" She meant her furniture
and other possessions in the wagon. "First, we'll need plenty of hot
water. Who wants to go to the spring?"
She was looking at Abe. "I'll go, ma'am." He grabbed the water bucket
and hurried through the door.
Abe made several trips to the spring that afternoon. Each bucket full of
water that he brought back was poured into the big iron kettle over the
fireplace. Higher and higher roared the flames. When Sarah wasn't asking
for more water, she was asking for more wood. The steady chop-chop of
Tom's ax could be heard from the wood lot.
Everyone was working, even Dennis. Sarah gave him a pan of soap and hot
water and told him to wash the cabin walls. The girls scrubbed the
table, the three-legged stools, and the corner cupboard inside and out.
Sarah climbed the peg ladder to peer into the loft.
"Tsch! Tsch!" she said, when she saw the corn husks and dirty bearskins
on which the boys had been sleeping. "Take them out and burn them, Tom."
"Burn them?" he protested.
"Yes, and burn the covers on the downstairs bed, too. I reckon I have
enough feather beds and blankets to go around.
Pages:
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38