the end of the train for the rest of the trip!”
The girls looked at each other sleepily. “Hey,” Stevie said softly, holding her hand up for a high fifteen. “All right!”
They found their camp in the same jumble they’d left it in hours before, when they’d first heard the stampede. Without bothering to straighten anything up, they collapsed into their sleeping bags and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
L ISA WOKE UP first the next day. A scrub jay squawking in the brush near their wagon woke her, and when she opened her eyes she saw that the sun was higher in the sky than it had been any other morning they’d been on the trip. She yawned. It felt as if they’d slept forever. How nice it was of Jeremy to call a holiday after everything that had happened the night before. She wondered if Carole and Stevie had slept as soundly as she had.
“Anybody else awake?” she asked without lifting her head from her pillow.
“I am,” Carole said through a deep, relaxed yawn.
“I am, too,” added Stevie. “Ever since that birdstarted singing.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes in the morning light. “Gosh. Look how bright it is. It must be close to noon.”
“Actually, it’s only seven-thirty,” said Carole, checking her watch. “It just feels like noon.”
“Wasn’t it great to sleep in?” Stevie sighed and stretched her arms.
“It was,” Carole agreed. “But I think we earned it. We did an awful lot of important stuff yesterday.”
“We did, didn’t we?” said Lisa. “We got our wagon across the river and we saved Eileen’s family’s supplies and we stopped a cattle stampede.”
“And I returned that dear little brat’s precious teddy bear,” said Stevie. “We did do a lot yesterday. No wonder I’m starving now.” She unzipped her sleeping bag and stood up. “Let’s go see if anything’s left for breakfast.”
They dressed quickly and hurried to the chuck wagon. Instead of the usual pot of steaming mush, the girls found Shelly waiting to cook them a special breakfast of flapjacks and maple syrup.
“Boss’s orders.” Shelly grinned as he heaped a tall stack of flapjacks on each of their plates. “Today we’re celebrating a special occasion, and we’re eating high on the hog, just like the pioneers would have.”
“Do you know what happened to the rest of the cattlelast night?” Stevie asked as Shelly ladled lots of warm maple syrup over her flapjacks.
“That cowboy Rascal Robbie came by here this morning and said they raced for another quarter mile or so, then just ran out of steam. They herded ’em back by the river and gathered up the stragglers this morning, then went on their way.” Shelly chuckled. “Rascal Robbie also said to ‘thank those three brave girls who helped so much last night.’ ”
“He thinks we’re brave.” Lisa looked surprised.
The girls finished their flapjacks by Shelly’s campfire and hurried back to their wagon. Even though Jeremy had declared it a holiday, that didn’t mean they could goof off the entire day. They still had a lot of ground to cover, and it would take most of the day to do it.
By nine o’clock everyone was ready to go. Jeremy gave a hearty “Wagons ho!” and the train began to roll west. Stevie called her customary “giddyap” to Yankee and Doodle while Lisa began to tug Veronica along behind her. Carole and Nikkia trotted easily beside them.
“You know, it feels like we’ve being doing this all our lives,” Stevie said, watching Yankee and Doodle as they pulled smoothly against their horse collars.
“I know,” said Lisa. “These clothes don’t feel strangeanymore, and even Veronica seems like an old pal.” She turned and smiled at the slow-moving cow lumbering after her.
“And Nikkia’s trot honestly feels smooth.” Carole laughed. “I guess Starlight will feel like silk when I ride him again.”
Just then Karen Nicely rode up on her buckskin mare. “How are our heroines doing
The girls looked at each other sleepily. “Hey,” Stevie said softly, holding her hand up for a high fifteen. “All right!”
They found their camp in the same jumble they’d left it in hours before, when they’d first heard the stampede. Without bothering to straighten anything up, they collapsed into their sleeping bags and fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
L ISA WOKE UP first the next day. A scrub jay squawking in the brush near their wagon woke her, and when she opened her eyes she saw that the sun was higher in the sky than it had been any other morning they’d been on the trip. She yawned. It felt as if they’d slept forever. How nice it was of Jeremy to call a holiday after everything that had happened the night before. She wondered if Carole and Stevie had slept as soundly as she had.
“Anybody else awake?” she asked without lifting her head from her pillow.
“I am,” Carole said through a deep, relaxed yawn.
“I am, too,” added Stevie. “Ever since that birdstarted singing.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes in the morning light. “Gosh. Look how bright it is. It must be close to noon.”
“Actually, it’s only seven-thirty,” said Carole, checking her watch. “It just feels like noon.”
“Wasn’t it great to sleep in?” Stevie sighed and stretched her arms.
“It was,” Carole agreed. “But I think we earned it. We did an awful lot of important stuff yesterday.”
“We did, didn’t we?” said Lisa. “We got our wagon across the river and we saved Eileen’s family’s supplies and we stopped a cattle stampede.”
“And I returned that dear little brat’s precious teddy bear,” said Stevie. “We did do a lot yesterday. No wonder I’m starving now.” She unzipped her sleeping bag and stood up. “Let’s go see if anything’s left for breakfast.”
They dressed quickly and hurried to the chuck wagon. Instead of the usual pot of steaming mush, the girls found Shelly waiting to cook them a special breakfast of flapjacks and maple syrup.
“Boss’s orders.” Shelly grinned as he heaped a tall stack of flapjacks on each of their plates. “Today we’re celebrating a special occasion, and we’re eating high on the hog, just like the pioneers would have.”
“Do you know what happened to the rest of the cattlelast night?” Stevie asked as Shelly ladled lots of warm maple syrup over her flapjacks.
“That cowboy Rascal Robbie came by here this morning and said they raced for another quarter mile or so, then just ran out of steam. They herded ’em back by the river and gathered up the stragglers this morning, then went on their way.” Shelly chuckled. “Rascal Robbie also said to ‘thank those three brave girls who helped so much last night.’ ”
“He thinks we’re brave.” Lisa looked surprised.
The girls finished their flapjacks by Shelly’s campfire and hurried back to their wagon. Even though Jeremy had declared it a holiday, that didn’t mean they could goof off the entire day. They still had a lot of ground to cover, and it would take most of the day to do it.
By nine o’clock everyone was ready to go. Jeremy gave a hearty “Wagons ho!” and the train began to roll west. Stevie called her customary “giddyap” to Yankee and Doodle while Lisa began to tug Veronica along behind her. Carole and Nikkia trotted easily beside them.
“You know, it feels like we’ve being doing this all our lives,” Stevie said, watching Yankee and Doodle as they pulled smoothly against their horse collars.
“I know,” said Lisa. “These clothes don’t feel strangeanymore, and even Veronica seems like an old pal.” She turned and smiled at the slow-moving cow lumbering after her.
“And Nikkia’s trot honestly feels smooth.” Carole laughed. “I guess Starlight will feel like silk when I ride him again.”
Just then Karen Nicely rode up on her buckskin mare. “How are our heroines doing
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