“None.”
“You have something in mind?”
“I do.”
“If you and the Council need help, let me know.” After his father and uncles were hunted down and killed by the Confederate army for refusing to enlist during the war, Hugh had no love for Democrats of any stripe. He and the Union soldiers he’d served with were now doing their best to counteract supremacist violence by protecting freedmen property, schools, and churches. They’d also infiltrated some of the Lost Cause groups, and the Council relied on them for intelligence. In the bloody, three-day riot in Memphis last year, two of Hugh’s childhood friends had been among the forty-six Black people murdered by supremacist supporters. For him, this post-war battle was personal.
“So, what do you want to do about your kitchen?” Hugh asked.
Hugh was a carpenter, too, and he and Drake spent the next hour talking over the plans, etching drawings in the dirt, and speculating on how many additional men they’d need to finish the project. Once Drake’s house was done, they’d focus on rebuilding Hugh’s mansion.
Their plans made, Drake brought up Valinda’s need for a space. “The teacher I’m coveting needs a place to hold her classes. It can be a barn, an old house, a structure of any kind. If you know of anything available, will you let me know?”
“Will an old railroad car do?”
Drake eyed him. “A railroad car?”
“The Army gave me a contract repairing tracks. Any abandoned cars we find along the way are being burned if they’re no longer usable.”
“How many do you have?”
“Found three yesterday.”
Drake was intrigued. “What kind of condition are they in?”
“Wood is badly warped. Some have no doors, but they could be fixed up and they’d be free.”
“What about the tops?”
“A few are partially intact.”
Drake thought it over for a moment. “Do you think we can salvage wood from some of the worst ones and fix up say one or two?”
“I don’t see why not. You trying to make points with the lady?”
“Of course not. I’m only interested in aiding my fellow man.”
Hugh slid across the porch a few inches. “Moving away in case lightning strikes you for lying.”
They laughed, after which Drake asked, “Is there a way you can move them to my land where I can work on them?”
“We have some drays, so yes.”
“How soon?”
“You are eager, aren’t you?” Hugh asked, smiling. “Give me a day or so to make the arrangements, and the men and I will transport them.”
“How much do you want?”
“If you pay the owner of the horses for his time, that’s all we’ll need.”
Drake was deep in thought. “Okay.” He liked the idea but wanted to see the cars to determine if restoring them was a possibility. “Can we ride over to see them?”
“Now?”
“Yes. I don’t want you going through the trouble of moving them if I can’t restore them.”
“Trust me. They’ll be fine.”