Frank Greerson and Gregory Young have been discharged from the Army and are headed to their childhood homes. They both defied their parents in 1861 when they joined the Army. After battling southern rebels and preserving the Union of the United States of America, the two men set out to battle the Kansas Prairie and build a life together. Once they find their claim, they encounter common obstacles to life on the Kansas Prairie in 1866: Native Americans, tornadoes, wild animals, and weather.<br><br>When a prairie fire destroys their crops and takes their neighbor’s lives, Frank and Gregory are instructed to find their young son’s aunt. Faced with leaving a destroyed claim, the railroad coming through their land, and dwindling funds, Frank and Gregory must decide whether to leave the place they have worked hard to make their own or fulfill their friends' dying wishes.

A Place to Call Their Own

As Gregory reveled in his thoughts, he peered out the window. It would be another gloomy day and would probably rain again. Just as Gregory thought he should wake James, the boy woke on his own. He sat up in bed and stared at Gregory through squinted eyes.


“Do you think the wolves headed over to our place last night?” he asked in his drowsy morning voice.


“I haven’t been outside to see where their tracks led, but I think they headed toward the river,” Gregory answered, hoping James didn’t notice the worry in his voice. “We’ll check it out when we head back to your ma’s.”


“What are those?” James asked, pointing at the floor.


“Those are mushrooms. They grow on the floor when it’s as damp as it has been. The rain must have brought them.”


“Naw, even Sally won’t eat them, so they’re probably not the kind you can eat.”


“Oh,” James said and finished dressing.


Chapter 35