the freemantles had come to nebraska as freed slaves , and abagail 's own great-granddaughter molly laughed in a nasty , cynical way and suggested the money abby 's father had used to buy the home place - money paid to him by sam freemantle of lewis , south carolina , as wages for the eight years her daddy and his brothers had stayed on after the states war had ended - had been `` conscience money . ''