“Mornin’, Jebediah,” Ma replied. “I wasn’t gonna make y’all wait around, I know y’all got a long way to go, and this’s a kindness.”

“I’m a-bein’ paid for my pains, Missus Jones,” the man reminded her mildly, and turned to Anna. He had kindly-looking brown eyes, and his face crinkled up when he smiled encouragingly at her. He took her bundles from her and stowed them under the wagon seat, then handed her up, climbing in and taking his seat beside her. He picked up the mule’s reins, but waited for Ma to say something to Anna.

“Y’all obey yore Aunt Jinny and read yore Bible,” was all Ma said.

“Yes, Ma,” Anna said, ducking her head.

“Don’t be no trouble. Aunt Jinny’ll have y’all right fixed up, but y’all gotta do ev’rthin’ she says, and do it exactly as she says, an’ no argumentin’ about it.” Ma looked as stern at her as the Pastor when he was preachin’ hellfire.

“Yes, Ma,” Anna repeated, shrinking in on herself, and feeling as low as a snake’s belly.

“And don’t you pay no heed to what yore Pa said about her. Jinny’s a Godly woman, for all she’s a strange one with strange ways. Never no finagling with Jinny. But she does things as she likes and she don’t cotton to no man comin’ into her life and a-bossin’ her around, and she and yore Pa got sideways of each other from the minute they met. She’s done forgave him, but he ain’t never gonna forgive no woman for bein’ uppity to ’im.” Ma softened just a little bit at that. “So you mind yore manners and don’t pick up Jinny’s ways.”

“No, Ma,” Anna agreed.

Ma turned her attention to the driver. “Thenkee again, Jeb. Safe journeys.”

Jeb took that as the signal to leave. He slapped the reins against the mule’s back. “Walk on, Daisy,” was all he said, and with a little lurch, the mule put the wagon in motion.

Anna looked back to wave goodbye, but all she saw was Ma’s back as she went back into the house. She swallowed down tears, and turned her attention to the road in front of her. Bad as she felt, she wasn’t going to cry in front of a stranger.

Anna had never ridden on a wagon before, and the sensation of sitting on something that was moving was extremely unsettling, and very quickly drove out every other feeling but borderline fear. She clutched both hands on the worn board seat and gritted her teeth. It seemed very high up here, and as the wagon lurched in the ruts of the dirt road, more than a little precarious and not a little scary.

But by the time they reached the edge of Soddy, where the Company houses ended, and the much more ramshackle shacks of those who had cobbled together their own “houses” out of boards and tarpaper began, the road smoothed out some, and she started to relax. The mule didn’t seem inclined to go any faster than a walk, Jeb didn’t seem inclined to urge her to, and Anna loosened her white-knuckle grip on the seat as her fear ebbed.