today?”
“We feel great, Karen,” said Carole. “How are you?”
“Actually, Shelly said I could ask a favor of you. I was wondering if you would be willing to trade a bucket of Veronica’s milk for a quarter wheel of some cheddar cheese I’ve got.”
“It’s fine with me,” Lisa said. She glanced back at the cow. “And I’m sure it’s fine with Veronica.”
“Great. I’ll check back with you when we stop for lunch.”
Just as Karen Nicely trotted off, Mr. Cate walked up.
“Hey, Stevie, have you heard about the new restaurant on the moon?” He grinned up at her.
“No, I haven’t, Mr. Cate.” Stevie raised one eyebrow.
“They say the food’s great, but there’s no atmosphere!” Mr. Cate threw back his head and gave a deep belly laugh.
“That’s a good one, Mr. Cate,” she said, chuckling.
“I knew you’d like it!” Still laughing, Mr. Cate walked over toward his wagon.
The train rolled on. The girls noticed that little Eileen was staring dejectedly out the back of her family’s wagon several lengths ahead of them. “Her parents must have wised up,” said Carole, “and put her in pioneer time-out.”
“Good thing,” Lisa replied. “Now at least they can have some fun and not worry about what kind of trouble she might be causing.”
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to need to wash this dress pretty soon.” Stevie sniffed her bodice and grimaced. “It’s getting pretty ripe.”
“Me too,” said Lisa. “Let’s wash together at the next creek we stop at. Polly Shaver brought one of those old-timey washboards with her and said we could use it anytime.”
Stevie laughed. “I bet once we do our laundry with a washboard, doing it in a washing machine at home won’t seem nearly so bad.”
After they had traveled a few hours, Carole spotted a huge rock that jutted up from the prairie all by itself.
“Look!” She pointed to the single tall crag that broke the flat line of the horizon.
“I bet that’s Miller’s Rock!” cried Stevie. “I bet that’s where we’re going to stop for lunch today.”
Just as she spoke, Jeremy took off his hat and wavedit at the rock. Slowly the wagons turned and began to roll toward it. They made good time on the dry ground, and by midday they were pulling to a halt just underneath the great boulder.
“Lunch in half an hour,” Shelly called as the trekkers parked their wagons.
“Let’s go,” said Stevie, leaping to the ground. She and Lisa grabbed two buckets and got fresh water, while Carole brought hay for Vernonica and the horses. After Stevie had used one bucket to water the livestock, Lisa used the other to cool Yankee and Doodle down in the hot sun. As they worked, other members of the wagon train tended to their own livestock and helped each other make sure their wagons were ready for the rest of the trip. Just as the girls finished their chores, Shelly rang the triangle for lunch.
“Look at where we’re eating today!” Lisa said as they followed everyone to the chuck wagon.
The girls peered over at Miller’s Rock Memorial Park, where several pioneers already sat eating their lunch. A hot dog stand and souvenir shop stood at one end of a busy parking lot, surrounded by crowds of tourists. One frantic mother was trying to calm her two crying children, while another man had his entire family posing in front of the Miller’s Rock historic marker as he tried to focus his camera.
“Gosh,” said Carole as she waited in the chow line for baked beans and corn bread. “Looks like we’re back in the middle of the twentieth century.”
“It looks so strange, and we’ve only been gone for four days,” said Lisa.
The girls walked to the picnic area and found an empty table next to a family of five who all wore bright orange “Cummings Exterminating—We Won’t Bug You” T-shirts. The family stared at the girls as they sat down in their pioneer costumes to eat their simple meal of corn bread and
“We feel great, Karen,” said Carole. “How are you?”
“Actually, Shelly said I could ask a favor of you. I was wondering if you would be willing to trade a bucket of Veronica’s milk for a quarter wheel of some cheddar cheese I’ve got.”
“It’s fine with me,” Lisa said. She glanced back at the cow. “And I’m sure it’s fine with Veronica.”
“Great. I’ll check back with you when we stop for lunch.”
Just as Karen Nicely trotted off, Mr. Cate walked up.
“Hey, Stevie, have you heard about the new restaurant on the moon?” He grinned up at her.
“No, I haven’t, Mr. Cate.” Stevie raised one eyebrow.
“They say the food’s great, but there’s no atmosphere!” Mr. Cate threw back his head and gave a deep belly laugh.
“That’s a good one, Mr. Cate,” she said, chuckling.
“I knew you’d like it!” Still laughing, Mr. Cate walked over toward his wagon.
The train rolled on. The girls noticed that little Eileen was staring dejectedly out the back of her family’s wagon several lengths ahead of them. “Her parents must have wised up,” said Carole, “and put her in pioneer time-out.”
“Good thing,” Lisa replied. “Now at least they can have some fun and not worry about what kind of trouble she might be causing.”
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to need to wash this dress pretty soon.” Stevie sniffed her bodice and grimaced. “It’s getting pretty ripe.”
“Me too,” said Lisa. “Let’s wash together at the next creek we stop at. Polly Shaver brought one of those old-timey washboards with her and said we could use it anytime.”
Stevie laughed. “I bet once we do our laundry with a washboard, doing it in a washing machine at home won’t seem nearly so bad.”
After they had traveled a few hours, Carole spotted a huge rock that jutted up from the prairie all by itself.
“Look!” She pointed to the single tall crag that broke the flat line of the horizon.
“I bet that’s Miller’s Rock!” cried Stevie. “I bet that’s where we’re going to stop for lunch today.”
Just as she spoke, Jeremy took off his hat and wavedit at the rock. Slowly the wagons turned and began to roll toward it. They made good time on the dry ground, and by midday they were pulling to a halt just underneath the great boulder.
“Lunch in half an hour,” Shelly called as the trekkers parked their wagons.
“Let’s go,” said Stevie, leaping to the ground. She and Lisa grabbed two buckets and got fresh water, while Carole brought hay for Vernonica and the horses. After Stevie had used one bucket to water the livestock, Lisa used the other to cool Yankee and Doodle down in the hot sun. As they worked, other members of the wagon train tended to their own livestock and helped each other make sure their wagons were ready for the rest of the trip. Just as the girls finished their chores, Shelly rang the triangle for lunch.
“Look at where we’re eating today!” Lisa said as they followed everyone to the chuck wagon.
The girls peered over at Miller’s Rock Memorial Park, where several pioneers already sat eating their lunch. A hot dog stand and souvenir shop stood at one end of a busy parking lot, surrounded by crowds of tourists. One frantic mother was trying to calm her two crying children, while another man had his entire family posing in front of the Miller’s Rock historic marker as he tried to focus his camera.
“Gosh,” said Carole as she waited in the chow line for baked beans and corn bread. “Looks like we’re back in the middle of the twentieth century.”
“It looks so strange, and we’ve only been gone for four days,” said Lisa.
The girls walked to the picnic area and found an empty table next to a family of five who all wore bright orange “Cummings Exterminating—We Won’t Bug You” T-shirts. The family stared at the girls as they sat down in their pioneer costumes to eat their simple meal of corn bread and
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