by Justin Stevens
Will pulled on his three heaviest shirts before he went downstairs. Like other families in his town, they were down to their last amounts of wood.
Will climbed down the ladder from his loft into the kitchen. His mother was poking at the few burning sticks he knew needed to last the day. "Where is Pa?" Will said.
"He's gone to speak with Mr. Phelps to see if he will change his mind." Will's mother smiled wearily. "Mr. Phelps is a hard man to talk to, and your father seems to lose what he wants to say when he has to speak to him."
Will shook his head, frustrated. "I don't think talking to Mr. Phelps will work. I wish there was something I could do. I know it is a cold day, but I'm going to take a walk along the beach. Maybe some valuable treasure has washed up.” He didn't really believe there would be treasure, but walking somewhere different always helped him to think.
Will pushed the door open just wide enough to get outside as fast as he could. It was a windy day, and he didn't want the cold to sweep through the house and make it colder than it already was.
Silas Phelps, the chair of the council, had made a proposal at the end of the last meeting. The surrounding forests had already been stripped of trees that were thick enough to be sawed and chopped into firewood. The only available wood left was that used on barns and houses. Mr. Phelps had proposed that smaller families move in together and give up their houses to be torn down and used for kindling. That was the only way that the town would survive the winter.
After the meeting, Mr. Phelps had spoken to Will's father. Theirs was one of the small houses he felt should be used.
Will knew that Mr. Phelps was a stern but practical man. He also knew that his father had a good heart but no practical solution to their problem.
Will walked along to Stony Beach, just north of town. No one really went there much and Will had always been kind of scared of it, but today, he just felt drawn there. He started to climb the jagged boulders along the shoreline. He grabbed hold of what he thought was a corner of the rock when it came loose! He looked at what he had in his hand and discovered that it was a piece of wood. Will peered over the side of the rock and discovered that what he thought were rocks were pieces of a shipwreck, its pieces bleached and weathered by snow, rain, and sun.
Will climbed back down and raced home. He couldn't wait to tell his mother that he had, indeed, found treasure. He couldn’t wait to give what he found to his father. It was the proof he needed to convince Mr. Phelps that they would have enough firewood to last through the winter.
Passage 2
Journey West
by Constance Stevens
Pennsylvania
September 5, 1867
Dear Diary,
Well, we have reached Pennsylvania. The trip so far has gone well enough, but I have had to get used to being jostled about as the Conestoga wagon travels over these bumpy country roads. There are about 14 families in all. The driver, the man in charge of the whole wagon train, Mr. Jenkins, says he is trying to reach Wyoming before the colder fall weather sets in.
Constance
Ohio
September 20, 1867
Dear Diary,
I have decided to call you Emily after my best friend back in Massachusetts. How I wish I had her to talk to right now! Ethan is just trying my patience so. I am supposed to mind him and his little friend Jared, and I am beside myself. Yesterday, they got into the flour barrel because they wanted to have a make-believe snowball fight! The journey is arduous enough without these two little urchins getting into mischief.
Last night, Mr. Jenkins held a meeting. He told all of the wagon trainers that he was concerned about crossing the Ohio River. The fall rains have begun, and the river current will be quite strong.
Your Friend,
Constance
Ohio
September 24, 1867
Dear Emily,
We have reached the Ohio River, and Mr. Jenkins has every right to be worried. The water roars by so that the ground seems to shake. Perhaps it is my imagination, but it is quite terrifying to behold. I am so frightened for the journey, but Mr. Jenkins says we will make it if we stay together and don't do anything foolish. I will keep special watch on Ethan, but even he seems worried. He goes about, clutching his little stuffed dog, Patches, for comfort. May we all be safe.
Your Friend,
Constance
Ohio
September 25, 1867
Dear Emily,
What a terrifying and exhausting day. Mr. Jenkins lined up the wagons and then started them across. About halfway across, the horses in the lead wagon panicked and didn't want to move. Mr. Jenkins managed to get to them on his own horse and coax them back. We had all nearly made it across when Jared's family's wagon hit a rock. The wagon behind them rescued the family, but they lost most of their belongings. Still, they, like all of us, are grateful that we made it across the Ohio safely and can continue our journey.
Your weary but safe friend,
Constance
September 27, 1867
Dear Emily,
I am so proud of Ethan! He noticed that his friend Jared was looking sad, so he made him a present of Patches. He even asked me if I would part with a ribbon to tie it up in a bow! We are all smiling.
Mr. Jenkins says we should reach Wyoming in approximately two months' time—less if we have good weather and more if we do not. When we are settled, I will write the real Emily a nice long letter and tell her all that has happened. Thank you for standing in for her in the meantime!
Still your friend,
Constance
6
What topic is found in both passages?
A.
overcoming obstacles
B.
friendship
C.
speaking up
D.
getting along with brothers and sisters
1 answer
A. overcoming obstacles
Both passages illustrate characters facing challenges and finding ways to navigate through difficult situations—Will trying to find a solution to his family's wood shortage and Constance dealing with the difficulties of traveling with her brother and the challenges of crossing the Ohio River.
