Prairie Dawn
an excerpt

Preface

Emily stood with her hands pressed into the rough wood fencepost as she looked towards her fiance, Travis McKuen, with shock.
“Illinois? Illinois! Travis! There are bears in Illinois! And wolves, and probably wild Indians, and who knows what else? What are you thinking, moving to Illinois?” She nearly added, “and thinking of taking me with you,” but she stopped herself quickly.
Travis was looking at her, amusement twinkling in his hazel green eyes. “There are no bears in Illinois, Em. No bears, no wolves, and no Indians. They're all gone, moved off to wilder places. You'll be safe with me. Look, Em, it's a chance for me to start my own life. I need to do something new, something other than staying in my father's store, helping this old wife and that old woman buy flour.” He paused, his face darkening, and just as quickly, he smiled again. “John Welker says that the land is the best land in the whole of these United States. He says that a man can buy land and farm, practically dropping the seeds into the ground once the forest is cleared, and then get rich. He says most people are headed that way now, away from the crowded cities and towns. A man needs to be free, Emily. It's what this country was built on, freedom.”
“What's a woman need?” Emily thought, keeping her eyes on Travis' face. Aloud she said softly, “This is what you want, Travis?”
“More than anything, Emily,” he replied.
Her heart nearly crushing inside her chest, Emily nodded slowly. “Then I will come with you to Illinois, Travis.”
Travis leapt into the air with excitement, one minute talking about being a man, the next acting like a small boy. He tossed his cap high into the air, and for a moment the last rays of the setting sun illuminated his sandy red hair so that it shone like a copper coin. Emily smiled at his excitement, but he didn't notice that smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
“I have to go, Em. You won't regret this, I promise. We're going to be rich, and free, and .. and.. in Illinois!” Plopping his cap back over his curls, he spun around, kicking up the dry dust of the road with his bare feet. Emily watched him as he ran towards town, towards his home and the general store his father owned. As Travis went down a hill and was out of sight, Emily turned towards her home, the farm she'd known since she was a newborn, and sighed. There was nothing to do now but tell her family the news. The stone walkway from the road to the front door had never seemed so long.

Chapter One

Steeling herself, Emily stood for a moment on the front porch of the white frame house she'd known for so many years. Although she'd been born at the inn in town, her father, Isaac, had nearly finished this house when she came along, and the small family soon moved out to this farm. After Emily many more children had been born to Isaac and Mary Durchermerger, but only three survived. Emily, the oldest, at 18, was the only daughter. Joseph was next, 16 years old, almost a man himself. Then, after the deaths of several baby girls and another boy, came the one who was the light of Mary's eyes, 6 year old, Matthias.