Read an Excerpt

Amelia Earhart

Young Air Pioneer

Patria Press, Inc.

Amelia Comes to Grandma's House

The train whistle gave a loud, long toot. Great clouds of smoke blew past the open train windows. Screens kept out the cinders, not the dust and soot. But Amelia Earhart, sitting by the window, didn't care about the dirt. She was busy counting white horses in the farmyards they passed.

"There's another one," she said to Muriel, her little sister. "That makes ten. I wonder how many I'll see before we get there?" Muriel sat across from Amelia, looking out the other window. Her mother sat beside her and Mr. Earhart beside Amelia. It was the summer of 1904, and the Earharts were all going to visit Grandma and Grandpa Otis. Grandpa was a judge in Atchison, Kansas. Grandma kept a large, beautiful house. And the cook, Lilly Bell, always had the best raisin cake Amelia had ever tasted.

"How much longer till we get to Atchison?" Amelia asked again.

"One more hour," said Mr. Earhart, after looking at his big watch. Their father always knew the answers to train questions. He was a lawyer for the railroad and often traveled on trains.

Suddenly, above the clicking of the wheels, they heard the low rumble of thunder. The summer sky was growing darker.

"It looks like a storm," Mrs. Earhart said.

"Yes," said Mr. Earhart. "And this will probably make the train arrive late in Atchison."

Just as Amelia gave a deep sigh, the conductor came down the aisle. He stopped to talk to Mr. Earhart. They were old friends.

"Guess you're traveling for pleasure today?"

"That's right, Mr. Wiggins. We're going visiting. I want you to meet Mrs. Earhart. This is Amelia and this is Muriel. But we call the girls 'Melia' and 'Pidge.'"

"How do you do, Mrs. Earhart," the conductor said. "How do you do, young ladies. We see a lot of Mr. Earhart on this train. It's nice to meet his family." And Mr. Wiggins gave a friendly smile.

"We're not all here," Amelia put in. "Poor James Ferocious has to ride in the baggage car, because he's a dog." (Image 1.1)

"That's too bad," said Mr. Wiggins. "But don't worry. The men up there will take good care of him. Tell me," he went on, "where did you get your nicknames?"

Pidge looked shy, but Amelia said promptly, "I'm named for my Grandma Otis. Her papa called her Amelia only when she was bad, and she didn't like it. So she never calls me Amelia — just Melia. That's what everyone calls me."

"Melia named me Pidge," put in Muriel.

"She's always singing 'Little Blue Pigeon,'" Amelia explained. "So I just call her Pidge. I wish she'd learn another song."

"I like to sing 'Little Blue Pigeon,'" said Muriel. "It's by Eugene Field. I'm going to sing it always. Do you want to hear me?"

Amelia looked out the window again. She didn't want to hear "Little Blue Pigeon."

She got her wish. Before Pidge could begin there was a flash of lightning, followed by a loud clap of thunder.

"We'd better put these windows down," Mr. Earhart said. "Stand out in the aisle, girls."

The two men put down the heavy train windows. The porter was also busy closing windows. Soon the coach felt hot and airless.

"You're a tall girl, Melia," Mr. Wiggins said, as he stepped back in the aisle. "And you stand as straight as a soldier — just like your papa."

"I was seven years old last month," Amelia said proudly, "on July twenty-fourth. Pidge is only three and a half. I'm going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa and start school in Atchison."

"I'm going to stay, too," Pidge echoed.

"Why, that's fine." Mr. Wiggins waved good-by and started down the aisle.

Rain started to spatter against the windows. The sky grew even darker. "It's almost as dark as night," Amelia thought.

"I don't like storms," she said aloud.

"Me neither," Pidge said.

"Suppose there's a storm when we're at Grandma's?" Amelia put her hand into her papa's. "I'd better go to California with you."

"But school will begin before we come back," Mama said, "and you won't want to miss that. Think what a big girl you are, starting school."

"I don't care. I want to go with you. I'll miss you and Papa too much."

"Why, Melia, you'll have such fun at Grandma's," said Papa. "You and Pidge would get tired traveling. It's a long trip. I have to go on business and I want Mama to see California."

"I want to see California too," Pidge said.

"You and Melia can both see California when you're older," Papa said.

"I'd rather see it now," Amelia said. "I don't want to stay in Atchison."

"Grandma's house is big and cool in summer," Mama reminded her.

"And remember how you like to play in the old barn," Papa added.

Another bright flash of lightning lit up the dark sky. There was another deep roar of thunder, and rain poured against the windows. The train seemed to sway on the track.

Pidge began to sob. "I don't like this, Mama!" Her mother put her arm around the little girl.

"There's too much lightning," Amelia said. "Will we have an accident?"

"Oh, I don't think so," Papa said. "You mustn't be afraid, Melia. Remember our family always tries to be brave."

"But I'm not really brave, Papa. I'm afraid of lightning." Amelia hid her face against her father's shoulder.

"My father told me about a great storm like this. He had to travel through it when he came to Kansas before I was born," Papa said calmly. "He and Grandma came in a covered wagon all the way from Pennsylvania, with eleven children."

Amelia had never heard this story. "I'll bet they were scared."

"Yes, they were. But pioneers had to face danger. They learned to be brave. That day the rain came down so hard it soaked the canvas and leaked into their wagon. It was cold and the wind almost a gale. The horses couldn't see to walk. They had to sit in the rain and wait for the storm to pass."

"Couldn't they get under a big tree?" Amelia asked.

"No, they didn't dare do that, because if lightning had struck the tree, it might have fallen on them. That night they had only a cold supper of leftover corn bread. There was no dry firewood to build a fire. Even their beds in the wagon were wet."

Amelia forgot about the storm. She forgot about the flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder. She thought only about her grandfather and grandmother, traveling from Pennsylvania in a covered wagon.

"I wish I'd been a pioneer. I'd like to travel in a covered wagon."

"Why, you can be a pioneer, Melia," Papa said. "The world is very big. There will always be new things to do. But you must be brave enough to do them. And courage is something you learn each day."

Amelia was quiet for a few minutes. She watched the rain on the windows run down in little rivers of water. She watched the lightning. It lit up the whole sky as it flashed. She listened for the loud rumble of thunder that followed. As they passed a farm she saw a man driving his cows back to a barn for shelter.

"He isn't afraid to be out in the storm," she thought. "And a pioneer girl wouldn't have been frightened. She wouldn't even have minded her papa and mama leaving her for a trip."

Aloud she said, "I don't think I'll be so afraid of lightning again. And I'll stay with Grandma and Grandpa while you go to California."

"That's my big, brave girl." Mama smiled.

"That's my pioneer girl," Papa said. "I'm proud of you."

Soon, the rain fell more gently. The sky grew brighter. The train had passed through the worst of the storm.

The door at the end of the car opened suddenly.

"Next stop, Atchison!" called the conductor, as he walked down the aisle.

"It's time to put on your hats, girls," Mrs. Earhart said, as she smoothed their hair. "Papa will see about the bags and James Ferocious."

James Ferocious

Amelia stood by the kitchen table watching Lilly Bell mix raisin cake. A fresh summer breeze moved the white curtains at the window.

Grandpa and Grandma Otis' big brick house stood on a high bluff overlooking the Missouri River. It had wide white porches at the front and back. Shady elm trees grew around the house. In the back yard there were fruit trees, a grape arbor, a wood shed, and a big barn with a loft.

"May I put the raisins in?"

"Yes, baby." Lilly Bell gave the cake batter a last good beating. Amelia dropped in the raisins.

"I'm so glad I stayed here with you," Amelia said. "I like to help cook. It's lots more fun than shopping with Grandma and Pidge."

Next she scraped the sweet batter from the bowl. "When will Papa and Mama get back from California?"

"Not for a long time yet," Lilly Bell answered.

Suddenly, they heard loud, fierce barking and frightening growls in the back yard. Amelia hurried to the window and stood on her tiptoes.

Two boys were teasing James Ferocious, the big black dog, who was tied by a rope to the old elm tree. One ran up close to the dog and yelled. The dog leaped at him. But the rope was too short, and the boy jumped back just in time. The dog ran after him but the rope yanked him back. Then the other boy ran up from another direction and yelled. Up jumped Ferocious. He lunged after this new enemy. Again he was almost jerked off his feet by the rope.

Amelia didn't stop a second to think. Ferocious needed her. He was her dog, her family, just like Pidge and Mama and Papa. She banged open the screen door and rushed into the back yard. "You boys stop teasing my dog!" she called. "It hurts him to jump at you like that!"

The two boys stopped their game. They looked at the angry little girl with yellow pigtails. Then they glanced at the angry black dog.

"Aw, we're just having fun with him," said the larger boy.

"Well, Ferocious isn't having fun," Amelia said. "You're bad boys. And I know who you are, too. You're Baily Waggoner and Jared Fox." (Image 2.1)

Jared, the taller boy, jumped toward Ferocious again. The dog leaped — and James Ferocious' rope broke!

Ferocious rushed after the boys, growling deep in his throat. His long black hair bristled around his neck. His sharp teeth showed. He had never bitten anyone, but Amelia felt sure he would bite now.

"Run for the shed roof!" she screamed. "Quick!"

The boys ran. They climbed the old ladder leaning against the shed so fast their feet barely touched the rungs.

Two frightened boys looked down from the roof of the shed. The big dog was jumping at the ladder and snarling fiercely. Amelia had never seen him so angry. Then Ferocious noticed the little girl standing all alone by the tree. He turned and ran toward her. He still snarled, and his teeth showed angrily.

"Run! He's a mad dog. Run!" yelled Baily Waggoner, the smaller boy.

Amelia stiffened. Ferocious was like a mad dog, wild with rage. But Amelia didn't run. She stood perfectly still. "Ferocious knows me," she thought, "and he won't hurt me."

She spoke to the angry dog. "James Ferocious, be quiet. Look what you've done. You've spilled all your water. You know you're supposed to stay here by the tree."

James Ferocious looked back at the boys on the shed roof. He growled again.

"Lie down, Ferocious. Good boy. No one's going to hurt you. I won't let them hurt you." And Ferocious finally lay down at her feet.

She called to the boys on the shed roof, "You'd better get out of this yard and never come back." Then she reached down and rubbed the dog gently behind his ears.

Judge Otis hurried down the back porch steps. His face was pale. Close behind came Lilly Bell. She had run into the living room to tell Judge Otis.

"Melia, honey, are you all right?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes, Grandpa. Those boys were teasing James Ferocious."

"Baily and Jared, go home," Judge Otis said. "And don't ever tease Melia's dog again. It's lucky he didn't bite you."

"Yes, Judge Otis," said two meek little boys. They climbed down quickly and hurried away.

"You were very brave, Melia," said Grandpa. "I'm proud of you. If you'd run from him, Ferocious might have bitten you."

"Why didn't you run, baby?" Lilly Bell asked. "Weren't you scared?" (Image 2.2)

"Yes, I was scared," Amelia confessed. "But Papa said I had to learn to be brave."

"Well, you used your head, Amelia," Grandpa said. "You were as brave as any little girl could be."

"I'm glad Ferocious didn't really bite those boys, Grandpa." She put her small hand into his big one. "He's big, he could bite awfully hard."

"I don't think they'll tease him again."

It's Just Like Flying!

Amelia sat on top of the shed, hammering away at a short board laid across the roof. "Pidge, hand me up some more nails."

Pidge jumped down from her seat on a heap of old boards by the shed. She got some nails and started up the ladder. Amelia slid down the shed roof to meet her.

"I think this will be the very best thing we've ever made, Pidge. But there's still a lot of work."

Ferocious was lying half asleep under the grape arbor. Suddenly he growled and got to his feet. Amelia looked up and saw Jared Fox. No wonder Ferocious sounded cross.

"Quiet, Ferocious. Lie down," she said.

"Hello, Melia. I came over to say that I'm sorry I teased your dog. I won't do it again. I brought him a bone."

Jared unwrapped a big steak bone and held it out to James Ferocious. The dog took one happy sniff and relaxed. His tail gave a small thump.

"That's all right. I'm glad he didn't hurt you, anyway." Amelia climbed back to her perch on top of the shed and began hammering again.

Jared stayed and watched Amelia. "What are you making?"

"Oh, Pidge and I are going to have our own roily coaster. Right here, from the shed." And Amelia pounded another nail. It bent.

"Want me to help?" Jared offered.

"Not really," Amelia replied.

Jared watched a little longer. Finally Amelia scrambled down the ladder. She began lifting a long, heavy fence board.

"I could lift that for you," Jared said. "I'm real strong. I'm eight years old."

Amelia remembered how he had teased her dog. But he had also brought the bone. Finally she said, "Well, I guess you can help. Pidge is pretty small. Our cousins Tootie and Katchie Challis were supposed to help, but they haven't come yet."

Jared grinned. "How'd you ever think of making a roily coaster, Melia?"

"Pidge and I saw one in Des Moines at the park. Papa wouldn't let us ride on it. He said the cars went too fast."

Amelia climbed back up to her seat on the shed roof. "Jared, you lift up that long board. I'll nail it here for one of the tracks."

Jared lifted. Pidge tugged. Amelia picked up the hammer and a nail. She hit the nail as hard as she could. It bent. She pulled it out and took another nail. The same thing happened.

"I'll do it," Jared said. He climbed up beside her. "See, do it like this. Don't hit so hard at first." And he drove the nail in straight.

Amelia watched him. "You're good. But let me try the next one. I want to learn how."

Amelia held the nail and hit it gently. This time the nail went in almost straight.

Tootie and Katchie Challis hurried into Grandma Otis' back yard. Tootie was just four months younger than Amelia. And Katchie was the same age as Pidge.

They wanted to be in on the fun of the roller coaster. Now that Melia and Pidge were here, there was always something going on. Melia never ran out of new ideas.

"We're late," Tootie said. "But we had to help Mama."

"I want to work on the roily coaster," said Katchie.

"There's lots to do," Amelia said. "Jared is helping, too. He's strong and can drive nails."

All the children worked hard. They pulled and lifted, hammered and pounded. Finally the track was finished — three long boards from the shed roof to the ground like a big slide. They nailed guard rails on each side to keep the roller-coaster car on its track.

"Now for the car," Amelia said. "This flat little board will be nice. We'll hitch my old roller skates to the bottom for wheels."

"How're you going to make the wheels stay on?" Jared asked.

Amelia turned the skates over and over. That was a problem. "It's only the wheels we really need," she said at last.

"I think they come off," Jared said. "See, they'll unscrew."

"Then we can bend nails over to hold them on," Amelia suggested.

Jared laughed. "You'll be good at driving those nails, Melia."

Amelia laughed too. "Yes, that's what I'm best at — driving bent nails!"

A little later Amelia leaned back and looked with satisfaction on their work.

"That," said Pidge, "is the very best roily car I ever saw."

"I'll try it out," Amelia said.

"I'd better go first. I'm a boy," Jared said.

"Pooh! I'm not afraid. Being a boy doesn't make any difference." And Amelia climbed to the shed roof. Jared handed up the little car.

Carefully Amelia got on it. She called out, "Here I come!" And she gave a push.

The little wheels squealed and down she flew. At the end of the track, Amelia turned a somersault and lay flat on the ground.

Ferocious rushed up, barking. Jared and Tootie yelled. Pidge and Katchie yelled too.

"Did it hurt you?"

"Oh, Melia, are you all right?"

"Of course I'm not hurt!" Amelia picked herself up. "It's grand! But the track isn't long enough."

"Aren't you going to quit?" Tootie asked.

"Of course not. We'll just get more boards and make a longer track."

After some more hammering, Amelia climbed up to the roof for her second try. Again she crawled on the car.

"Coming down!"

Almost before she could catch her breath, the little car rolled to a stop at the end of the track. Amelia jumped off. (Image 3.1)

"Oh it's grand! It's wonderful! Why it's just like flying! I flew!"

Ferocious caught Amelia's excitement and began to bark. He barked long and loud.

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Excerpted from Amelia Earhart by Jane Moore Howe, Harold Underdown, Cathy Morrison. Copyright © 1999 Jane Moore How. Excerpted by permission of Patria Press, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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