Fortune's Journey by Bruce Coville Read Free Book Online Page A

the two who started the trouble to begin with.”
    â€œThat doesn’t surprise me,” said Fortune bitterly.
    Jamie paused long enough to make her wonder what he was thinking, then went on with his story.
    â€œPoor Mr. MacKenzie was the worst of the lot. He was awful bitter. I can understand: This morning he owned a store, and now all he has is a pile of ashes. But he seemed to take it pretty personal. Anyway, he finally got up and made a speech about what you folks had done to him that got the others as riled up as he was.
    â€œI could tell they were getting a big mad on. I tried to talk them out of it; pointed out that Fortune had saved little Nancy Conaway’s life, and that all of you had worked on the bucket brigades. They weren’t having any of that. Even so, I thought it might blow over—until some of them went out looking for tar and feathers. That’s when I decided I’d better come and roust you out.”
    Fortune shuddered at the nearness of their escape.
    She was glad to be free of the town, which she had disliked from the moment she arrived there. And she was relieved that Walter had been able to save the night’s take. But she was deeply troubled that she had not found out why her father had wanted them to go to Busted Heights to begin with. His unfinished business would have to remain unfinished, and that bothered her.
    They traveled until morning, when they found a place to get out of sight of the road in a small stand of trees next to a stream. They washed up in the cold water, glad to rid themselves of the stink of the smoke, which still clung to their skin and hair.
    The men took shifts standing guard a few miles up the road, in case the angry townspeople decided to pursue them. When darkness fell they began to travel again. They drove through Smith’s Corners, the next town along the road, without stopping.
    Two days of hard travel later, they reached Bevins.
    It was the last town they planned to stop in before they reached Independence, where they were to join Abner Simpson’s wagon train to make the journey across the plains and over the Rocky Mountains to California.
    Bevins was a pleasant surprise after the string of increasingly dreary settlements that had led them to Busted Heights. Not only was it larger and more prosperous looking than the last several places they had been; but somehow it seemed to have an air of friendliness about it.
    Moreover, Fortune no longer felt like a fugitive.
    â€œThat could be just because we’re far enough from Busted Heights to stop worrying about revenge,” pointed out Mrs. Watson when Fortune expressed this feeling.
    Whatever the reason, she felt more comfortable as she looked the town over.
    We’ve nearly reached the end of the beginning, she thought, looking around the town. One more town and the real journey begins. Oh, I wish you were still with us, Papa!
    They gathered the next afternoon in a space not unlike the site of their catastrophic performance in Busted Heights. The fact that they had had no problem finding a place suitable to put on a show confirmed that word of their last performance had not yet traveled this far west.
    As Fortune listened with growing anxiety to the argument developing between Mr. Patchett and Mrs. Watson, she began to think that finding a place to work had been the easy part.
    â€œYou can’t possibly expect me to do that, Henry!” cried Mrs. Watson. “It is an insult to my talent!”
    Mr. Patchett sighed. “My dear Mrs. Watson, all I am suggesting is that you play the scene exactly the way you did the last ninety-six times we performed this show!”
    â€œIt’s not the same, and I won’t do it! The whole production is wrong anyway. We have no sense of style, no sense of elegance. Now, here’s what I think—”
    â€œWoman, I do not care what you think! Will you please take your position before I lose my temper