Chapter 17 Summary

The wagon continues onward and takes Mattie and her grandfather to their coffeehouse. They find that their residence has been looted and vandalized. Mattie discovers that the upstairs is untouched, though the downstairs is in a shambles. She happily finds that the hidden strongbox has eluded the burglars and still contains a fair amount of money. Mattie and her grandfather despair about the future and Mattie finds herself on the verge of tears. Instead of crying, she steels her resolve and begins to clean the coffeehouse and search for food. She finds that her pet cat Silas is still prowling around, but also finds that the small family garden plot is nearly non-existent. She manages to haul water inside, water what plants remain, and gather some scraps of food that the insects haven't eaten. After her grandfather drifts to sleep, Mattie reacquaints herself...