Going West in A Covered Wagon

Once, a long time ago, there was this young man named Franklin Wells. His clothes were a mess, and he was an absolute disaster.

Well, one day, he said, “Mama, when are we going west”? And she’d always say, “Be quiet; I’m talking to your Pa,” And they would abuse him. And, one day he got sick and tired and packed his clothes, including long-john underwear, pants, shirts, and socks. And that night when Ma and Pa were sleeping, he went out to the woods and found an old abandoned hollow tree. He climbed up and slept very comfortably. He was awakened by a group of Kootenai warriors. They took him prisoner. Franklin thought they were nice and saw that they had hardly enough clothes, so he said, “Want to borrow some of my long johns”? And they said “A,” and I said, “OK, OK, don’t make a fit about it.”

Well, at home, they found out that Franklin was gone and called the troopers, the army, and the Marines. They were all looking to find Franklin. They found him tied to a stick and hung over a campfire roasting. Well, when they saw that, Civil War 2 had begun. They all came rushing in, and fifty troopers stabbed Chief Bambicie, and then it was all over.
We got in our covered wagon and went home. Some Shoshone

friends guided us home, and the hairpin turn was coming fast. They all fell off and were killed.

-3rd Grade, 1980, 10 years old