Desperate Journey
By Jim Murphy

When Maggie's father loses next year's salary and two of their best mules in a bet with Long-fingered John, the family is left desperate for money. They have only a few days to get the heavy cargo in their mule-drawn barge to Buffalo in order to make a much-needed bonus. But when Papa and Uncle Henry are arrested on an alleged assault charge, 12-year-old Maggie, her younger brother, and their ailing mother must fight all manner of adversity to save their boat, their mules, and their life savings. Jim Murphy is at his best in this colorful and gritty slice of 19th-C. life on the Erie Canal.

Excerpt:
Maggie plodded along behind the mules, one muddy boot step after the other. I’m no different than these dumb, stupid animals, she thought, as she stepped into their hoof prints to avoid the deepest mud.


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