The Bullies Chapter 4 The Wagon Train

 Kasper cleared his throat and began a story that was hard to believe, but Bandit and the other dolls listened as their old-new friend began a story of hardship, but a beginning of a new and different life for them. "Yes, the ladies and the little girls took Sonja and Anna on the ship with them. We didn't think that we would ever see them again. One day a man saw us laying in the weeds. He picked us up and looked at us and shook the dirt from our clothes. Our clothes once again were very tattered and torn. He took us to a man that had a shack by the sea. He sold people things that they needed to take with them on board a big ship. His things were not very nice. They were things that he sold for more money than they were worth. The man that found us knew that. He showed us to the man and he shook his head and said, "Who would want such worthless dolls as these? None that I know of. "Throw them in the fire. That's all that they are good for."

 The man looked at us and decided that the shopkeeper was right. But he didn't throw us in the fire, he threw us in the back of a wagon. The kind of wagon that he threw us in was called a covered wagon. It had strong white material that kept the dirt and sun from getting in. It was called canvas. He never looked back to see where the wagon was going. What he didn't know was that the wagon was part of a wagon train. The wagons were loaded with food and all kinds of things that they would need on their way to where they were promised very cheap or even free land out west in the United States. The state they were in now was called New York.

A mother and two little girls had their things packed in the wagon. There was a spinning wheel in the back of the wagon along with their two dresses a piece, bonnets, aprons and some warm bedding. In the wagon was a trunk with some favorite pieces of china and a wedding dress, some dried flowers, and a journal. The quilts that the mother had made covered the china to keep it safe from breaking. In the trunk were pictures of relatives that the little girls could not remember, but their mother did. They found their mother looking at the pictures with tears in her eyes as she put them in the trunk to be packed. 

There were two pillows made with down from the geese that the mother had raised. There were two other pillows that were not nearly so soft and comfortable. They had been made from chicken down and some feathers were escaping the casing as they were thrown into the wagon.

Under the bedding was their mother's Bible. She read them stories from the Bible every evening before bedtime. They were even learning their letters from the Bible. Soon they would be able to read the stories by themselves. These were exciting times for the girls.

The girl's father said, "Alright we are all set.. I have gotten the trading done. We are to start out with the wagon train the first thing in the morning. So get yourselves into the wagon and get a good rest. Make sure the dishes and anything that might break be put in it's place. We don't want to lose anything. President Jefferson has purchased a great deal of land from the French for not much money. I am assured that we will be able to buy several acres of land for perhaps only $2 an acre when we get there. I am hoping that the rumors that I am hearing are true. They are saying that some of the land is even free. Times will be hard. We might get hungry and cold and too hot. But are you girls tough enough to make the trip with your Ma and I? The girls danced a jig and assured their father that they were indeed tough and anxious to start a new adventure. Little did they know that the adventures would start that very night.