I was silent, mulling over what Sam Perry had said before I spoke again. I thought on the work that Nathan could do. I hadn’t figured on a third hand, just on Mitchell and me, but Sam Perry was right. Nathan was big for his age and strong. Another hand would make things a whole lot easier. “All right,” I finally agreed. “I think that if the boy’s willing, it’ll work out well.”
Mister Sam Perry smiled. “Oh, he’ll be willin’, all right. Two things, though, ’fore we shake on this. First be, boy won’t be able t’ start wit’ you ’fore another few weeks. I need him here t’ help me get my crops in.”
“That’s fine,” I said.
“’Sides that, my girl Callie gonna be gettin’ married in another couple weeks or so, and his mama wants him home for that. Weddin’ gonna be at the church, but we gonna celebrate afterward right here. You sho’ welcome to come join us.”
“Well, I thank you, Mister Perry, but I won’t be back this way until I’ve got a roadway cleared, and that could take me more than a month. Congratulations, though.”
“Thank ya. My Callie, she’s marryin’ herself a fine boy. Now, one other thing ’bout Nathan goin’ with ya,” he said, getting back to the business at hand. “I wants you to keep in mind I’m still his daddy, and I be holdin’ ya responsible for him bein’ treated same way I’d treat him in my own house.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said. “I’ll treat him right.”
“Then we’s in agreement,” said Sam Perry with a wide grin as he put out his mighty hand to me. I took it. I figured this to be a good deal for both of us.
When I left Sam Perry, I didn’t go directly back to Vicksburg. Instead I headed for the lumber camp at Mud Creek. I wanted to tell Mitchell my news. When I got to the camp, though, I learned that Mitchell had taken off for a few weeks. Evidently he had told the boss man that his daddy was sick and needed him. But I knew that was a lie. Probably the boss man did too, for he added that he was only letting Mitchell come back because he was the best worker he had. I didn’t know where Mitchell had gone, but I wasn’t worried about him. I figured he’d just gotten it in his mind to go off with some lady friend. I knew he’d be back. I was just disappointed that I couldn’t count on him to return with me to the forty acres at the end of the month.
In the next days I finished the furniture Luke Sawyer had on order. Then I said good-bye to Luke Sawyer, leaving word with him to let Mitchell know that I’d be back in Vicksburg in about five or six weeks if he came looking for me, and I set out on my wagon filled with supplies and drawn by my team of mules, headed for the Granger plantation. I had left the palomino in Luke Sawyer’s care. I figured that was better than my taking him to the forty. I didn’t figure to work Thunder like a mule, and there would be no time for racing. Also, I didn’t figure it the best thing for me to show up on a fine horse, not right now, when I had to deal with folks the likes of Filmore Granger and his boy.
I reached the forty before dark, put up a shelter of tarp and poles at the head of the trail, then got myself a good night’s sleep. The following morning I got started clearing the trees along the trail to make a road. I also made a cartlike carrier using large wheels I had bought in Vicksburg, to hitch to the mules so that one end of the logs could be placed on the cart and the mules could more easily drag the logs to the creek. It was slow going with me working alone, but I figured the hardest part was yet to come—I still had to get the stumps up, or at least level them to the ground so that animals and wagons could pass, but I decided not to worry about the stumps for a while. I had two months before Filmore Granger brought his work crews in and the stumps would have to be gone. I just prayed that Mitchell would be here by then to help me out.
Soon after I arrived on the forty, I took the time to barter myself a couple of laying hens and a rooster, and I got myself a dog too. I had brought tinned goods, bags of flour, cornmeal, sugar, and chicory, that sort of thing, with me from Vicksburg. I had brought coffee too. After all the years I’d spent in the lumber camps with only chicory and water to drink, I wanted coffee. It didn’t matter to me that coffee was more expensive than chicory. I wanted the real thing and I figured that on occasion I’d have it. I brought seed from Vicksburg as well, for planting a garden in the spring. For right now I made do with the rice I had brought with me, and for vegetables whatever was growing wild. I loved mustard greens and had already discovered that there were plenty of them and other greens too throughout the forest. As for meat, there were plenty of deer for venison, possum, raccoon, rabbit, and squirrel. On top of that, the creek was filled with fish. I didn’t figure I’d go hungry.