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"I suppose no one can fault you for the trouble, butladies wouldn’t drea women like yourself--no offense, of course Now, more than ever, I fear it’s all the worse for the war"

"I’h she wasn’t, though she wasn’t offended either "But you knohat they say about desperate tiht I just need to find a place to sleep and get on a stea, to haul h to nod and say, "St Louis A fine city"

"Is it?" Mercy asked politely, happy to redirect the topic "I’ve never been before"

"Transcontinental," he said "Lines there’ll take you right to the water, clear out to the Pacific"

She nodded "They’ll takerun, so St Louis is where I’ for now"

Mrs Henderson pursed her lips and said, "I ht be able to help with the ship you seek, if not necessarily a place to stay for the night"

Mercy understood The Hendersons were undoubtedly staying somewhere where she couldn’t possibly afford to join theive me, ma’am"

Satisfied by this much, at least, Mrs Henderson said, "Very well If you make your way down to the pier, I believe the steah to I can’t recall precisely when Benha forth"

"I’m sorryBenhaone now, God rest her soul, but he’s a good fellow in his way, and the Providence is his ship He has a special dispensation to travel back and forth through the borders and boundaries; he’s a Texan by birth, you see, and technically his ship is politically undeclared"

"Technically" Mercy knehat that meant Everybody knew Texas worked with the Confederacy, fueling it and feeding it Keeping it alive

"Technically," Mrs Henderson repeated without a wink or a smile, but with a rush of breath that indicated some tiny mote of clandestine exciteet you there faster than any certified ship you ht otherwise board Oh, the checkpoints are dreadful They drag the journey out by two or three days sometimes"

"Really? I’ve never been up or down the river, so I don’t knoorks"

"Oh, it doesn’t work at all That’s the proble parade of inspections, bribes, and nonsense--but if you’re aboard a Texas vessel, you’ll find less inconvenience along the way"

"It’s because of their guns!" declared Mr Henderson, once asp for air

"Concise, ave him a smile "And correct Texans are heavily ar arreat nuisance for anyone who stops theood to know," Mercy said, suddenly eager to wrap up the ht, but the Hendersons made her feel a little on display, and still quite aardly conspicuous She also still needed to find lodging for the night She stifled a yaith the back of her hand "I thank you for all the kind suggestions, and the coetting late, and I’ve had a rough couple of days"

"Don’t we know it!" Mrs Henderson exclai she said, and now that it’d been noticed, Mercy couldn’t unnotice it

The nurse took her napkin off her lap, wadded it up beside the plate, thanked the couple once athered her satchel to leave

Outside, it was dark yet again

Down the street, Mercy spied a Salvation Aras lah place to ask for directions, so she knocked upon the door and was greeted by a sray suit that matched her hair Her face was round and friendly She asked if she could be of service

"I’m Mrs Leotine Gaines," she declared She looked Mercy up and down, and before the nurse could reply, she asked, "Are you a sister frolish offices?"

"Oh, no I’ht’ve had would surely be buffeted away by the Virginia accent "I’ for a place to spend the night, and I wondered if yousafe and quiet I have to catch a steale" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>