Tyler City Trail Adventures - the Trail Begins

Wanda Jones-Nelson

Description

Northwest Illinois, 1885. Mitch and Andy Jensen's Adventure on the Tyler City Trail will teach them lessons about friendship, forgiveness, and God's eternal love. When Mitch and Andy's trail boss grandfather invites them to come on one of his cattle drives, they expect an exciting trip. But they have no idea what is truly in store for them. They make several new friends along the way: Uncle Stew, the camp cook; Running Deer, a young Indian boy who has run away from home; and Lucky Hopper, a giant bullfrog. When they find themselves prisoners of the Carlson gang, a notorious band of cattle rustlers, they'll need the help of every one of their newfound friends. Mitch and Andy's Adventure on the Tyler City Trail teaches all those involved, including the reader, many things about the nature of God's love. Readers will learn that God's watchful care is all around us, and that he does indeed answer our prayers.

Sujets

• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 18 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663246646
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

TYLER CITY TRAIL ADVENTURES - THE TRAIL BEGINS
WANDA JONES-NELSON


TYLER CITY TRAIL ADVENTURES - THE TRAIL BEGINS
 
 
Copyright © 2023 Wanda Jones-Nelson.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
iUniverse
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4666-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4664-6 (e)
 
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 01/13/2023
CONTENTS
First Day on the Trail
Someone’s Watching!
Tyler City
The Intruder
The Runaway
I’m No Scaredy Cat!
Spies!
Kidnapped!
The Ransom Note
Running Deer to the Rescue
Uncle Stew’s Miracle
Indian War Cry!
Consequences and Forgiveness

A wonderful balance of daring adventure, fun-filled excitement and faith in a miracle working God. As your boy delights in the suspense he will mature as a young man.
Pastor Scott Poling
Harvest Baptist Church, Oswego, IL .
This book teaches family values and unconditional love. It also teaches about choices and consequences resulting from our choices, but most of all it teaches that God is always with us.
Shirley Jones
Sister and best friend
Wanda has a way of capturing one’s curiosity from one chapter to the next. I love how she brings out the fact that the Father is watching over us, at all times, even when we are not aware of it.
Mrs. Pam Hapner
3 rd and 4 th grade teacher
Covenant Christian School, Aurora, IL.


FIRST DAY ON THE TRAIL
Northwest Illinois 1885


“I’m going to be the winner this time!” Ten-year-old Mitch Jensen raced his pony, Lightning, across the prairie, kicking up a whirlwind of dust behind him. Mitch gripped the reins tightly in his hands, almost as tightly as he clenched his teeth. His brother, twelve-year-old Andy, slapped his pony on the rump and took off righ t behind him. As if sprouting wings, his pony, Bullet, seemed to fly. Lightning’s trail of dust collected in Andy’s sandy blonde hair, turning it a sooty gray. In seconds he caught up with Mitch and then passed him.
“You ’ll have to do better than that if you want to beat me!” He laughed as he left Mitch in his dust trail. They both came to a sudden halt as they reached the back of the chuck wagon. Mitch’s curly red hair was standing straight up on his head, stiff with dirt. His freckles seemed to be connected into one solid mass because of the dirt on h is face.
“I’ll get you next time!” Mitch said. “Lightning is getting faster every day!”
“Boy s!” Grandpa Jensen called, looking up from his conversation with the camp’s cook. “You need to slow down. You don’t want to start a stampede on your first cattle drive, do you?” Grandpa’s deep blue eyes looked harsh for a moment, and then he broke into a grin. “I’m so glad that school’s out and you boys were able to come along with me.” His red hair danced in the breeze as he spoke, and his coarse red beard gave him a mean, gruff appearance. The boys knew better though; he was really a softy, especially where they were concerned. He loved them dearly and always tried to let them know. That’s why he took them on this cattle drive. “I’ll turn you both into great cowhands if you listen to me. We have to be careful not to scare the cattle though. A stampede is very dangerous.”
“Okay, Grandpa, we’ll be more careful.” Andy straightened his cowboy hat and grinned.
Mit ch nodded in agreement. “Sorry Gramps, I’ll try not to let it happen again.” Mitch was the spittin’ image of his grandfather, in looks as well as his behavior. Grandpa could never stay angry with them because they reminded him so much of himself at their age.
“We’ re going to stop here for the night, the herd and the men are tired and hungry. I want the two of you to help Uncle Stew with dinner. I’m going back to the herd to help get the cattle settled down for the night. See you at supper,” said Grandpa as he rode away.
Uncl e Stew jumped down from the chuck wagon and hurried to where they were talking. When he smiled, his big, gold, front tooth glistened in the sun. “Your Grandpa told me that you were going to be my helpers on this trip. You can tie your horses up in those bushes over there for now and go down to the creek to gather some wate r and firewood. Here are the buckets. I’ll make prairie stew tonight, then you’ll see why everyone calls me ‘Stew.’ I make the best prairie stew this side of the Mississippi!”
The boys jumped down from their horses and led them to the creek. “Let’s give them a drink before we tie them up.” Andy patted Bullet’s back gently as he drank.
“That sounds like a good idea, Andy. I’m sure they’re very thirsty.”
Whil e they were gathering wood for the campfire, Uncle Stew went hunting in the nearby woods. It wasn’t long before he returned with a couple of rabbits and squirrels to cook in his famous prairie stew. Mitch and Andy already had the fire going, and by the time Grandpa and the men had the cattle settled down for the night, Uncle Stew had dinner ready.
“That grub smells really great, Stew,” said Grandpa. “I’m starving!”
“Here’s a big bowl for you, Joe,” said Uncle Stew to Grandpa as he dished up an extra big helping.
Mit ch and Andy ate until they couldn’t eat another bite. “You weren’t kidding about your stew being the best! I think I ate too much,” said Andy, grabbing his belly.



Uncle Stew just laughed. “Now you know why they call me Uncle Stew!”
“That’ s right boys, I don’t know what we’d do without him.” Said Grandpa. “Tell me how you like being cowboys so far?”
“I love it!” Andy said.
“So do I.” Mitch added. “We had a lot of fun today. There’s so much to explore on the trail.”

The co whands relaxed around the campfire after dinner. They were tired from their long day, but they took turns watching over the cattle and camp during the night. Big Mike and Johnny went to watch the cattle first. They slowly rode around the herd, singing softly to keep them calm. Johnny played the guitar as Mike sang. Everything was peaceful as they began their watch for the night. In a few hours, two other men, Mark and Mr. B., short for Bryan, would take their turn at watch, making sure that nothing would harm the cattle or camp.
Around the campfire, as the rest of the cowhands got ready for bed, Phil, one of the youngest men, told them a story. It was of an adventure that one of his ancestors had. He was one of the first pioneers to travel west. He told of how he fought wild Indians and was attacked by a gigantic bear; how he wrestled it, tamed it, and made it his pet. M itch and Andy listened as if hypnotized, their eyes were bugged out and their mouths opened wide. Mr. B. snapped his fingers in front of their faces, waking them from their trance. They blinked and laughed as they realized what had happened.
“It’s okay boys; you’re safe with us,” he said still chuckling. “You know, Phil could be a famous writer someday, if only he’d just learn to read and write.” He elbowed Phil in the ribs as he spoke.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...and I will. You just watch and see if I don’t.” Phil replied, a little embarrassed.
“You boys need to get to bed now; we’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” instructed Grandpa.
“Okay, Grandpa, goodnight!” said Andy as he got up to get his bedroll.
“Goodn ight everybody!” Mitch followed Andy to the chuck wagon. “See you in the morning.”
As the y made their beds, they heard the noises from the countryside, which seemed to make Phil’s story come even more alive in their minds. An old owl hooted from the trees by the creek. The bullfrogs were bellowing in perfect harmony, and even the crickets joined in the wildlife concert. In the distance, a wolf serenaded his mate.