"Whew! I could sure use that Dalmatian right now," Beatrice said wiping her forehead.

"Well thanks to you that Dalmatian, is probably somewhere in California right now." Tennessee yanked the chain to make her keep up.

"I didn't ask you be thrown from a moving train," Beatrice said. "This desert life is miserable. How could anything survive out here?"

"The creatures that live here do because they can," Tennessee said. "All others die. It's an element for the strong."

"Well I guess you won't make it out alive," Beatrice teased. "You're chained to me and I'm bound to drop head any minute." She laughed. "Do you have anymore water?"

Tennessee checked his canteens. "Just a swallow," he said, passing her the one she had been using. "That's enough." He took it from her and put the lid back on.

"Are you sure we are going in the right direction?" Beatrice asked. "And I really need to get out of the sun.

"Hey, you wanted to rest last night," Tennessee said. "It was my idea to travel after the sun went down but you were against it."

Beatrice grumbled. "Well why did you listen to me?" she asked as they walked on.

"Because I was tired of hearing your mouth," Tennessee said. He checked his compass and sighed at the sun. "The map keeps North East, so we are going in the right direction."

Beatrice raised her hands in the air. "Joshua trees!" she turned in a circle. "Where are you?"

"Stop acting the fool."

"I'm not acting," Beatrice said. "I'm losing my mind."

"Just don't turn cannibal on me," Tennessee said as he tucked his compass away. "Besides from what I gather you're already mad and couldn't get more insane."

"Oh really?" Beatrice breathed. She stared across the desert and narrowed her eyes. "A boat." She pointed. "I see a boat...coming this way...fast..."

Tennessee snickered.

Beatrice fumbled behind him and poked him in the shoulder. "It's coming toward us. A little boat."

Tennessee shook his head. "They are called mirages and—" he paused when he turned around and saw what looked very much like a boat floating over the sands. He rubbed his eyes vigorously but it was still there and now he could see a man poking out the side and waving at them.

"Ahoy, down there!"

"Ahoy," Beatrice said drunkenly.

"You two look like you could use some water." He climbed down from the boat and had his partner toss him some canteens which he then gave to Beatrice and Tennessee.

It wasn't until he had drunk to satisfaction that Tennessee realized the illusion was real. He looked up at what looked exactly like a boat but had wheels like a covered wagon. The sails which were now turned away from the wind fluttered in the breeze from their trappings.

"Why don't you two come aboard and have some refreshments?" the man offered. "This here is called a wind wagon." The man said once they were both on board. "I'm Captain James and this is my brother and first mate, First Mate James." He laughed.

"You can call me Cyril," the younger man said.

"This here is an invention all our own. Fortunately for you we happened to be taking her out for practice else we would come by your bones three days later." Captain James laughed again then nodded to the chain between Tennessee sand Beatrice. "What you got going on there?"

"Long story," Tennessee said eyeing Beatrice.

"Where you two heading?" Cyril asked.

"We're looking for the Joshua trees," Tennessee said.

"So you brought yourselves unequipped into the Mojave for some tree?" Captain James asked.

Tennessee crossed his arms causing Beatrice to be yanked toward him. "We were well equipped for the mission we were on," he said.

"Mission?" Captain James snorted. "What are you two, soldiers?"

"I had other plans," Tennessee said. "The tree was only part of it."

"Well if you don't object to our company we could take you to where some trees are," Captain James said.

"Could you, sir?" Beatrice gasped. "Oh please, please, please!"

Tennessee put one hand on his hip as he watched her. "Are you sure about this, sir...I mean Captain."

"The lady said, please," Captain Smith said. "Cyril, ready the sails!" He walked the deck making sure everything was ready. "Two people, in the desert, chained together, no food, no water..." he shook his head. "We're going to be talking about this one for a long time!"

The sails caught a wind and swelled and the wagon began to roll forward. As they gained speed Beatrice stuck her head out to let the breeze cool her skin. She watched the sand roll by in amazement at the contraption. She looked over her shoulder at Tennessee who was sitting on the deck.

"What's the matter, do you get seasick?" She giggled. "Or should I say, sand sick?"

Tennessee narrowed his eyes as he watched her laughing gaily and enjoying the breeze, whooping like a brave charging into battle. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

/

Wysteria patted her mare as the little children gathered to see the pretty horse. None of them wore shoes and one could grow a plant from the dirt collected on them. She joined Ladybird on the steps of the old wood porch on the homestead. "The sunset looks different from here," she pointed out. "Can you believe these people?" she then asked. "Imagine being born here, growing old here, and dying here. They'd have never seen the sea."

Ladybird looked over at her. "They seem happy enough," she said watching the children play. "They are amazed at us."

"Oh they've all tried to scrub the dirt from my skin more than once," Wysteria laughed as the land slowly grew dark. "It's hard to imagine Pa out here."

"Not to me," Ladybird said. "I suppose I knew him a bit longer but he always talked of adventure. Plans like these, deserts like out yonder. Plateaus and Indians." She raised her shoulder. "I always thought they were just stories."

Wysteria smiled. "What's your best memory of them?"

"Of Mother it would be that time she made me that orange dress with the three bows down the front. I called it the little Victoria, I don't know why. I wore it five Sundays in a row."

"I remember it," Wysteria said. "You wanted to pass it down to your own daughter but—"

"Moths ate it," Ladybird said. "Still, I loved that dress so much I stored it in my hope chest." She sighed. "My best memory of Pa was when he taught me to ice skate. I kept falling and I wanted to give up but he stood tall and said, Ladybird, you will never make it if you don't get up. I cherish that day. What about you?"

"That time we sheered the sheep," Wysteria said. "Mother was terrified of the little animals. Pa was so calm with them. Then we went on the hayride and Beatrice jumped off into the mud." She laughed. "Mother wanted to scold her, but we were all laughing too hard."

"I almost forgot that day," Ladybird said. "Do you remember the time we went to the fancy garden and that man gave you those seeds to plant? That tree started out so small. Pa said it reminded him of you. It grew so big. Remember? We would climb to the top of its little branches and spy people from the road. It looked so lovely in the backyard."

"Do you think it's still there?"

"Maybe," Ladybird said. "Lord knows how big it has gotten now." She looked out to the horizon as the last slither of sun gave way to a velvet night filled and overflowing with stars. She could only stare in awe at them. "The color."

"Come again."

"The color is the same as the map," Ladybird said. "It took several tries to get the shade right so I'll never forget."

Wysteria looked into the sky. "Pa would have seen the same thing," she said. "He was inspired by it. Maybe the day he painted that map he sat on a porch just like this one."

"There was a reason he wanted us on this journey," Ladybird said. "Would we have ever seen the world through such lenses?"

As the silence folded around them a new sound drifted over the land. Music whispered into the night and a faint orange glow had appeared in the distance. One of the homestead children suddenly came running to them.

"Come on, come on!" the little boy shouted, taking their hands. "Come on!"

Ladybird and Wysteria got to their feet and let the eager child lead them across the property and up a well traveled path. They passed cows in a pen and a windmill, rusted but still turning. The music grew louder as they rounded an old wood fence and people dancing around a bonfire came into view.

Men and women linked arms and danced while others played, flutes and banjos and tambourines. One man tapped his foot as he fiddled away and a boy next to him beat a drum.

Ladybird and Wysteria looked at each other and laughed as the dancers kicked up their heels around the fire.

"Dance with me!" the boy declared grabbing onto Ladybird's wrist with both his hands. He dragged her out to the center and hopped around making her laugh all the more at his little dance.

Wysteria clapped her hands to the gay rhythm as she watched her sister trade partners then really get into the dance showing all her skills.

"Don't you dance young lady?" an old man asked.

Wysteria smiled at him and tried to shy away but a woman pushed her toward the dancers from behind.

"You can dance with Willie," she said pushing her to a tall young man who was dancing, only moving his feet which sped like rabbits in the dust.

Wysteria stared slack jawed at his skills as the crowd cheered for him to keep going. He winked at her and she looked into the crowd who were urging her to dance. Her nervousness surged through her body but when she saw Ladybird having such a good time something overtook her. She turned to the fiddler and the music and dancing stopped as she asked to borrow his violin. He relinquished it and she returned to the dancers.

Tucking the violin under her chin she laid the bow across the strings.

Ladybird winced for though her sister was an accomplished violinist she had never fiddled before and she doubted the people would like the music.

Wysteria took a deep breath and started off slow. Steeping forward she moved faster then with another step she played faster still until people were tapping their feet and slapping their thighs to the tune she spun around and pointed the bow at the other players who straight away caught onto the pattern and played commencing the dancers to dance.

Willie led the men on one side and Wysteria fiddled away and led the woman from the opposite side towards them. She played faster, challenging all the men to keep up with the women in their swirling squirts.

The men danced backwards as the women advanced then someone passed Willie a banjo. With a holler and a jump he was back in the game and the men moved forward pushing the ladies back with music and dancing.

Ladybird gave Wysteria a shove forward and she played harder but Willie returned the gesture. They circled each other and everyone took a partner and danced keeping the dueling musicians at their center. Light on their feet and skilled on their strings Willie and Wysteria played on and the dancers danced faster.

Willie dropped down to one knee as he played and Wysteria took a flying leap over his leg landing behind him. Back to back they played, then Wysteria ballonned around him and he then skipped around her all the while the dancers danced in circles in and out, making shapes of stars and flowers with their sweeping forms. The music rose to a hot crescendo then on some unspoken cue all the players stopped and a cheer rang out from the crowed.

Willie took Wysteria's free hand, raised it in the air and they bowed.

"Wysteria you were amazing!" Ladybird said embracing her sister. "I didn't know you could fiddle."

Wysteria shrugged then returned the tired instrument to its happy owner. "It's not really fit for ballet," she said and they hugged again.

Soon the crowed died down and everyone returned to their homes. Arm and arm the sisters followed the family who had offered them a place for the night watching the children skip about and hum the tune of Swallowtail Jig. For now they enjoyed the cool peaceful night for tomorrow would continue their journey into the unknown wild America.