Laura was trying to get the Hesh family to be more independent. She had given them staple food supplies. She and George had given them lessons on how to cook over an open fire. She had even given them old grain sacks to sew together into mattresses that could be stuffed with grass. Every day she gave them their work assignments, dealt with the incessant whining and complaints, and at the end of each week she paid them a modest salary in coins, which they could use to buy extra supplies from Laura. There was some grumbling about the pay, but Laura merely shrugged them off and told them they were welcome to leave at any time.
Of course, they didn't. Having a reliable supply of food was worth a lot more than the coins she was giving them to barter and trade with.
They were all working on th
