kitchen sink. “Is Gretchen up yet?”
    â€œYes. She’s getting ready for school. She said she feels like she’s on vacation, not having to milk in the morning. You going to pitch hay down?”
    â€œThought I’d hitch up the team. We filled the wagon last night.” Once a day they hauled a wagonload of hay from the haymow and fed it to the herd. As soon as the snow got deep, they would open the fence around a haystack and feed the cattle that way in order to keep them up closer to the barns. So far there had not been enough snow to even put the wagon bed on the sledge runners.
    He stopped at the kitchen window. “Those clouds are hangingmighty low. Bet we get snow again today, and from the looks of it, more than we’ve had.”
    Cassie paused as she was slicing the cornmeal that had set up firmly in a bread pan. “How do you know that?”
    â€œRanchers learn to read the weather signs. Black clouds like those to the north mean snow at this time of year, and in the summer you would most likely see lightning forking against the black. We are long overdue for a heavy snowstorm.”
    â€œDo you think Chief made it to the reservation by now?”
    â€œI’m sure he did,” Mavis answered. “That other snow wasn’t really enough to slow down a horse.”
    â€œI sure hope he writes and lets us know he is all right.” Cassie’s voice sounded mighty worried.
    â€œReverend Brandenburg said he’d make inquiries.” Mor’s voice sounded soft and reassuring.
    Ransom shrugged into his sheepskin coat and clamped his hat down on his head. “If the wind kicks up and builds drifts, we’ll be in it for sure.” He stopped on the back porch and pulled his leather gloves on. Usually by now he was wearing the gloves his mother knit to go inside the leather. When it really got cold, he had fur-lined mittens that he pulled on.
    He stared up the hill to where the rising light set the frost-coated trees on fire as the sun hit them. Smoke rose from the chimney of the cabin and from the bunkhouse too. One of the cows bellowed, to be answered by another. A horse whinnied. Lucas came out of the barn with the milk bucket on his arm and shut the door behind him, dropping the bar into place.
    â€œBreakfast will be ready in a few minutes, so we’ll haul hay afterward. I’ll get Gretchen’s horse saddled,” Ransom announced, as if Lucas didn’t already know all that.
    Lucas nodded and headed for the well house, where he would strain the milk and set