text: 13
  
  Paulie stayed the night at the fort and kept Astrid with him through the night. In the morning, he gathered the supplies Colleen had bought, put them in the wagon bed and made a little bed for Astrid right behind the driver's seat because by mid-morning, he knew she'd want her snack and would soon be yawning and want to lie down for a nap.
  
  When they got on the wagon seat, Paulie put his arm around Astrid and pulled her close.
  
  "I have a surprise for you," he said.
  
  "Sukkertøy?" she asked excitedly.
  
  "How did you ever guess?" Paulie handed her a little sack with a few pieces of candy in it. She popped one into her mouth before holding up one and putting it into Paulie's mouth. They happily rode along eating the candy. After a couple of hours, he gave her some cookies he'd bought at the sutler's store and a drink from the canteen. Soon thereafter, just as he'd predicted, she crawled into the bed of the wagon, covered herself and fell asleep for the rest of the journey.
  
  While Paulie unloaded the supplies and carried them into the house, Astrid sat on the front steps, her chin cupped in her hand. When Paulie was finished, he came out and sat down beside her.
  
  "When's Mama and Papa comin' back?" she asked.
  
  "I hope it'll be real soon, but we'll have some fun while they're gone. You want a piggyback ride?"
  
  She climbed onto his back and put her arms around his neck. "Let's go down and see our woodpile." He carried her down on his back, alternately galloping and walking as she laughed. He saw that at least two riverboats had stopped and gotten wood, and sure enough, they'd left money underneath the log. He counted it and found it amounted to $520."
  
  "Well, darlin'," he said, "we're doin' good."
  
  "Look, here comes another riverboat," Astrid said as she spied the twin stacks shoving dark gray smoke into the air.
  
  "Sure is," he said as he shoved the money into his pocket. He looked carefully up the river, and it looked like this was the boat they'd had trouble with last year. Sapphire it was called. Grit had handled an unruly boatswain's mate then, but Paulie might have to handle the same man. Paulie wasn't sure he'd have trouble, but he wanted to be prepared.
  
  "Let's walk back up to the house so's I can get my rifle." He picked her up and cradled her like a baby and ran for the house. She laughed the whole way.
  
  "Why you need your rifle?" she asked.
  
  "I'm sure I don't," he said, "but I don't like to be without it when I'm dealin' with men I don't know, sweetheart."
  
  He and Astrid walked back down to the bank of the river and stood behind the stacked wood as the boat dropped anchor in the river. Roustabouts shoved off the boat in a rowboat, and there was a mate in the bow.
  
  Paulie said, "Astrid, sweetheart, could you wait behind that big tree over there?"
  
  "Why, Paulie?"
  
  "The men... uh... they might be throwin' wood around, and I don't want you to get hurt."
  
  Obedient as always, Astrid walked over and stood by the tree. Paulie smiled at her, and she smiled back.
  
  When the boat arrived at the shore, the mate said, "We'll be needin' some wood."
  
  "You see our sign," Paulie said. "Take all you want at $7.50 a cord payable in advance."
  
  "Seven fifty a cord!" the mate said. "Now, that ain't right for highway robbers like you to overcharge for wood. Your big pal did this to me last time, but I ain't takin' it from you. We're payin' $6.50!"
  
  "Sorry, can't help ya," Paulie said. "You might find somebody up the river that'll sell ya wood for that amount, but not me."
  
  The mate looked out at the river, then back at his three roustabouts. When he turned back to Paulie, his face was hideous and malevolent. "Listen, you little ratbag. You're still wet behind the ears. We're payin' $6.50, and you're takin' it."
  
  Paulie smiled and said, "Nope, sorry, but I'm not." Paulie picked up his rifle and held it in the crook of his arm. "In fact, I'll not be selling you any wood whatever... now or any time. Get in your rowboat and head back. This is my homestead, legally bought and paid for."
  
  "We gotta have wood!" the mate shouted. "We're about out!"
  
  Paulie laughed. "That's a problem alright, but not mine. Now get outta here and don't come back."
  
  One of the roustabouts had started taking a few steps so that he could get around the four-foot-high wood pile at Paulie, who lifted the rifle, jacked in a shell and said, "You'd best leave if you know what's good for you.
  
  "Alright," the mate said. "We'll pay the $7.50."
  
  "No... I meant what I said. You'll get no wood from me. Now get outta here. And... you'll not be cutting any wood for the next half mile up the river. We own all that property, paid the government for it."
  
  "Come on, you hornswoggler," the mate said. "What am I gonna tell the captain?"
  
  "Be interesting to hear that," Paulie said, "but I'm sure you'll be lyin' to make yourself look good."
  
  "Alright, men, let's go," the mate said. He walked a few steps and turned back. Jabbing his finger, he said, "I'm gonna tell every boat up the river not to buy wood from you, and you'll go broke."
  
  Paulie waved his hand and said, "Do your worst, Mister."
  
  He waited for the riverboat to steam upriver after the rowboat made it back, but after a time, another man climbed into the rowboat and the roustabouts started rowing toward the river bank once more.
  
  The man climbed out of the boat, and removing his cap, said, "Hello, young man. I'm Captain Winston of the Sapphire, and I understand we've had a terrible misunderstanding."
  
  "No misunderstanding at all, Cap'n," Paulie said. "I simply don't sell wood to anyone who insults me and calls me names."
  
  "Ah, a nasty business that is, and I'm sorry about that," the captain said. "Is there any way I can apologize and buy the wood for the price you're asking."
  
  "Yessir, I'll be happy to sell it to you... and only you, but don't ever send your boatswain's mate here. He's a bully, and he didn't like it when I wouldn't let him bully me, and I didn't appreciate the language he used around the little girl either. It's hard work cutting the wood, and it's worth $7.50 a cord. I realize some sell for less, but we don't."
  
  The captain said, "Thank you, son. I'll take care of the mate in my own time." He pulled out a purse and handed over $300. "We'll be needin' 40 cords. I'll have my men load the wood now."
  
  "Fine, sir," Paulie said. "I'll be standing by to make sure they get all 40 cords loaded."
  
  Astrid sat in Paulie's lap and watched the roustabouts load the wood into rowboats before rowing out and stacking it in on the lower deck of the Sapphire. When the boat steamed on upriver, Paulie said, "Come on, sweetheart, let's get you some supper." She held out her arms, obviously tired, and he picked her up and carried her to the house as her little blonde head rested on his shoulder.