Prairie Rose by Catherine Palmer

Author:Catherine Palmer [Palmer, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 0100-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

SETH could hardly believe his eyes. Right there in his barn stood Miss Rosenbloom Cotton Mills and fifteen complete strangers haggling over coffee, blankets, mirrors, and sewing needles. Where had she gotten all these things? Who were these people? What were they doing in his barn?

“Oh, hello, Mr. Hunter,” Rosie called, giving him a wave. She smiled, but he could see that her face had paled at the sight of him. “We’re just working out an exchange for the bridge toll.” She dropped her voice. “And a few other things.”

Seth crossed his arms and stared at the unexpected scene. Chipper skipped over to Rosie’s side and gave Stubby a pat. The dog wagged his tail. “Where’d you get this stuff, Rosie?” the boy asked as she handed a man a knife and took a big iron soup ladle in trade. “This looks almost like a regular mercantile.”

“That’s a funny thought, Chipper,” Rosie said, giving Seth a wary glance. “You know good and well this is just the barn. I keep a few things stored away in case somebody would rather trade than pay the toll.”

“A few things! You gots lots of things. You even gots beads and shoes and a pair of scissors. What’s in these cans?”

Seth stepped forward and lifted a tin. Oysters! Oysters were a luxury item only the rich could afford. How had she managed to get her hands on five tin cans of them? Beside the cans sat a ream of writing paper. And bullets. Rosie had a stack of ammunition that could keep Fort Riley in business for at least half a day. Where on earth had it all come from?

“If you had a post office here,” the man with the huge mustache told Rosie, “you could set up your own store. Your prices are fair. You deal honest with folk. And you got good quality merchandise. All you need is a post office commission, and you’d pick up twice the trade.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to do that,” Rosie said. “I have so much work to do around the house.”

“Put your son to work doing chores.”

“Chipper isn’t my son. He belongs to—” Again she gave Seth a nervous glance. “He belongs to my employer.”

“You mean you’re a hired hand? Well, your boss would be smart to put you to running the mercantile and hire someone else to do the cleaning.”

“That would never do,” Rosie mumbled. “Really, we’re very satisfied with things the way they are. This is all just for … just for the toll bridge.”

As he passed, the man gave Seth a long look. “I’d think about that post office commission if I was you. She’s got a good eye for business, that one. She could turn you a handsome profit.”

Seth kept his focus trained on Rosie as the line of travelers wound out of his barn and back to their wagons. When she began to pack all her goods back into the chest, he decided it was high time to take up the differences between them.

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