The Conductors
Daniel was the runaway’s name.
His life filled with misery and
pain.
Maddie and Owen, their families, too,
Knew what they needed to do,
Help Daniel travel that “underground
train.”
The two became part of the plan.
Together they spied on the mean old
man.
Kansas, bleeding at the time,
Saw good men fight across the line.
Could slavery be stopped with a ban?
Dressed as a girl, Daniel sought to
be free.
He was hid in an old, cottonwood
tree.
They could not know how effective
the train became.
Each worked in secret, with only
conductor as a name.
Risking all so free others might be.
PLEASE NOTE THIS BLOG CHANGES
THE FIRST AND THIRD WEEKS OF EACH MONTH.
Be sure to check out The
Storyteller’s Corner and Up the Family Tree.
Maddie
I’m Maddie and came to Kansas
Territory with other members of my family. The New England Emigrant Aid Society
assisted us as we planned our journey west. It was hard for me to leave my home
and my pet cat. Grandpapa promised to take good care of my cat though. Mama and
I cried when we kissed Grandmother good-by at the train station in New York. I
was afraid I would not see her again. Grandmother said I was a courageous young
girl.
After my family arrived in
Kansas, my cousin, Owen, and I saw a young boy mistreated by a bounty hunter. I
didn’t know who the boy was or what he had done. I did know it was wrong he had
wounds and scars on his back from beatings, and I was determined to help him
escape. When our writing project is completed, you can learn more about me.
May Baskets
One of my favorite activities in the spring was making May baskets with my
little sister. We didn’t have many kids where we lived, but there were some
within walking distance. We looked forward to the event each year.
Since my mother didn’t plant many flowers, we used an old spirea bush
which had to be ancient. The fun part was putting food coloring in a glass of
water and letting the flowers drink the color. We made them every shade we
could imagine. Next, were the baskets. We usually had some construction paper
around and would fold a small piece into a cone and tape it shut. The stems of
the flowers were wrapped in a tissue so they wouldn’t ruin the paper. Sometimes
we used old wallpaper left from a project.
After adding some penny candy, we were on our way to the neighbors. You
had to be very quick to do this. Usually we’d hang the basket on the door
handle, ring the doorbell, and then run really fast to hide so no one would see
us. It seemed the bushes we chose to hide in usually had thorns or stickers.
Then it was on to the next house to leave another.
It was also fun to return home and see what we had gotten as well. Lilacs
and daffodils were favorites, but the candy was always good too.
