Читать книгу Key City on the River - Greta Gorsuch - Страница 6

Chapter Four

Iowa Territory,

November 22, 1833

Mrs. Ella Butterman woke Penny up. The sun was not yet up. But the sky in the east was a thin blue with a bright, bright star.

“It’s time to make breakfast,” said Mrs. Butterman. “Mr. Butterman wants to get started early. He wants to get to the Land Office in Key City. Maybe find the land we bought.”

“Yes, alright,” said Penny. She sat up. She wrapped her shawl tightly around her. It was so cold, much colder than Maryland, where she was from. Penny climbed out of the wagon. She tied on her warm boots. She called to Mrs. Butterman, “Should I wake up Aunt Sunday?”

Ella Butterman answered, “No. She’s tired out from crossing the river yesterday. Let her sleep. She can start cooking again tomorrow.” Aunt Sunday was the best cook Penny ever saw. But if she needed a rest today, then so be it. Penny walked over to the fire. The sun came over the edge of the earth with a flash of red, then gold. The sky got bright. The bright star in the east faded away.

Penny fried some meat over the fire. Mrs. Butterman found some cold biscuits from yesterday. She boiled coffee. She said, “Mr. Butterman is hunting for our dinner. He should be back soon. I hope he gets a turkey.” As soon as she said that, she heard a gunshot, far away. There was another shot. Then a third shot. Then the sound faded. Penny smiled. Mr. Butterman talked a lot. And he worried a lot. He felt he never had enough time. But he was good with a gun. Whenever he shot his gun, he hit what he pointed at. So if that was his gunshot just now, they were going to have fresh meat for dinner.

Iowa Territory was new territory. It had opened to white people only the year before. Before that, it was Indian territory. Only Indians could live there, west of the Mississippi River. The Indians, the Sauks and the Foxes, had many villages. It was their home for hundreds of years. But times changed. White people wanted the land. And so many people like the Buttermans quickly made plans to go to Iowa Territory. They bought land. They made plans to farm, to mine for lead, or to open a business.

But this life was not going to be easy. Key City, where they were going, was less than a few months old. There were no shops. There were no banks and no churches. There was nowhere to buy meat. There were no roads, really. There were just some Indian trails. There were only a few houses. Instead there were deep, dark forests. There were many small rocky streams and rivers. These were filled with fish and turtles. There were many animals. Penny could see two or three deer standing back in the shadows of the trees. If you wanted fresh meat, you could hunt for it.

Breakfast was ready. Mrs. Butterman saved a plate of food for Mr. Butterman. Penny called Nate to come for breakfast. He was taking care of Harv. The big riding horse had cuts on his legs. The rocks in the river were hard on Harv’s legs. Lucky for Harv, Nate knew what to do. He had some special medicine and he gently put it on Harv’s cuts. Nate was good at doctoring horses and other animals.

“Come on to breakfast, Nate!” called Penny. Nate left Harv and came to the fire.