The Unexpected Day
By: Kelsey Mahl
It was 1842 and little Laura warmed herself by the makeshift fire. The warmth felt good. It had been a long day traveling with her family and the other pioneers headed west. The trail had been particularly long today. Her little sister Maria kept squirming in the covered wagon so Laura had to carry her much of the day. "Oh, how I wish we could have a home again!" she said to herself. Things had been so much better before they had left. Laura, Josh, and Jane all had their own beds with the exception of Maria who slept with her mom and dad. They could cook meals-good meals-not just biscuits or stew when they got hungry. Life had been good until Papa had decided he wanted to head west. A whole bunch of men had joined Papa in his plan to head west on the Oregon Trail. John C. Fremont, one of Papa’s friends, had been exploring the trail for over a year and told Papa of this opportunity.
"Laura!" Her thoughts were interrupted by her Mama’s voice. "Could you come and feed Maria for me? Your Papa and I will be back in a few moments." "Yes, Mama, I will be right there." Laura quickly went to Maria’s side. Maria was as happy as could be sitting on the blanket. Mama and Papa must be talking to Aunt Marge. Aunt Marge wasn’t doing well. She had been sick for a long time and couldn’t travel for a few days. No one was sure what it was, but she was too weak to walk or ride. Papa and Mama decided to spend the next day helping Aunt Marge out while the rest of the pioneer families continued the journey. Laura was sad not to be with the other families the next day but figured it might be a nice day to play instead of work. Laura quickly fed Maria and put her to bed. Mama came back to check on Laura and told her that she would spend most of the day with Aunt Marge and try to nurse her back to health. Laura quickly realized that her possible "fun" day would be all work without Mama there to help with the chores. Laura went to bed that night dreading awaking the next morning.
"Laura! Wake Up! Laura, Hurry!" the sound of her brother Josh’s voice echoed in her ears as she quickly tried to gain consciousness. "What is it Josh?" Laura wondered. "New people! New settlers are coming, look outside!" Laura quickly drew the makeshift shades of the covered wagon. Josh was right. At least three new wagons with a dozen or more people were headed their way. Laura and Josh quickly got dressed and ran to where Papa stood waiting for the travelers to arrive. As they approached Laura’s family, Laura spotted a girl off in the distance who looked to be about her age. Excitement arose within her. It had been a long time since she had seen anyone her age. It would be so nice to be able to play…." Laura went outside. A man about Papa’s height and a little thinner than Papa was talking. "We are a small group. We started out a lot larger but influenza and a bad case of rheumatic fever took about three of our families. If you don’t mind we would like to join you. Are you the only ones traveling?" Papa quickly explained that Aunt Marge was sick and they were taking a day to help her out. The man whose name was Bill introduced Papa to a man with a black bag. He was doctor and they had just started traveling with him. Laura was excited and thought that perhaps the Doctor could help her aunt. "Now where is that girl I saw coming?" Laura thought to herself. Laura spotted her behind the Doc. The girl had bright red hair, pale skin, and freckles. Laura went over to her and smiled. "Hi, I am Laura, what’s your name?" "Kate," the girl answered, "My Papa is the Doctor. We just started traveling with these people. I don’t know anyone." Laura understood about knowing no one. Kate quickly told her about her family, her Aunt Marge, and the trail. Kate and Laura had lots to talk about and found out that they were the same age, had the same number of brothers and sisters and didn’t like biscuits. Josh found a friend in Jonathan, Kate’s brother, as well. The day was going great. Laura had never expected to find a friend on the trail.
At dinner that night the new families joined Laura’s family for dinner. They didn’t have biscuits but a deer that the new family brought. Everyone let out a cheer when Aunt Marge came out of her wagon. The doctor had helped Aunt Marge with her fever and she was getting better. Laura would never forget that day when her new friend came and her Aunt Marge got better. The trail didn’t look so rough after all.
Comprehension Questions:
- When did this story take place?
- Why do you suppose Laura’s Aunt Marge was sick?
- How many sisters/brothers did Laura have? What were their names?
- Why was Laura sad about being on the trail?
- What did the families have for dinner at the end of the story?