Abilene thanked Mr. Appleton gratefully for the food. She hadn't wanted to question about food, but she hadn't eaten since noon that day and it was many hours later by now. At his gesture, she climbed back into the cart and curled up as she'd been earlier, nibbling away as the cart jolted back into motion. If the night hadn't been so cold, she might have drifted off to sleep, as she felt quite weary from the endless up and down of the cart and the frigid wind, not to mention the length of the journey.