For a Noble Purpose by Kelsey Gietl

Author:Kelsey Gietl
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction, Inspirational, Romance, Oregon Trail, Christian Fiction, Family Life, Magical Realism
Publisher: Purple Mask Publishing
Published: 2022-06-07T05:00:00+00:00

20

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ust when Sarah thought the mindless trail of dirt, heat, and flies had extinguished any excitement over surviving the tornado, the land opened up to the sight of Fort Laramie.

Although more substantial than Fort Kearney, Fort Laramie still wasn’t much to behold. Before leaving Missouri, she had never seen a military fortress, but she always imagined them to be similar to those discussed in her renaissance history studies—a grand impressive structure. Instead, these were several wooden buildings with a high-flying United States flag at the center and surrounded by a tall wooden fence. There were no stone battlements and no turrets with archers at the ready. A muddy channel ran along one side which, she supposed, could serve as a moat.

As their wagons rolled closer, a thousand dark specks moving near the fort turned into recognizable impressions. Pioneers and prairie schooners camped outside the walls, smoke from campfires rising from within their circles, and the raucous sounds of livestock huddled together at their centers. On the fort’s opposite side, Indian teepees dotted the landscape, their wooden framework poking through painted animal hides. While most of the native women tended near their homes, the men mingled amongst the pioneers and even entered the fort, assumedly trading as they had in Independence, Missouri. Their decorated costumes continued to amaze her both for their bold colors and beadwork detail as well as lack of modesty. How cool it must feel without a petticoat or stocking to be seen and most without shade for their faces! Their skin was already a creamy reddish-brown; perhaps there was no worry of a sun-scorched complexion when one was so naturally tanned. If the thought wasn’t so scandalous, after these many long months in the sun, Sarah felt even she might like to try it.

Farther across the prairie, a lazy herd of bison mellowed along, their wooly brown coats in the process of molting, revealing the lighter hides underneath. Bison had crossed their trail before, although never successfully hunted. With firewood becoming scarcer, they had started collecting buffalo chips for kindling. She would forever recall the pungent smell of each hard chip landing in the campfire, and their journey was not nearly over.

Once the wagons were circled and Sunday prayer service said, luncheon prepared and eaten, and the men returned from the fort with supplies, it was finally an opportunity to celebrate. They had traveled nearly halfway without any fatalities, despite gravestone after gravestone telling a different tale for so many. Two births had already occurred, with another three darlings on the way. They had managed river crossings, Indian sightings, and hunting trips without incident. What struggles they had encountered, they managed to overcome with teamwork and respect. Despite the unusual way she first joined them, Sarah felt that remaining in Larksong might be a possibility after all.

On one end of the wagon circle, far from the cattle hooves, Levi organized a mismatched frontier orchestra, ready to lead their wagon party in celebration. He tuned his fiddle one

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