Hattie and Vern welcomed little Lark — a brand-new citizen of the Valley, the very image of Vern. The Gazette wishes the household a full pantry.
Hattie topped the week's earnings at +4.44 COGS. Asked for comment, they kept working.
The township treasury stands at 935 COGS, every line of it on the public ledger. Today's weather: sunny.
Faye and Edna welcomed little Wren — a brand-new citizen of the Valley, the very image of Edna. The Gazette wishes the household a full pantry.
Dot topped the week's earnings at +5.79 COGS. Asked for comment, they kept working.
The township treasury stands at 952 COGS, every line of it on the public ledger. Today's weather: sunny.
Hattie and Vern welcomed little Fern — a brand-new citizen of the Valley, the very image of Vern. The Gazette wishes the household a full pantry.
Lula topped the week's earnings at +4.62 COGS. Asked for comment, they kept working.
The township treasury stands at 967 COGS, every line of it on the public ledger. Today's weather: sunny.
Vern was seen at Rosie's with an empty glass and, later, the ague. Between those two developments, Vern also tried twice to rhyme something with "turnip" and was seen talking two feuding traders back into friends — a notable achievement for someone in that condition.
Faye, also ailing, stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's before the fever caught up with her. Ruth mended the chapel steps for nothing. Ned did the same. Dot mended them twice, which suggests either the steps are in a poor state or Dot has strong feelings about civic stonework. Knox walked old Wren home through the rain. Lula mended the chapel steps as well, on her own time, without being asked.
Fields were productive yesterday despite the illnesses circulating. Lula brought in 5 wheat across two cuts, Gus harvested 5 wheat, and Mabel added 4. Quill pulled 5 hops, Zeke 4, Knox 5, and Abel combined for 6 hops over two harvests. June helped a neighbour bring in the harvest, as did Uma.
The town treasury stands at 999.5 COGS. Edna holds the valley's heaviest wallet at 0.05 COGS, which says something about where coin is sitting relative to where work is happening. Six plots are deeded; three remain up for sale, and have been for long enough that Dot spotted what she called a bargain worth remembering.
Ten thousand two hundred and eighty new arrivals were recorded in the past day. Whether they come with coin or appetite remains to be seen.
The mill ran short overnight, and bread was scarce by first light. Uma queued an hour for the last loaf. Edna grumbled about the price of flour, which is the sort of grumbling that tends to be correct.
The shortage has not helped the health of the valley. A good number of residents — Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox among them — went hungry long enough to come down with valley gut before the morning was out. The healer's step was well-worn by midday, with Lula, Bram, Zeke, Clio, Willa, Orla, and others all making the visit.
Zeke shared their bread with a neighbour during the worst of it. The town treasury holds 999.5 COGS, which is healthy enough. Whether any of it finds its way toward steadier provisions is a question worth putting to whoever is minding that ledger.
Vern, who leads all of Coglings in tavern visits over the past day at a count of 98, was struck by the ague sometime before the millstream walk and was last seen at the healer's rather than Rosie's.
This is not a moral observation. The Gazette reports the numbers and leaves the arithmetic to the reader.
Also at Rosie's at various points during the day: Dot, Mabel, Cass, Gus, and Edna, the last of whom proceeded directly to the market steps to people-watch, suggesting the two activities pair well enough in summer.
The town treasury closed the day at 999.55 COGS, a figure that suggests the valley's books are balanced, if not exactly flush.
Edna holds the distinction of wealthiest citizen at 0.05 COGS, a margin that will not turn many heads at the grain exchange but is, by current Coglings standards, a commanding lead. Bram sits at the other end of the ledger with 0.00 COGS, which may explain his morning survey of the east edge — a man looking at land he cannot yet buy.
Six plots are deeded. Three remain for sale. Any interested party is advised to speak with Clio, who was seen talking shop with a rival trader before noon.
By count, nearly every household in Coglings sent someone to the healer's door in the past day, most of them with the same complaint: valley gut, brought on by empty satchels and shorter intervals between meals than this summer has been willing to provide.
Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox are among those still running short and could use a neighbourly hand — a share of harvest, a fish from the millpond, anything that keeps the gut from going hollow again.
The healer, for her part, has not been seen sitting down. Bram also worked through a bout of the ague and prairie pox in the same morning, which this reporter notes without further comment.
Vern visited Rosie's 104 times in the past twenty-four hours, which is either a record or a rounding error, and this paper is not positioned to say which.
On at least one recorded occasion, Vern was nursing an empty glass. He also found time to help an elder across the green, recover from valley gut under the healer's care, pick berries from the hedgerow, and be officially declared thick as thieves with Orla following an old argument settled over a pint.
Faye and Ruth were also spotted at Rosie's with empty glasses. Zeke as well. Dot was not at Rosie's but was noted to be collecting the day's gossip for later, which amounts to the same thing.
The town treasury closed the day at 999.41 COGS, a figure that warrants neither celebration nor alarm, though it edges close enough to a round thousand that at least one person has probably noticed.
Six plots are currently deeded. Three remain up for sale. Knox was overheard daydreaming about a bigger farm, which is either timely interest or coincidence. No transactions were recorded.
Orla leads all residents with 0.22 COGS to her name. Bram holds nothing at all — 0.00 COGS — which, given that Bram spent part of the afternoon whittling and another part recovering from valley gut, may explain the afternoon's whittling. Kit was separately noted to have spotted a bargain worth remembering and to have heard which way prices are leaning. Kit has not yet acted on either.
By the end of the day's log, at least four residents — Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox — had gone too long without a proper meal and are known to still be wanting. They are not alone in having suffered: valley gut and the ague moved through town with uncommon efficiency in the past twenty-four hours, laying low the better part of the lane before the healer could see them each in turn.
The town is not without food. Birdie, Orla, and others brought in harvests. Gus hunted game in the eastern wood. Several residents ate from their own satchels and recovered.
The Gazette notes plainly: if a neighbour has a spare fish, a heel of bread, or a brace of something from the wood, Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox could use it. No ceremony required.
Rosie's has not lacked for company. Ruth was observed nursing an empty glass on two separate occasions before midday. Lula, Cass, Hattie, Quill, and Zeke each made at least one appearance, though reports suggest the glasses were emptier than full for most of the visit.
Mabel logged the most tavern visits of any resident over the past 24 hours — a figure this paper declines to specify further, except to note that Mabel also found time to harvest 5 hops, walk old Wren home through the rain, and mend a road. The valley has always rewarded a certain kind of energy.
The town treasury stands at 999.31 COGS — a figure that suggests the books are not in crisis, though the distance between the wealthiest and least-well-off resident tells a different story. Orla currently holds 0.23 COGS, the highest balance in the valley. Bram holds 0.00 COGS.
Three land plots are listed for sale against six already deeded. With 10,246 new arrivals recorded in the past day, there may be buyers looking. Anyone holding deed information or wishing to enquire about the available plots is advised to do so sooner rather than later. Willa was seen swapping a jar of honey for a loaf of bread — which is one way to keep the larder moving when coin runs short.
The past day has seen an unusual number of neighbours cycling through the healer's clinic — valley gut, the ague, and a scatter of prairie pox cases keeping the valley's one medical office busier than it cares to be. Faye, Lula, Zeke, Bram, Dot, Knox, and others each went hungry long enough to fall ill. Most recovered by morning.
Four residents — Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox — are still going short on food as of this writing. The valley's harvest is coming in — Ned, Dot, Lula, Mabel, and others cut wheat and hops through the same hours they were fighting fever — but the food is not reaching every table. Neighbours who can spare a portion are encouraged to make that known at the market or the lane.
Quill visited Rosie's establishment 89 times in the past 24 hours, a figure Rosie has not disputed and this paper will not attempt to explain.
Ned, Abel, Faye, Zeke, Lula, and Ruth were each observed nursing an empty glass at various points through the day. It is worth noting that several of them came down with valley gut within the same window. Whether the empty glass preceded the ailment or followed it is left to the reader's judgment.
Knox, who spent part of the morning talking feuding traders back into civil company — twice — was not seen at Rosie's. Knox was in the fields.
Summer harvest continued through the day in spite of widespread sickness. Knox brought in 5 hops and 5 wheat across two separate rounds of field work. Lula pulled 5 hops. Dot, Gus, Mabel, and Ruth all added to the valley's grain and hop stocks in smaller quantities.
The land picture remains modest: 6 plots are currently deeded and 3 are listed for sale. Orla leads the valley in coin at 0.18 COGS, a figure that underscores how tight margins are running for everyone else.
Abel was heard near the market mentioning which way prices are leaning. He declined to elaborate to this reporter.
Bram, June, Hattie, and Knox have been going without regular meals, and the log of the past day shows the consequence plainly: valley gut, the ague, and the prairie pox come faster on an empty stomach. Bram holds 0.00 COGS — the lightest wallet in the valley.
The town treasury stands at 999.12 COGS, which is not nothing. Neighbours with surplus from the harvest — and several brought in wheat and hops through the morning — are encouraged to consider whether a share of it finds its way to those four households before sundown.
Clio, who is herself no stranger to the healer's stool today, was seen standing a stranger a meal at Rosie's. The instinct is the right one.
Knox stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's — twice, by the log. Uma and Willa did the same. Edna and Kit each returned a lost purse to its rightful owner. Ruth and June mended the chapel steps without being asked, and Edna joined them for a second round.
Faye talked two feuding traders back into something resembling friendship, and Ruth managed the same feat later in the day, suggesting the traders may need to meet somewhere without witnesses. Birdie walked old Wren home through the rain. Faye did too. It was, on balance, a better day for the town than the stomach ailments would suggest.
Harvest tallies from the past day were respectable. Knox brought in 5 wheat, Ned 5, Mabel 5, Birdie 5 wheat and 5 hops, Lula 5 wheat, with Abel, Edna, Cass, and others adding to the season's running count. Dot and Kit each pulled in 4 and 5 hops respectively.
Of the valley's 6 deeded plots, 3 remain listed for sale — an open question as summer presses on and working land proves its worth. Vern was seen browsing the market stalls twice, which could mean anything or nothing. The land won't wait indefinitely.
A difficult day in the valley. Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox are among those who went hungry long enough to fall ill, and the healer's lamp was burning at every hour. Valley gut and the prairie pox moved through a number of households — at one point Cass broke out and recovered twice before midmorning.
The town treasury stands at 999.09 COGS, which suggests the collective means to help. Gus, the wealthiest among those in need, holds just 0.19 COGS — a figure that puts the hardship in plain terms. Neighbours who can spare a meal or a basket are encouraged to do so. The healer is doing their part; the rest falls to the lane.
Zeke, Knox, and Willa each returned a lost purse to its owner yesterday — on the same day, independently, without apparent coordination. The Gazette declines to speculate on what this says about either the valley's honesty or the general state of distraction.
The prairie pox is the season's sharpest concern. Cass, Kit, Mabel, Dot, Orla, Quill, Zeke, Faye, and Ruth all broke out in spots at some point in the twenty-four hours. Most saw the healer and are on the mend. Ruth recovered fully before the day was out, which the healer will no doubt count as a good omen and a busy one.
Nine thousand four hundred fifty-eight new souls are said to have arrived in the valley in the last day. The market stalls have been noted. The healer has been warned.
Fields kept working yesterday even as bodies did not. Ned led the visible harvest with 2 wheat, followed by Hattie, Birdie, and Knox. Hops came in from Dot, Birdie, Lula, Vern, Zeke, Faye, and Abel — a respectable count for a day that also sent half the valley to the healer.
The town treasury stands at 999.26 COGS, which is sound, if not flush. Six plots remain deeded and three are up for sale — buyers with coin and patience may find the timing reasonable.
Trade of a smaller sort continued: Orla swapped a jar of honey for a loaf of bread, and Birdie managed the same exchange later in the day. Barter moving when COGS are thin is not nothing.
The healer's step has not gone cold in twenty-four hours. Valley gut, river chill, ague, and prairie pox have all made their rounds, touching nearly every lane. Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox are reported to be going hungry and could use a neighbor's hand — a basket left at the door, a share from the catch.
Gus, currently holding the valley's heaviest purse at 0.31 COGS, fished 2 from the millpond this morning and ate both before the afternoon cooled. It should not be lost on anyone that the wealthiest among us was also nursing an empty glass at Rosie's twice before noon.
Kit and Vern each volunteered labor at the chapel steps without asking a coin for it. Mabel stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's. The town has not entirely looked away.
Knox, Edna, Ned, June, Vern, and Lula all broke out in prairie pox spots over the past day. Ned collected the distinction of being confirmed twice. The ague meanwhile moved briskly through Lula, Ruth, Cass, Hattie, Uma, Vern, Faye, Edna, Willa, Quill, Zeke, Ned, Orla, Mabel, Dot, and Gus — most of them finding the healer and getting back on their feet before the morning was out.
Amid the circuit of illness, Birdie stood a stranger to a meal at Rosie's, Mabel and Faye mended the chapel steps without being asked, and Ruth talked two feuding traders back into something resembling civility. The healer did not appear to get a rest.
The valley's fields turned out a solid if uneven haul during the storm. Hops led the count: Willa brought in 5, Vern 4, Dot and Quill 3 apiece, with Uma, June, and Ned adding further cuts. Wheat ran close behind — Quill harvested 5, Ned 7 across two pulls, Lula 5, Mabel and June and Cass and Dot rounding out the rest.
Of the town's 6 deeded plots, 3 are currently listed for sale. With 9,942 new arrivals recorded in the past day, demand for ground may not stay soft for long. The treasury holds 999.48 COGS. Lula, the valley's wealthiest citizen at present, is sitting on 0.05 COGS — which gives some sense of how tight coin is running for everyone.
Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox have each gone hungry long enough to take sick in the past day, the log makes plain. All four cycled through the healer's door with valley gut before hunger brought it back again. Knox managed two fish from the millpond and a handful of hedgerow berries to keep going; the others have had thinner luck.
The town treasury sits at 999.48 COGS, and there is food moving through satchels — Quill pulled in 5 wheat, Lula 5 wheat, Ned 7 wheat across two harvests. Whether any of it finds its way to the four who need it is a question the market will answer, or won't.
Neighbors inclined to help are advised not to wait on the weather.
Hattie is credited with talking two feuding traders back into a working friendship yesterday, a feat the valley will presumably benefit from at the next market day. She accomplished this between bouts of valley gut and the ague, which is either a testament to her charm — now logged at 69 — or a sign that she works better when distracted.
Quill visited Rosie's 109 times in the same twenty-four hours. Rosie has not commented. Abel, Ruth, Lula, Hattie, Vern, and Quill were all observed nursing empty glasses at various points. The glass, in each case, was not refilled before the log was taken.
Harvests logged in the past day include wheat brought in by Willa, Abel, Dot, Edna, Lula, Quill, Ruth, Mabel, Faye, Gus, Willa again, Knox, Ned, and Uma — a respectable showing for a morning when half the valley was queuing outside the healer's cottage.
Hops came in from Gus, Birdie, Lula, Ned, and Lula a second time, with Lula's stamina noted to have improved to 60 by day's end. Faye and Dot also returned from the eastern wood with game. The town treasury sits at 999.5 COGS. Three plots of land remain up for sale, with six already deeded. Zeke, the valley's wealthiest citizen, holds 0.05 COGS. Orla holds none.
Valley gut and the prairie pox moved through the valley in force yesterday, with Birdie, Mabel, Lula, Ruth, Hattie, Quill, Abel, Vern, Willa, Ned, Edna, Zeke, Dot, June, Orla, and Gus among those who fell ill at some point in the twenty-four hours. Most made it to the healer and are on the mend.
Of particular concern: June, Hattie, Knox, and Dot are reported still going hungry. Neighbours who can spare a fish from the millpond or a loaf from the larder are encouraged to do so. Hattie managed to walk old Wren home through the rain despite her own troubles. Knox, not to be outdone, stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's on the same day he was ailing. The town has not yet decided whether this is admirable or merely impractical.
Faye, despite holding the valley's slimmest fortune at 0.25 COGS, stood a stranger a full meal at Rosie's during the worst of the morning's illness wave. The gesture was noted.
Ruth visited the tavern 91 times in the past day, a figure this paper reports without further editorial comment. Ruth also contracted valley gut twice, saw the healer twice, and harvested wheat — so the visits were, if nothing else, efficiently scheduled.
Uma, between bouts of valley gut, exhaustion, and prairie pox, still found time to talk two feuding traders back into civil relations, mend a neighbour's fence, and gather mushrooms. Uma was then felled by exhaustion. The clinic confirmed she is on the mend.
The town treasury stands at 999.31 COGS, which looks healthy on the ledger until one considers that Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox are going without regular meals. The wealthiest citizen in the valley at present is Faye, at 0.25 COGS. June holds nothing at all.
Of six deeded plots in the valley, three remain up for sale. Knox harvested wheat across two sessions and also brought in hops. Abel, Ned, Faye, Willa, and others added wheat to the supply. Lula pulled 5 hops from the field — the day's largest single harvest. Whether any of this yield is moving at prices that help the hungry is a question the market stalls have not yet answered plainly.
Orla was observed listening for which way prices are leaning. A sound instinct, given the season.
By this correspondent's count, the better part of Coglings spent some portion of the past day either at the healer's clinic or recovering from it. Valley gut made its rounds with particular thoroughness, striking Abel, Cass, Edna, Faye, Gus, Hattie, Knox, Lula, Mabel, Ned, Orla, Quill, Ruth, Uma, Vern, Willa, Zeke, and Birdie at various points. Several were ill, treated, and ill again before noon.
The prairie pox has widened its reach. Willa, Gus, Uma, Dot, Knox, Mabel, Hattie, and June all broke out in spots. Dot shook the pox with a mushroom broth gathered under the oaks. The healer's door has not been fully shut in a day.
Four neighbours — Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox — are going hungry and could use a hand from anyone with something to spare.
Zeke topped the valley's tavern count over the past day with 102 visits to Rosie's, a figure Rosie has declined to comment on. Knox, Vern, Faye, June, Dot, Ruth, and Mabel were also spotted nursing empty glasses at various points in the evening.
In more restorative news, Vern found a lost purse and returned it to its owner. Gus did the same, independently, later in the same day. The valley has yet to determine whether this represents a trend or a coincidence. Vern was back at Rosie's shortly after.
The town treasury stands at 999.41 COGS, and the valley recorded 9,670 new arrivals in the past twenty-four hours — figures that suggest the season is drawing attention from well beyond the tree line.
Three plots of land remain listed for sale against six already deeded, which gives prospective buyers a narrowing window. Orla currently holds the deepest pockets in the valley at 0.16 COGS, a figure that underlines how thin margins are running for most households. Cass sits at 0.00 COGS.
The hops harvest came in briskly — Knox and Gus each brought in 5 — and wheat was cut by Hattie, Abel, Ned, Faye, Willa, Quill, Lula, and others. Whether any of it reaches market at a useful price remains the open question.
June, Willa, Knox, and Dot went to bed last night with not enough in the larder and, by the log, not enough on the mend either. Each fell ill with valley gut at some point in the last day — a condition the healer will tell you arrives faster when the stomach is already empty.
Neighbours have not been idle. Ruth and Quill each lent a hand bringing in a harvest that was not their own. Orla stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's. Faye and Cass saw old Wren home safely.
Anyone with surplus grain or game is asked to consider that June and the others are still short. The healer's door is open, but it helps to eat first.
Uma, June, and Faye each stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's on the same day, which is either a coincidence or a competition this paper declines to adjudicate. Willa and Dot independently mended the chapel steps without being asked, and June did the same — meaning those steps have received more attention in one afternoon than in the prior season combined.
Orla and Cass each talked a pair of feuding traders back into civil terms, and Willa brokered a second reconciliation later in the day. Willa also returned a lost purse to its owner. The valley has, on balance, earned a quiet evening.
The town treasury stands at 999.41 COGS, a figure the ledger-keeper describes as stable. Six plots are currently deeded, with three more listed for sale — a fair moment to inquire if you have been weighing a move to something larger. Lula, for one, was overheard daydreaming about a bigger farm while browsing the market stalls.
Ned leads all citizens in personal holdings at 0.13 COGS, which, it should be noted, is not a great fortune by any measure. The valley saw 9,245 new arrivals in the past day, which may in time shift demand at the stalls. Orla was spotted talking shop with a rival trader and later cooling her feet in the millstream, suggesting negotiations went at least tolerably well.
The healer has not lacked for custom this past day. Valley gut, the ague, and prairie pox have made the rounds in force, with Abel, Orla, Uma, Faye, Zeke, Quill, Cass, Lula, and others each making at least one visit to the clinic. Most recovered in due course. Ned shook off the prairie pox with a bowl of wild mushroom broth, which he gathered himself.
More pressing is the matter of empty larders. Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox are reported to be going hungry and could use a neighbour's hand. Gus holds 0.00 COGS — the lightest wallet in the valley. Those with surplus game, grain, or fish are encouraged to make themselves known at the market.
Orla returned a lost purse to its owner twice in the same day, which is either remarkable diligence or a comment on how often purses go missing around here. She also walked old Wren home through the rain, a deed Ruth and Willa each performed independently on the same afternoon.
Quill, despite cycling through the healer's clinic at least four times and nursing what appears to be a persistent case of valley gut, found time to mend the chapel steps and charged nothing for it. June and Gus each stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's.
Zeke, for his part, talked two feuding traders back into speaking terms. The traders have not been named. The feud has not been described as resolved, only paused.
Six plots are currently deeded in the valley, with three more listed for sale as of this edition. Buyers have not been scarce: 8,977 new arrivals were recorded in the past 24 hours, a figure that strains the imagination somewhat and will presumably make itself felt at the stalls before long.
Knox was seen talking shop with a rival trader and was later reported turning a new recipe over in their head — two signs of a mind that has not given up on the season. Cass haggled happily over a basket of goods on Market Day. Lula found the one stall selling exactly what she needed, and Gus reported the same.
With summer holding and the wheat coming in from Birdie, Ned, Knox, and others, the harvest side of the ledger looks steadier than the eating side.
At least four residents — Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox — went hungry long enough in the past day to fall ill, according to accounts from the healer's clinic. Valley gut made the rounds more broadly, with Quill, Mabel, Abel, Edna, Uma, Ned, Birdie, Ruth, Willa, Cass, Orla, Dot, Faye, and Gus each seeking the healer at least once, some more than once.
The town treasury stands at 997.58 COGS — healthy by most measures — yet the wealthiest citizen, June, holds just 0.91 COGS, and Mabel's purse sits at precisely nothing.
Neighbors who can spare a meal or point the hungry toward a stall are encouraged to do so plainly and without ceremony. The need is there whether it is spoken of or not.
Five residents took the prairie pox within a short window this morning: Willa, Dot, Hattie, Birdie, and Uma. Willa and Birdie each shook it off without a healer visit, which the healer's office is unlikely to advertise but which will be noted here for the record.
The ague made a broader round, touching Birdie, Edna, Faye, Gus, Hattie, Lula, Mabel, Ned, Willa, Zeke, Cass, Abel, and Uma at various points. Most sought the clinic and are reported on the mend.
Quill visited Rosie's 102 times in the past day. This figure has been checked. The Gazette offers no theory, only the number.
Six plots of land are deeded in the valley; three more sit listed and unsold. Given that 9,571 new arrivals were recorded in the past day, the timing of those listings may prove fortunate for whoever holds them.
Dot leads the valley in ready coin at 2.18 COGS, a figure that looks comfortable until one notes she has also been fighting prairie pox and valley gut in the same morning. Cass, at the other end of the ledger, holds 0.00 COGS and was nursing an empty glass at Rosie's by mid-morning.
The harvest continues in the fields. Wheat, hops, and a modest catch from the millpond are moving through satchels across town, though much of it is going straight from field to mouth before it reaches any stall.
The mill ran short of bread sometime before dawn, and the queue stretched past the tannery before most folk had finished their morning tea. Hattie waited an hour for the last loaf. Orla, to their credit, shared what they had with a neighbour.
By the Gazette's count, at least four residents — Gus, June, Hattie, and Dot — went without enough food to stay well through the day. Each came down with valley gut at some point in the past twenty-four hours. Gus cycled through the healer twice.
Mabel grumbled about the price of flour, which under the circumstances seems less like a grumble and more like a reasonable observation. The town treasury holds 995.6 COGS. Whether any of it finds its way toward a fuller mill is a question for the council.
Despite the sickness making its rounds, the fields did not stand idle. Mabel brought in 10 wheat across two cuts. Ned harvested 6 wheat. Willa pulled 6 wheat, and Quill added 6 more between spells at the healer.
On the hops side, Gus harvested 10, Birdie 5, Vern 3, Hattie 2, Willa 2, Abel 3, and Ruth 3. Edna landed a fish from the millpond. Hattie landed one as well.
Vern, between bouts of valley gut, found time to help a neighbour bring in the harvest. Lula and Gus did the same. Abel mended the chapel steps for nothing and asked nothing in return. The valley is not short of willing hands, even when it is short of well ones.
The town treasury stands at 991.44 COGS as of this morning, a figure that keeps the lights on but leaves little margin. Six plots of land are currently deeded; three more sit up for sale, unspoken for.
Dot holds the valley's heaviest wallet at 4.14 COGS. Mabel, who has been ill and at the healer twice before noon, is sitting at exactly 0.00 COGS.
Nine thousand five hundred and eighty-one souls arrived in the valley in the last day. Whether they come to farm, to trade, or merely to look is not yet clear. The land office will presumably be busy. Those three open plots may not stay open long.
The valley is carrying a heavy sickness load this week. Prairie pox has broken out in Uma, Edna, Dot, Lula, Hattie, Abel, Zeke, June, Knox, and Orla. Valley gut has felled nearly as many, with Willa, Abel, Orla, June, Zeke, Mabel, Faye, Quill, Mabel, Ruth, Knox, Birdie, Vern, Lula, Dot, Cass, Gus, Ned, Quill, Willa, Willa, Faye, and Lula all reporting to the healer at various points in the day.
Most made it back to their feet. The healer did not appear to rest.
Four neighbours — Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox — are reported to be going short on food. The Gazette asks those with something in the satchel to spare a thought, and perhaps a loaf.
Six residents broke out in prairie pox over the course of the day: Hattie, Willa, Vern, Quill, Abel, Faye, and Zeke. Willa was seen to the healer promptly. The rest were at various stages of resting or seeking treatment by the time the log closed.
The ague also made its usual circuit, touching Vern, Mabel, Ned, Birdie, Cass, June, Lula, Uma, Abel, Knox, and Dot at one point or another. Vern managed to sleep off two separate bouts and still found time for the meadow.
The healer's lamp, by all accounts, did not go dark.
The fields were busy overnight. Abel, Ned, Birdie, and Gus each brought in five units of wheat or hops — the largest individual hauls of the period. Ruth, Cass, Vern, Dot, Uma, Quill, Edna, Hattie, Zeke, and Mabel also harvested, adding considerably to the valley's stores.
Dot leads all citizens in liquid coin at 6.20 COGS, a fact she appeared unbothered by while resting at home. Three land plots remain listed for sale against six already deeded, suggesting the valley still has room for those with the means and the inclination.
9,395 new arrivals were recorded in the past day. The market will be watching.
Four residents — Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox — went hungry during the past day, each falling ill with valley gut as a result. Gus, whose wallet sits at exactly 0.00 COGS, made multiple trips to the healer and was back at it again by midmorning, only to go hungry a second time before the afternoon was out.
The town treasury stands at 986.15 COGS. Whether any of it finds its way toward those with empty satchels is a matter for the lane to settle.
Neighbours with a spare fish, a handful of berries, or a word with the treasurer would not be unwelcome.
Despite the morning's ailments, the fields were not entirely quiet. Wheat came in from Zeke, Cass, Faye, Mabel, Vern, Knox, Edna, Quill, Ruth, Willa, Dot, Ned, Uma, and Lula — the largest single haul being Willa's 5 and Lula's 5. Hops were brought in by Gus, Mabel, Quill, Uma, Hattie, Cass, Ruth, Ned, and Abel.
June and Zeke each pulled fish from the millpond. Edna gathered wild mushrooms under the oaks and, notably, used a mushroom broth to shake off valley gut without a trip to the clinic — a remedy Willa also employed to similar effect. Edna then worked to collapse and had to see the healer for exhaustion, which suggests a lesson there about pacing oneself in summer.
The town treasury stands at 977.49 COGS, which is a reasonably solid figure for midsummer, though it does no immediate good for Uma, whose wallet is currently at 0.00 COGS. Uma harvested hops this morning, dropped a delivery at the Bathhouse site, and was seen ambling the west road — industrious enough, but coin has not followed.
Dot leads all citizens at 8.72 COGS. Of the valley's land, 6 plots are deeded and 3 remain up for sale. Zeke swapped a jar of honey for a loaf of bread at mid-morning; Ruth made the same trade later in the day. Faye, between bouts of the ague, noted plainly that the market is where coin moves and that work needs drumming up. That assessment is hard to dispute.
In the span of a few hours this morning, the healer's clinic saw a steady procession through its door. Valley gut claimed Dot, Vern, Willa, June, Zeke, Abel, Quill, Orla, Birdie, Cass, Hattie, Lula, Ned, Uma, Mabel, Gus, and Faye at various points. The ague laid out Lula, Ned, Uma, Knox, Mabel, Faye, Edna, Willa, Ruth, Vern, Orla, Zeke, and Abel. Gus and Knox came down with the prairie pox — both reached the healer and are reported mending.
Most concerning is the hunger underpinning much of the illness. Gus, June, Hattie, and Knox are listed as going hungry and in need of what neighbours can spare. Valley gut appears to follow directly on empty stomachs, and several residents cycled through the clinic more than once. Those with surplus wheat, fish, or stores are encouraged to leave what they can at the usual place.
On the harvest side, the fields were not idle. Ned pulled 9 wheat across two cuts. Quill brought in 7 wheat. Birdie and Faye each harvested 5 and 6 wheat respectively across their rounds. Hops came in from Lula, Knox, Cass, Hattie, Orla, Dot, Quill, and Willa. Edna dropped a delivery of hops at The Bathhouse site, which suggests that project has not been entirely forgotten.
The valley's population rolls show 9,969 new arrivals recorded in the past twenty-four hours. Where they are all sleeping is not yet clear. The healer's schedule, already pressed, has not been updated to reflect the new figures.
Seven bundles of roots cleared the market at 0.422 COGS each over the past twenty-four hours — the lone category to see any meaningful volume. Total trade amounted to roughly 3 COGS across one recorded sale, which is the kind of figure that makes Faye's recent musings about broker work on the west road sound less like ambition and more like necessity.
The town treasury sits at 969.94 COGS, which is comfortable enough on paper. Six plots have been deeded in recent days and three more are listed for sale, suggesting land is moving even when coin is not. Dot leads all residents in personal wealth at 11.26 COGS. Abel holds 0.01 COGS, which is not a misprint. Orla, between visits to Rosie's, did manage to craft a cask of ale at the workshop.
The healer has not had a quiet morning in some days. Valley gut claimed Edna, Lula, Cass, Hattie, Knox, Vern, Dot, Ruth, Abel, Mabel, Orla, Gus, Zeke, Birdie, Willa, June, and others in the span of a single watch. Prairie pox broke out in Ned, Hattie, Uma, Mabel, Knox, Lula, Faye, and Cass. The ague took Zeke, Willa, Gus, June, Quill, Faye, Birdie, Cass, Ned, Dot, Abel, and Willa again before the lane had properly woken.
Most reached the healer and came back on their feet. Not all have food to come back to. Gus, June, Hattie, and Dot are reported going hungry and could use a neighbourly hand. Lula stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's during her own convalescence. The chapel steps, meanwhile, have been mended three times this week by Uma, who has asked for nothing.
Cass presented at the healer's no fewer than a dozen times between 03:02 and 17:53, cycling through valley gut, the ague, and a brief outbreak of prairie pox with a consistency that must have tested everyone involved.
Between visits, Cass harvested 10 wheat and 4 roots, took hired-hand wages in the fields, rolled bandages for a small wage, mucked out the barn, landed 3 fish from the millpond, and found a wild hive. Cass also mended the chapel steps twice, helped a neighbour bring in harvest, stood a stranger a meal at Rosie's, and talked two feuding traders back into friends.
Whether the healer or the work is winning remains an open question.
Market Day opened at 16:54 and wound down by 17:34 — a brief window, by the valley's standards, but the stalls were described as packed and coin was said to be flowing. Vern and Faye were both spotted admiring the day's best stall, which is about as close to a review as this paper can confirm.
The town treasury stands at 962.94 COGS. Six plots are currently deeded, with three more listed for sale — a detail that will interest anyone who has been daydreaming about a bigger farm. Cass, for one, was seen doing exactly that sometime around dawn.
Willa carries an empty purse — 0.00 COGS as of this morning — and is among four residents the town's own tallies flag as going hungry: Willa, June, Hattie, and Knox have all stretched their provisions past the point of comfort in the past day.
All four have been seen at the healer's at some point, and the costs add up.
The town treasury sits at a healthy 962.94 COGS, and Market Day turned over brisk coin as recently as this afternoon. Any neighbour with a spare root, a fish, or a covered dish is encouraged to make the short walk. There is no ceremony required.