Belle smiled.“Don’t introduce the goat to Maggie then.She can’t bear the thought of eating an animal she knows.”
Agnes smiled.“I guess you didn’t grow up on a farm.”
“An orphanage.Most of our food was donated and any meat was wrapped in white paper.”
“The boys didn’t go out and hunt?”Agnes asked, surprised.
“We were all girls.We were church run, and they didn’t think it was a good idea to have boys and girls in the same orphanage,” Maggie said.“So, no one was hunting.”
“I like hunting,” Agnes said.“Maybe I’ll set some rabbit snares.I love rabbit stew!”
Belle studied Agnes for a moment.“Maybe you can hunt with me until we get your other tasks set up.We mostly do bow hunting because of how expensive ammunition is here.We can make our own arrows.Or there’s an Eskimo tribe about a day’s walk from here who will happily trade.”
“Are they friendly?”Agnes asked, fascinated by the idea of Eskimos.
“They are cautiously friendly,” Belle said.“They trade with us, but they don’t want to socialize with us.”
“I see,” Agnes said, carefully dividing the berries she’d picked as Maggie did the same.
“While you’re here, you should get some meat for supper from our cold house.We have venison, smoked salmon, rabbit, and duck to choose from.”Belle tilted her head to one side, thinking.“And moose.There’s probably more, but I don’t remember for certain.”
“I’ll take some rabbit if that’s all right.I’ve been craving a good rabbit stew.”
“That’s fine.Maggie can show you where the cold house is, and everything is labeled.If there’s something else you want to take instead, go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
“We share everything.That’s what makes this work for all of us,” Belle said, going back to stirring her supper.
Maggie led Agnes to the cold house, which was filled with ice and meat of all sorts.Agnes looked through for rabbit, and though she searched, she couldn’t find any.She settled on venison instead.“This will work,” she told Maggie.
“All right.Now to Sally’s cabin.Do you think you can find your way home?”
Agnes nodded.“There seems to only be one wide path, and I know where to leave it to get home.”
“It’s easy,” Maggie agreed.
When they got to Sally’s place, Agnes was in awe of all the buildings and the large garden.“I should help her!”
Maggie laughed.“Sally likes to do things her own way, which mostly means she doesn’t want us helping with the garden.”
Agnes nodded.“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sally was in the garden, picking some peas.“Did you get good forage?”Sally asked as she continued her work.
“We did.Lots of berries for you!”Agnes called back.
“Great.Give me a minute to finish this row of peas, and I’ll be right in with peas for you both.”
Maggie and Agnes went into the cabin and poured Sally’s share of the berries into a large bowl.“You should have been here for rhubarb pie season,” Maggie said.“I thought I hated rhubarb, but Sally taught me differently.I bet she has some canned goods, and she could make you a pie.”
“I love rhubarb pie!My grandmother and I made it every spring.”
“Did you never cook with your mother?You seem to only talk about cooking with your grandmother.”
“My mother was around until I was five, and she met a man who didn’t like children.She left me with my grandparents then.All of my good memories come from time spent with my grandmother.”
“I’m sorry your mother left you.”
