Whispers in the Wind by Lauraine Snelling

Author:Lauraine Snelling [Snelling, Lauraine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, General, Fiction, Historical, Christian, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9781441270986
Publisher: Baker Books
Published: 2012-08-01T00:50:21+00:00

The next morning after breakfast the men headed out to the log they were sawing into stove or fireplace lengths, and the two women walked down the hill. Cassie stopped to scratch George’s ears. Most places on his body were covered with such a dense coat that he’d never feel the pleasure. Ears and nose were about it. He rumbled deep in his throat, his thank-you sign. When Wind Dancer trotted up, she patted him a bit and then backed away.

“Sorry, no treats. As soon as we have some extra money, I’ll buy you some sugar cubes, but now there’s nothing.” She was hoarding the bit of grain they had left for when the cold hit. At least her animals would have hay through the winter, and for that she was deeply grateful.

After making a detour to check on some plants she had seen, Runs Like a Deer came striding down the track, so Cassie walked out to join her. “Your leg seems to be working better all the time.”

The woman smiled. “Doesn’t hurt much either.”

They strolled over to the back door. Cassie was learning that with all the work around the ranch, she couldn’t start out like a house afire, for by day’s end she’d be weary, weary, weary. Runs Like a Deer had already mastered the art of pacing herself.

“Good morning,” Mavis called when they knocked. “My goodness, just come on in; you needn’t knock.”

“Are we early?”

“No, the men are already cutting up the larger elk. We have tubs to brine the cuts we’ll be smoking. Lucas will bring up the meat that needs to be ground up for sausage.” She nodded toward a row of tins on the table. “Those are the spices and herbs we add, along with lard from the hogs. Elk have so little fat in the meat that we have to add some for good sausage.”

Cassie took it all in, not really understanding what all was meant, but by later that afternoon, with the sausage ropes hanging in the smokehouse, she knew one thing for sure. Her arms and shoulders were on fire. When the sausages were done, they’d ground still more meat, seasoned it, and formed it into elk patties that were now layered in a crock and covered with lard.

Runs Like a Deer paused to hone the big knife and then sliced yet more elk meat into thin strips. Some of it they would take to the cabin to dry at the campfire in front of the wagon and in front of their fireplace. Mavis set up racks in her fireplace to do the same. An elk provided an awful lot of jerked meat, along with all that was smoked or eaten fresh. The weather wasn’t quite cold enough to freeze more of the fresh meat.

They sat down around the table for a cup of coffee before leaving for the cabin. Mavis served them each a piece of apple cake with applesauce over it, while Runs Like a Deer poured the coffee.

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