Читать книгу Key City on the River - Greta Gorsuch - Страница 3

Chapter One

Illinois, The mouth of the Fever River, November 21, 1833

“Penny! Nate! Where are you?” called Mr. Butterman. “Ella! Where did those two go?” he asked his wife, Mrs. Butterman.

“I saw them over there,” said Ella Butterman. She pointed to the water’s edge. She said, “Let Aunt Sunday find them. She knows where they are.”

Mr. Butterman walked fast over to Aunt Sunday. He was in a hurry. They had to get started. It was getting late in the day. It got so dark, so fast, in November.

Aunt Sunday was sitting on a log not far away. She looked at the small Fever River on her left. It was like a thin rope. It curved into the distance, back to Leadville. That’s where they came from this morning. Then she looked at the huge Mississippi River straight ahead. That’s where they were going. And they weren’t just going to the Mississippi River. They were going to cross it. Aunt Sunday never saw such large river. There was so much water in it! She could hear that dark water rushing by. She was old, and she couldn’t hear well. But she could still hear that river making noise. She didn’t want to go. There was a new home across that river, in the new Iowa Territory. But she didn’t care. She felt very, very far from home. Once she crossed the Mississippi, she thought she might never go home to Virginia again. So when she heard Mr. Butterman shouting for Penny and Nate, Aunt Sunday stayed quiet. Then Mr. Butterman came to her saying, “Aunt Sunday! Help me find Penny and Nate!”

“Yes sir,” said Aunt Sunday. It sounded like she said Yasshuh. Her voice had a soft sound. Aunt Sunday only had three teeth left due to age. And she spoke how she learned back in Virginia. She got off the log slowly. She was a small woman. Her hair was white. She turned around slowly. Then she pointed. There they were. Penny was throwing a stone into the fast water. Nate was just watching that river with all that water go by. “Over there,” she said. It sounded like she said Ovatheah.

“You two!” shouted Mr. Butterman. “Get over here!” Aunt Sunday watched Penny and Nate turn around and slowly walk back over the hard ground. When Nate got near enough, Mr. Butterman jumped closer. Then he grabbed Nate’s shirt collar and pulled him along faster, back to the two wagons. Penny stayed far enough away from Mr. Butterman. He was in a bad mood from waiting. “Best to let him cool off,” she thought to herself. She went to Aunt Sunday and walked with her to the wagons. It was time to cross that river. It was time to go.