freezing,” she said softly, as she pulled the girl close. “I’ll bet your Mama and Papa are near out of their mind, wondering where you’ve gone. Did you get lost?”
“No.”
It was the first word to come out of her mouth, and it startled them all.
“So… what’s your name, darling,” Alice asked.
The little girl didn’t answer, but looked at the healing wounds on Alice’s face instead.
“Did you fall in the water, too?” she asked.
Letty stifled a gasp. This didn’t sound good.
“No, honey, but is that what happened to you?” Alice asked.
“Yes.”
“Did your Mama and Daddy fall in the water, too?” Letty asked.
“Unh huh… and my big brother, Dave.”
Eulis squatted down in front of Alice and the child.
“How did you get out of the water?” he asked.
“Dave pushed me onto a log. When the log got caught in some rocks, I climbed off.”
“Good girl,” Letty muttered.
“Did Dave get out of the water?” Eulis asked.
The little girl hid her face.
“The water swallowed them,” she said softly. “It swallowed them all.”
“Oh dear,” Alice whispered, and rocked a little faster.
Letty put her hand on the child. “My name is Letty. What’s yours?”
“Katie. My name is Katie Samuels.”
Eulis sighed.
“Was your Papa’s name, James?”
The answer was barely above a whisper.
“Yes.”
“Well. Well then,” Eulis said, and got up and walked out of the room.
Letty followed.
“Eulis… did you know the family?”
“Yes. They had a claim just below the Cherry Creek crossing. You remember… they had a wagon that they slept in instead of tents like most of the others.”
“Oh lord,” Letty said, and then shivered suddenly.
Eulis frowned. “Go change your clothes before you get sick.”
“Does she have any other family?” Letty asked.
“Not that I know of,” Eulis said.
Letty straightened her shoulders and set her jaw.
“You need to go tell those men who are building our cots to build another one and make it quick. We can’t have that child sleeping on the floor. And if there are any more blankets to be had at the general store, get some.”
Eulis arched an eyebrow.
“Reckon we oughta put out the word that we’re takin’ in strays?”
Letty turned on him then, her eyes flashing angrily.
“What would you have me do… turn her back out in the rain?”
Eulis sighed. “Course not. I was just tryin’ to make a joke that wasn’t all that funny. Sorry.”
“Have Alice cook up some more food. I’ll be down as soon as I change.”
She strode out of the room with her head high and leading with her chin.
Eulis shook his head as he watched her go. There was one thing for sure—living with Letty kept life interesting.
Merchant
Milton Feasley had measured up the last of his coffee and flour into one pound sacks, and was stacking them on the shelves. A pound of coffee could last a family a good while if they used the grounds more than once, which most of them did. But a pound of flour could be used up in one baking. Still, it was the only way he knew how to fairly distribute the stores he had left. Once these sold, he and everyone else in Denver City would be doing without until the next freight wagon got through. If this infernal rain didn’t stop, the citizens of Denver City were going to be giving him a hard time.
He picked up a feather duster for something to do, although dust on his goods was the last of his worries. What with the rain they’d been having, it would more likely be mold and not dust gathering on his shelves.
The bell jingled over the door, signaling the arrival of a customer. Milton laid the feather duster aside as he recognized the man coming in the door, but it was what he saw through the window that brightened his day.
The stagecoach was pulling into town, which meant that if it could get through, then so would the freight wagons. One was due in tomorrow. It seemed he had worried all for nothing. However, the customer who’d come in was obviously nervous. When Milton saw him take off his hat and then shuffle his feet, he knew what was coming. Carl was probably going to ask for credit. These days, it seemed he took in far less money for the goods that went out.
“Howdy, Carl, what can I do for you, today?”
Carl Mithers was a small man with thin hair and dark hollow eyes. Like most of the other residents of Denver City, he’d come hoping to find his fortune. Instead, he’d found hardship and hunger more severe