Land of My Heart Read Free Page A

while Morgan and Zane kept their gaze on the table. Only Dianne turned to their mother. And in that moment Dianne knew her mother truly blamed her for everything. The look on her face made it clear. Dianne sank back in her chair.
    But then just as quickly as the look appeared, her mother’s face relaxed and assumed an expression of resignation. “What do we need to do, Dianne?”
    Dianne hesitated. “Well … I-I’ve made a list. I figure we should take at least three wagons. Each wagon will have four oxen each. We should also take several milk cows and some chickens and horses.”
    “With the war on, how will we be able to get those things?” Zane asked.
    “Pa made friends with the Yankees. If you have enough money, you can buy whatever you need. I figure with the sale of the store, we should be able to get whatever we want.”
    “But who’d buy the store now? Especially with the Union holding the town? Those fellows who were interested before surely aren’t going to want it now,” Morgan stated.
    “We’ll just hope for the best. If not those fellows, then maybe one of the Yankee soldiers or their relation. Many of the men seem to like it here; even Captain Seager talks of settling here after the war.”
    Morgan and Zane seemed satisfied by this answer. “Ma, while the boys can go talk to Otis, I have some worries about how we’ll learn what we need to know,” Dianne began. “We don’t know much about cooking on the trail and washing and such. The book talks about some of it”—her mother picked up the book and thumbed through as Dianne continued—“but I doubt we can learn everything there.”
    “Right here it talks about how to dry fruits and vegetables,” her mother said matter-of-factly. “You press the juice out and dry them in the oven until they’re rock hard. They pack tight then and won’t spoil. When you go to use them again, you boil them in water and they are supposed to be as good as fresh.”
    Dianne thought it sounded reasonable. “But what about making campfires and cooking out in the open?”
    “Dutch ovens are supposed to be great for cooking outdoors.We sell them here in the store,” her mother replied. “Surely we can learn how to use one.”
    “Can I learn too?” Ardith asked.
    Susannah smiled as if the tensions of the earlier moments were all but forgotten. “Absolutely. Everyone needs to learn.” Her enthusiasm picked up, almost as if the idea to go west were hers. “Everyone will have to help. You younger girls will have to collect firewood as we go along the trail or we won’t have a cook fire at night. It won’t be easy, but we’ll make it work.”
    Dianne heard the determination in her mother’s voice. The decision was made, and there would be no turning back now.
    “Can we have a dog?” Betsy, the animal lover of the family, questioned.
    Susannah grew thoughtful. “A dog would probably be good once we get to Virginia City but less helpful on the trail. On the trail he might get bitten by a snake or killed by Indians.”
    Betsy’s eyes grew wide. “Indians? For sure, Mama?”
    Susannah nodded. “I’ve long heard your father and my brother talk about troubles in the West. That’s something else we should consider.”
    Dianne nodded. “We all need to learn how to handle the guns. The boys have a pretty good knowledge of them, but the time may come when we ladies will have to use them as well.”
    “Pa didn’t want his womenfolk handling firearms,” Morgan said without thinking.
    “Well, your pa isn’t here to defend us,” their mother replied. She frowned. “I think he’d understand.”
    “Ma, I’m glad about going west,” Zane announced. “I’ve wanted to go west for the longest time. I read a book on Lewis and Clark going through that territory where Uncle Bram lives, and I’ve always wanted to see the headwaters of the Missouri.”
    Morgan nodded at his mother. “I’m glad too. You know I like to explore. I’ve always wanted to go