Chapter Eight

Key City, Iowa Territory,
November 22, 1833

Mrs. Wheat and Miss Mallow gave the Buttermans directions to the Buttermans’ land. There weren’t any roads. So, Mrs. Wheat’s directions sounded like, “Go twenty minutes until you come to two log cabins. That way. There will be a large rock on the left. A tree is growing out of the rock. Keep going. Then you will see a bluff without trees. There are five or six lead mines at the bottom of the bluff. You will be able to see the mine entrances clearly. Then you will come to a small stream that is flowing towards the Mississippi. That is Calder Creek. Cross Calder Creek and turn left. You will follow that for ten minutes. Then you will see a small stone house. That is where the Calders live. A nice German family. Your land is just five minutes past their house.”

“A stone house?” asked Mrs. Butterman, surprised.

“Yes!” said Miss Mallow. “Mr. Calder is very good with stone. He built it in only three months. If you want a stone house, I’m sure he can help you.”

“I would like that,” said Ella Butterman. “There’s a lot of good stone here.”

Mr. and Mrs. Butterman got into their wagons and said goodbye. They drove off in the direction that Mrs. Wheat told them to go. Aunt Sunday spoke up from the back of the wagon. She said, “Lucky those two white ladies came by.” Neither Penny nor Mrs. Butterman answered.

The directions from Mrs. Wheat were right. They saw the rock with the tree growing out of it. Then they saw the steep bluff with lead mines at the bottom. The entrances looked small and dark. Three men came out of one mine with buckets of dark rocks. “Lead?” thought Penny.

They came to Calder Creek and crossed it. Then they came to the Calders’ house. The two wagons stopped. A red-haired man came to meet them.

“Yah?” he said.

“I’m Jonathan Butterman,” said Mr. Butterman.

“Oh yah! Butterman! We’re waiting for you!” said Mr. Calder. “Good! Good!” he said. It sounded like he said Gut! Gut! Then he pointed. “Just past there. That is your land.” He walked ahead and the two wagons followed.

All Penny could see were trees. So many trees. She saw Calder Creek on her left. It was a faint silver rope of water. She thought she saw rocky hills, or bluffs, on the right. But there were so many trees she couldn’t be sure.

Mrs. Butterman said, “Trees, trees, and more trees.” She sighed. “Well, we’re home.”