The Big City

by Grace Gilmore

  CHAPTER 1: LOGAN’S BIG TRIP

  CHAPTER 2: GETTING READY

  CHAPTER 3: ARRIVING IN SHERMAN

  CHAPTER 4: VISITING WITH THE COUSINS

  CHAPTER 5: WORM CHARMERS AND MONKEYS

  CHAPTER 6: THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE

  CHAPTER 7: LOST!

  CHAPTER 8: OUT TO LUNCH

  CHAPTER 9: LOGAN SPENDS HIS NICKLES

  CHAPTER 10: THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

  ‘THE GHOST OF JUNIPER CREEK’ EXCERPT

  ABOUT GRACE GILMORE AND PETRA BROWN

  LOGAN’S BIG TRIP

  Logan Pryce dipped his net into the pond and swished it through the water.

  “Got you!” he shouted.

  He reached into the net and grabbed a fat green frog. It wiggled out of his fist and hopped back into the pond with a loud splash!

  Next to Logan, his best friend, Anthony Bruna, laughed. “Gosh, that’s the sixth frog that’s gotten away from you today.”

  Logan grinned. “Oh, well! I’m bored of catching frogs anyway.”

  “Bored? But you love catching frogs.”

  “Maybe when I was seven. That was a long time ago.”

  “A long time ago?” Anthony rolled his eyes.

  The two boys picked up their nets and rose to their feet. The pond was at the far end of the Pryce family’s farm—or rather, their former farm. A few months ago, Mr. Pryce had decided to give up farming so he could find a job with better pay.

  In fact, he was going to Sherman tomorrow to see about a position at Garrison’s Glass Works. He was taking Logan with him so they could visit with Logan’s uncle and aunt and cousins.

  Logan couldn’t wait! He hadn’t been to Sherman in many years, so he didn’t remember much about it. Still, he was sure it would be much more exciting than Maple Ridge. Their town was so small that it wasn’t even on the map of the United States at their school.

  “What do you want to do now?” asked Anthony. “Go fishing in the creek? Walk over to the general store? I think I have a penny to buy candy.” He dug through his dungaree pockets.

  “I should probably go pack for my big trip,” said Logan.

  “Big trip? How long will you be in Sherman?”

  “Pa and I leave bright and early tomorrow morning, and we’ll be back by suppertime.”

  “Well, you’d better pack a couple of suitcases, then,” Anthony teased him.

  “Ha-ha!”

  They started walking across the lush green meadow. The ground was soft beneath their bare feet. Cabbage whites and monarchs flitted among the daisies and cornflowers. In the distance, Lightning and Buttercup, the Pryces’ horses, grazed in the warm sun.

  Soon, the Pryce house came into view. Logan spotted Pa in the backyard, playing hoops with the girls. Tess was nine, a year older than Logan. Annie was four.

  Anthony followed Logan’s gaze with a wistful look. “My papa’s at the factory today. He probably won’t be home till late.”

  “Aw, that’s too bad.” Logan knew that Anthony’s father worked long hours at a steel mill in Sherman.

  For a moment, Logan felt uneasy about the idea of Pa working in Sherman too. Would he still have time to spend with their family?

  Logan tried to push his doubts aside as he hooked his arm through Anthony’s. “I almost forgot. Today is baking day. Ma made shortbread cookies!” he said cheerfully.

  Anthony’s face lit up. “Gosh, really? Shortbread cookies are my favorite.”

  “To the kitchen, then!”

  “To the kitchen!”

  Laughing, they hurried their steps.

  GETTING READY

  “Do you have the presents Annie and I made for our cousins?” Tess asked Logan during breakfast the next morning.

  Logan peered into his gunnysack. “Check!”

  “Your coin purse?”

  He reached into the sack and pulled out an old sock containing two nickels. “Check!”

  “Your comb?”

  Logan frowned. “My comb?”

  “You’d be wise to bring your comb, Logan. City folks are very neat and fashionable,” Tess informed him.

  “Fash-ion-able? What does that mean?” asked Logan.

  “It means you can’t go to the big city with your hair looking like a sparrow’s nest,” their older brother, Drew, joked as he strolled into the kitchen. He was eleven and thought he knew everything.

  Annie skipped in behind Drew. “Sparrow? Where’s a sparrow?” she cried out in delight.

  “My hair does not look like a sparrow’s nest!” Logan reached up and smoothed down his unruly blond locks.

  “Children, please!” Ma turned from the cast-iron stove, where she was stirring a pot of porridge. “Pa and Logan need to be on their way soon. Drew, please go get Pa and let him know his breakfast’s ready. I think he’s outside hitching up Lightning to the buggy.”

  “Did I hear someone mention breakfast?”

  Pa stood in the back door. His hair was slicker and shinier than usual, and his cheeks were freshly shaved and ruddy. He was dressed in his Sunday suit, even though it wasn’t a Sunday.

  “You look very fash-ion-able, Pa,” Logan told him.

  “Why, thank you, son!” Pa said, beaming.

  As Pa sat down at the table, he carefully tucked a napkin under his shirt collar. Annie climbed up into his lap. “Mrs. Wigglesworth wants a story,” she said, holding up her cloth doll.

  Pa dug into his porridge and began reciting the tale of the three little pigs. The other children listened too, even though they were too old for such tales. The kerosene lamp cast a golden glow on all their faces. The family dog, Skeeter, napped by the stove and thumped his tail contentedly.

  And then it was time to leave. Pa and Logan hugged everyone and said their good-byes.

  Ma pressed a bundle into Pa’s hands. “I baked some biscuits. You two have a long ride ahead of you.”

  “They smell wonderful, Alice,” said Pa.

  Skeeter trotted up to Logan and regarded him with sad eyes. Logan bent down to pet him. “Aw, Skeeter. I’ll bring back a city treat for you,” he promised.

  “It’s time, Logan!” Pa called out.

  Logan pulled on his boots and grabbed his gunnysack. He followed Pa outside to where Lightning and the buggy awaited them.

  Sherman, here we come! Logan thought eagerly.

  ARRIVING IN SHERMAN

  Two hours later, Pa and Logan pulled into downtown Sherman.

  “What do you think, son?” Pa asked as he steered their buggy onto a wide, bustling street called Broad Boulevard.

  “It’s swell!” Logan exclaimed. “It’s better than swell! It’s . . . it’s . . . it’s . . .” He was at a loss for words.

  Logan couldn’t stop staring. Downtown Sherman was nothing like downtown Maple Ridge. Crowds of people dressed in city finery walked briskly on cement sidewalks. Shiny new coaches with elegant horses rolled along the cobblestone pavement. Street vendors sold goods from carts, yelling things like: “Raspberries! Strawberries! Get your fresh berries!”

  Two bays trotted by, pulling a strange-looking carriage the size of a railroad car. Lightning flinched and gave a snort. Inside the carriage, a dozen people sat on wooden benches. A bell clanged, and a man in a black cap leaned out and shouted, “Next stop, Majestic Hotel!”

  “Wh—what . . . is . . . that?” Logan stammered.

  Pa chuckled. “That’s a streetcar. It carries passengers from place to place. The man in the cap is the conductor.”

  “Wow!”

  As they continued down Broad Boulevard, Logan admired the Majestic Hotel, the Carnegie Library, the opera house, and Saywell’s Department Store. Just past city hall was the Sherman Common School, which was much bigger than the one-room schoolhouse in
Maple Ridge.

  Beyond Broad Boulevard and to the west was a row of factories. Dark smoke puffed out of tall chimney stacks and hung thickly in the air.

  “Is that where your interview is?” asked Logan, pointing.

  “Yes, but I’m dropping you off at your aunt and uncle’s first,” replied Pa.

  “Why can’t I come with you?”

  “This is an important job interview, and I need to speak with Mr. Garrison alone. But you’ll have a good time with your cousins, and I’ll come by as soon as I’m finished.”

  “Oh, okay,” Logan said with a pout.

  They left Lightning and the buggy at a livery stable, then started for Aunt Violet and Uncle Archie’s house on foot. Luckily, Pa knew the way. Logan found the geography of Sherman very confusing.

  Pa and Logan turned onto First Street. The crowded cement sidewalks gradually turned into wooden ones. There were no shops or offices there, just grand homes and stately elm trees.

  Halfway down the block, the Pryces passed a man and a woman who were out for a stroll. The man wore a fine suit and carried a cane. The woman wore a frilly bonnet and carried a parasol.

  “Good day.” Pa tipped his soft felt farmer’s hat.

  The couple frowned—first at Pa’s hat, then at Logan’s outfit. Logan glanced down, wondering if he’d gotten mud on his knickers. He hadn’t.

  “Yes, good day,” the man said in a not-so-friendly voice. He and the woman kept walking.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Logan whispered to Pa.

  Pa draped his arm around Logan’s shoulder. “No, son. You didn’t do anything wrong. City folks can be like that sometimes.”

  Like what? Logan wondered.

  VISITING WITH THE COUSINS

  The Kelly family lived in a big white house at the end of First Street. It had graceful columns and a wide porch with wicker chairs. Neatly trimmed rosebushes bordered the front walk. Water trickled from a cast-iron fountain.

  A young woman in a maid’s uniform greeted them at the door. “You must be the Pryces. Mrs. Kelly is expecting you.”

  “Thank you,” said Pa. He and Logan stepped into the front hall. A crystal chandelier glittered overhead. Paintings of horses and princely lords covered the gold walls.

  “Hello, hello!” Aunt Violet came rushing down the hall. She hugged Logan and kissed him on both cheeks. Her perfume smelled like flowers. She had the same chestnut-brown hair as Ma, except that hers was swept up with jeweled pins.

  “Alice sends her regards,” Pa told Aunt Violet as they hugged.

  “Archie is at the courthouse today. But he promised to try to come home early so he could visit with you and Logan,” Aunt Violet said.

  She turned with a swish of her skirts. “Bridget, could you get our guests some lemonade?”

  Bridget gave a curtsy and disappeared down the hall. Logan blinked in surprise. Back home, he had to get his own lemonade!

  Footsteps pounded down the stairs.

  “Uncle Dale! Cousin Logan!” Clementine, who was six, threw herself against the Pryces and hugged them fiercely. She carried a doll whose pink silk dress matched hers exactly.

  Freddy was right behind his sister. At fourteen, he was almost as tall as Aunt Violet. In his velvet knickers, jacket, and bow tie, he looked like one of the princely lords in the paintings. “Gentlemen, it’s very nice to see you both,” he said, shaking Pa’s hand and then Logan’s.

  “Why don’t we all sit for a bit in the parlor?” Aunt Violet suggested.

  Logan wasn’t sure what a parlor was. It turned out to be a room with lots of fancy chairs, tables, and lamps. There was a piano at one end and a marble fireplace at the other.

  Everyone sat down. Reaching into his gunnysack, Logan pulled out two small packages and handed them to his cousins. “These are from Tess and Annie.”

  Clementine ripped hers open. A square of linen embroidered with the letter C fluttered out. “Hooray, it’s a tablecloth for dolls!” she cried out. “We can use it for our tea party, Logan!”

  “Our . . . tea party?” Logan slowly repeated.

  Freddy opened his package more slowly. His also contained a linen square, except that it had the letter F on it. “A handkerchief—how thoughtful!” he said. He tucked it into his jacket pocket.

  Bridget appeared, carrying a silver tray with glasses of lemonade. Pa drank his quickly, then stood up to go. “I must get over to the factory for my interview.”

  “Of course. We’ll take good care of Logan while you’re gone,” Aunt Violet promised.

  “I thought I’d show him around Sherman,” Freddy offered.

  Logan perked up. A tour of Sherman with his big cousin? What could be better?

  “But what about our tea party?” Clementine wailed.

  “There will be plenty of time for a tea party later. Let’s let the boys enjoy their time downtown,” said Aunt Violent, winking at Logan.

  “Good luck, Pa!” Logan called out, waving wildly.

  Pa smiled. “Thanks, son. I’ll take all the luck I can get!”

  WORM CHARMERS AND MONKEYS

  A while later, Logan and Freddy walked down to Broad Boulevard.

  “I thought we’d stroll around a bit, then have lunch at a restaurant,” said Freddy.

  A restaurant? Logan had never been to one of those before!

  The cousins proceeded down the busy street. People jostled one another on the crowded sidewalk and spilled out onto the cobblestone. A man passed by wearing a sign that said COME SEE THE WORM CHARMERS OF INDISTAN! Another man carried a monkey on his shoulder.

  “Is that a pet monkey? And what are worm charmers?” Logan asked Freddy.

  “That man makes his monkey perform tricks for money,” replied Freddy. “Worm charmers are part of the circus, and they make their worms perform tricks too.”

  “Really? Wow!”

  They continued walking. Logan noticed that there was a separate store for everything: a grocery store, a medicine store, a men’s clothing store, and so on. In Maple Ridge, there was only one store: Mayberry’s General Store, which sold everything from meat and vegetables to dungarees and farm tools.

  “Freddy Kelly!”

  Freddy and Logan turned. Two pretty girls pranced up to them.

  “Why, hello, ladies!” Freddy looked happy suddenly.

  One of the girls elbowed him. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?”

  “Yes, of course! Mary, Ida . . . this is my cousin Logan Pryce. He’s visiting from Maple Ridge. Logan, these are my schoolmates, Mary Tilson and Ida Billingsley.”

  “Where’s Maple Ridge? I’ve never heard of it,” said the girl named Ida.

  “It’s a couple of hours from here, in the country,” explained Freddy.

  “The country? How quaint!” Mary giggled.

  Logan had no idea what “quaint” meant. Was it a good thing or a bad thing?

  “Say, Freddy! Did you hear about Herbert Hutchins?” asked Ida.

  Freddy shook his head. “Gosh, no. Did something happen to him?”

  “Did it ever!” Ida leaned closer to Freddy and whispered something in his ear. Mary joined the huddle. The three of them burst out laughing.

  Logan squirmed and shuffled his feet. Had they forgotten about him?

  Sighing, he gazed into the distance.

  A strange sight caught his eye.

  Just down the block was a small buggy—except that it wasn’t a buggy exactly. What could it be?

  THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE

  Logan was very curious about the mysterious buggy-that-wasn’t-a-buggy. “Hey, do you guys see that thing?” he called out.

  But Freddy and his friends were still huddling and whispering.

  “Okay . . . well . . . I’m going to take a look, and I’ll be right back!” said Logan.

  He hurried toward the vehicle. People had gathered around it and were buzzing excitedly. Inside, a man sat in a padded seat.

  “What kind of buggy is this, anyway?”
Logan asked a woman next to him.

  “It’s not a buggy. It’s a horseless carriage!” she replied.

  A horseless carriage? Logan had never heard of such a thing!

  “Mr. Quincy is an inventor. He built his horseless carriage out of scraps and spare parts in his shop. Isn’t it marvelous?” the woman gushed.

  Logan thought about his Fix-It Shop, which was in their barn back home. It, too, was filled with scraps and spare parts. Maybe he could build a horseless carriage someday?

  Mr. Quincy began to push levers and pump his legs. Steam whooshed out of a pipe. There was a loud clanking sound, then another.

  A moment later, the horseless carriage sputtered and began to crawl forward!

  The crowd cheered and trotted alongside it. Logan followed, his heart racing. A machine that could move all by itself! He couldn’t wait to tell Pa—and Anthony and Tess and everyone else.

  Logan trailed after the horseless carriage for several more blocks. Eventually, it picked up speed and disappeared in a puff of steam.

  Grinning, Logan turned to make his way back to Freddy. He halted in his tracks, confused.

  This stretch of Broad Boulevard didn’t look familiar. Where was he?

  He looked for the woman from before, but she was gone. “Excuse me,” he said, tapping a man on the arm. “Can you tell me how to get back to . . . I think there was a barbershop . . . and something about a worm charmer. . . .”