My sister got married while we lived in Santa Fe. She was only 16 years old. Lura thought she had the world by the tail with a downhill pull, she was 16 and already married. My brother Oscar was troubled over it. He was only three years old and she was nine when I was born so Lura played Mama to Oscar. After that she favored him but now that she was grown up she paid more attention to her husband than Oscar. Lura and Charlie had their own bedroom, but sometimes they kept their door closed and Oscar couldn't go in. Oscar didn't like Charlie and Charlie returned the favor, he thought Oscar was indulged.

Charlie bought Lura a parasol and then she really thought she was high toned. That parasol was so pretty, I wanted to carry it, but she wouldn't let me touch it. Seemed like Lura was getting a little big for her britches.

When all the rails were laid the Santa Fe Railroad told Papa and the boys they would have to move back to La Junta so we started getting ready. After all, it was almost 300 miles, that was a long trip in a covered wagon and would take us a good 20 days to get there.

I was seven now and I knew how to do most things. Mama said Lura was still too scattered brained to be much use. Mama let me help churn a big batch of butter, then she put it on the stove and boiled it. We put it in tin canisters so it would keep fresh while we were traveling.

Oscar and I helped Mama fix some Pemmican for the trip. Mama took the meat and cut it real thin, dried it and then Oscar and I pounded it between stones until it was powdery. We put it into a bag made of hide and Mama poured salt pork grease into the bag. It tasted good when we were hungry on the trail.

Right before we were due to leave, our mules were stolen. Father and the boys went to see if they could find them. They let Albert go with them because he was 13 now. Oscar got downright bothered over that.

"I don't see why I can't go to look for the mules," he complained. "I'm nearly as old as Albert."

"Papa had to leave one of you boys to help me," Mama told him. She tried to make him feel better. I felt sorry for Oscar, seemed like he was getting the short end of the stick all around.

Charlie made Oscar help him finish putting the things in the covered wagon. Charlie was short tempered and the two of them argued.

"I don't like him," Oscar told me. "He's so bossy. He's not my father. Why'd Lura have to go get married?"

"I thought we was doing okay before Charlie came along." Most times I agreed with Oscar. He was my big brother.

I was excited and could hardly sleep the night before we left, and it was still dark when Mama woke me up the next morning. I was so sleepy I couldn't keep my eyes opened. Mother made me eat an egg and a cold biscuit but it didn't taste good.

There was five of us in the wagon when we started out. Papa didn't take Shadow because he couldn't run fast enough so we put him in the wagon. Charlie didn't like to ride in the wagon with a dog, but Mama said it was all right because Shadow had a pinch of arthritis.

"Isn't this fun, Oscar?" I sat with my arm around Shadow. He was a soft dog and I could rest my head on him.

"Not as much fun as chasing those fellows who took our mules, I suspect," he growled, but as the miles went by his mood improved. We were traveling right fast. By the time we stopped that night Charlie said we'd gone at least 12 miles.

We stopped by a stream for the night. It was early because Mama was hoping that Papa and the boys would catch up with us.

"Can we go fishing in that stream?" Oscar asked.

"Please Mama," I added.

"You better get some wood in first," Charlie muttered. Oscar was right, Charlie was too bossy.

"I need wood for the supper fire," Mama said. "Then you can go fishing, but don't fall in," she warned.

Shadow ran along with us and it felt good to stretch our legs. We picked up a lot of old branches, and some twigs and dried grass for kindling. We had to make several trips, then Mama said we could go fishing. As soon as we got away from camp where Charlie couldn't see him, Oscar stuck his tongue out at Charlie. I felt like sticking my tongue out, but I had to try to act like a lady. I was Mama's Prairie Princess and I suspected a princess wouldn't stick her tongue out.

We got a couple of branches and made some poles out of them. It was fun fishing. I didn't catch anything but Oscar caught a little trout. We went wading too, but it was the last of May and the water was cold enough to turn your toes into icicles. Shadow didn't mind the cold water though. He jumped right in, and when he got out he shook water all over us.

"Stop that Shadow," I told him but he just looked at me and shook more water out of his thick coat.

"I wish Albert was here," Oscar said.

"Me too," I agreed. It was lonely without him.

When we went back Charlie had dug a trench and built a fire in it, so Mama and Lura had supper nearly ready. Mama had brought a stew, she had warmed that up in a cooking pot and sliced some homemade bread.

We were sitting on some rocks eating when a man walked up to the wagon. He had a bucket in his hand.

"Could you folks use some milk?" He asked.

"That depends on how much you're charging," Charlie answered. Charlie was city bred and I guess he thought you was supposed to charge for everything.

The man burst out laughing. "I'm not charging anything," he said. "I noticed your wagon and thought maybe you could use a little milk."

"That's mighty neighborly of you," Mama said. "Are we camping on your land?"

"Sure are," he said. "That's my ranch over there." He pointed to a small house. "You're welcome to stay here."

"Thank you." Charlie looked sheepish. That milk sure tasted good, it was a heap better than water.

Mama said she guessed Papa and the boys weren't going to make it today, so we went to bed early. Oscar and Charlie slept on the ground.

"I want you to mind your manners," Mama told Oscar before they left the fire. "Don't argue with Charlie."

"Yes, ma'am," Oscar promised.

Mama, Lura and I slept in the covered wagon. From my bed in the back I could look out. There were about a million stars twinkling in the sky and a moon that looked like it had been freshly sliced.

The next morning when Mama woke me up Charlie and Oscar were building a fire. They were still bickering at each other and Lura had a pained look on her face. Mama was fixing pancakes for us. Nothing ever tasted better than those pancakes cooked over that fire with Mama's homemade molasses poured on them, even if they did taste a little smoky. We put everything back into the wagon and climbed up.

Mama said she got a crick in her neck from turning it around and watching for Papa and the boys but there was no sight of them.

"I wish Albert was here," Oscar muttered. I missed him too.

We'd been on the trail for four days when the fireworks popped. We were all riding in the wagon when Oscar got bored. He picked up Lura's parasol and started pretending it was a bat. He was swinging it around and trying to hit an imaginary ball.

"Put that down," Lura snapped at him. "Keep your hands off of my parasol."

Oscar got mad at her and he threw that parasol out on the ground. Lura started bellering like a stuck sow and Charlie stopped the wagon real sudden like.

"Get the parasol, Oscar," Mama ordered in her "no-nonsense" voice and Oscar jumped down and picked it up. He threw it into the wagon. It wasn't broken, but that didn't satisfy Charlie.

"I won't go another step unless you whip him," he told Mother.

"Well, you will have to stay here," she says. "Because I am not going to whip him." So they argued a little while.

She says "Come on." Mama climbed down from that wagon, got Oscar by one hand and me by the other and started walking up that old road. Shadow barked at us, but he stayed in the wagon.

Poor dear mother couldn't see well, her eyes were failing so. After a few minutes Mama says "Look back and see if you can see them coming."

I looked back and said, "Yes, they're coming."

She said, "Is Charlie coming?"

He was and in a few minutes we climbed back into the wagon. Everybody was quiet for a spell, but after a bit I guess Oscar couldn't stand all the quiet. He looked at Lura.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said.

"No, you shouldn't have," she agreed, but she did give him a puny smile.

"Ever since you got married you act like I was a piece of wood," Oscar mumbled. "You act like I wasn't there."

"I'm sorry. I'll try to do better," Lura said. She patted him on the back. Charlie was glaring at them, but Lura ignored him.

That afternoon Papa and the boys caught up with us. They'd found those mules with the help of the Sheriff. We were glad to see all of them, even the mules.

Charlie and Oscar still had an argument once in awhile but now that Father and Albert were back things settled down. Lura didn't act quite so high toned and Oscar never used that parasol for a bat again, at least not when Lura or Charlie could see him.