Elizabeth Winslow and her family were very excited about the trip they were about to make.  They were going on a boat to a world that no person but explorers had been to.  Now they were finally leaving to the new world. Elizabeth had heard that there was plenty of land to grow crops and green grass everywhere.
 "Hurry Elizabeth," Mama said to her.
 "Coming Mama," she answered.  She picked up her bag and went out the door.
 Papa had yoked the oxen and hitched them to the wagon already.  Mary, her six year old sister, and Peter, her four year old brother, were already in the wagon.  Papa helped Elizabeth and Mama get into the wagon.
 When they got to the ship, they loaded their luggage onto it and found a place to set up house with Ellen's family.  Ellen was Elizabeth's best friend.  They had done everything together since they were little.
 As the "Speedwell" set off, Ellen and Elizabeth watched Mary  and Peter so that they wouldn't get into trouble while the parents were working.  They talked about how afraid they were and also about how excited they were to be the first ones to step onto the land of "America."  But the main thing that they talked about was boys.  Although neither of them had a boyfriend, they liked to talk about them.
 They did this for four days and then, on August 5th,1620, there was a call from the deck. A young sailor said, "Leak in the ship, leak in the ship! She's filling up below!"  The boy's name was Isaac and he was thirteen years old.
 Elizabeth and Ellen ran up on deck and found Isaac to talk to him about the leak.  He said that the boats would have to go back to England.
  Elizabeth thought he had a wonderful voice and he was quite handsome.  He had green eyes and light brown hair.
 Now Isaac thought the same exact thing about Elizabeth and that's why his voice was so soft. He thought her blond hair was so beautiful he was enchanted.
 They liked each other and Ellen knew it. She knew that there was something going on between those two.
 Elizabeth and Isaac looked at each other in a loving kind of way and smiled.
 "It was nice meeting you, Elizabeth." said Isaac as the girls walked away.
 "It was nice meeting you too, sir." Elizabeth said.
 "You can call me Isaac." he said. "All right, Isaac." And with that the girls hustled off giggling and chattering.
 "He is so cute," murmured Ellen once they were far enough away so Isaac couldn't hear.
 The boat had to go back and start out again. Four days later the Speedwell leaked a second time. They had to go back and decided to all go in the Mayflower. Though it was cramped in the small boat, they made it.
 They had been on the Mayflower for 60 days when Mama became very ill. Half of the others on the ship were ill also. The girls - Elizabeth, Ellen and Mary- took turns putting the wet cloths on people's foreheads. It was hot and mucky down there and it smelled awful. Two days after the ship arrived in America, Mama died of typhoid fever.
 It was so sad to see Papa so unhappy. He sulked all the time and he cried himself to sleep every night. Elizabeth, Mary and Peter all worked together to stay alive. Papa didn't really care if he died. He just hoped he'd end up with Mama again. Times were hard and Papa had to work on the houses with the other men.
 Then, one foggy morning, Papa died of a broken heart. "It was better that he died than stay here in his misery. Now he can be with his wife." said Governor John Carver.
 Mary and Peter sobbed all the time. Elizabeth usually just sat thinking holding Peter in her arms. She was too sad to cry. They had no one else in the world but each other.
 One day, Elizabeth had an idea. She would ask Isaac's parents if she could stay with them. It would be a dream come true if they said "yes." She liked Isaac very much. And she sensed that he was becoming to like her. She made up her mind to ask Mary and Peter first.
 "I'd like a big brother. It's fine with me." said Peter.  "How about you, Mary?"
 "I guess we could try it, for a little while." said Mary.
 Elizabeth went up on deck to talk to Isaac. When he saw her he went over to her.
 Isaac knew Elizabeth well now and thought of her as a "special friend."  "Isaac," she said, "Do you think your parents would like it if they had a daughter?"
 "Why?" he said.
 "Just wondering."
 "If it were for a good cause they'd like another woman around."
 "How about - "
 "Elizabeth, you're trying to tell me something but you keep putting it off. What are you trying to say?"
 "Well," she began, "you know how my parents died."
"Yeah."
 "Well, I had this idea the other day and I wanted to ask you if your mother," she stopped. "If your mother would be kind enough to let me, Mary and Peter stay at your house until someone can finish our house."
 "I think that mother and father would love that!  And I've always wanted brothers and sisters like you guys!"
 "Oh, good!" Elizabeth cried in delight as she threw her arms around his neck.  Isaac looked a little surprised but he didn't mind.  That's what friends were for anyway.  He smiled to himself and hugged her back.  They stood there for about thirty seconds.  Elizabeth finally knew why his voice was so soft.  They were in love and Elizabeth knew it.  On the other hand Isaac thought the same exact thing but from a boy's point of view.  He loved her and she loved him and he also knew it.  They looked at each other and smiled.  Then Isaac finally said "Well, if this is going to happen then we better get permission first!"
 "Oh, that's a great idea!" Elizabeth said in a joking way.
 They went downstairs and picked their way through the crowd in the main cabin.
 "Mom," said Isaac.  "Elizabeth has something to ask you." She looked at him cautiously and said "Mrs. Carver, I would like to ask a favor of you.  You probably know how my parents died.  And well . . . may I live with you?"
 "Why, darling," Mrs. Carver said as she gathered Elizabeth in her arms when she started to sob.  "Isaac's father and I were just discussing that the other day.  We have decided that until we have further notice you, your brother, and sister may live with us."
 "Oh, thank you!" said Elizabeth as she smiled and hugged her.  "Thank you so much!"  she repeated as she got up to hug Isaac.  They looked at each other with a smile on their faces.  Then they embraced each other in their arms.  Elizabeth had tears of joy welled up in her eyes.  Her heart was dancing in delight.  She thought how wonderful it would be to live with the Carvers even though she knew that something else would happen in the future.  Elizabeth pulled away from Isaac.
 "I should probably go tell Mary and Peter the good news!" she said.  "Oh, yeah, we probably should!" Isaac said.
 They found Mary and Peter and told them the news.  Then they found out that they had two very happy children to handle.
 Peter immediately jumped into Isaac's arms and asked him, "Does that mean you're my big brother?"
 "It sure does," Isaac answered.
 "Yeah!" Mary said as she hugged Elizabeth so tight that she almost couldn't breathe.
 "But don't act like this around my mother," Isaac said.  "Or she won't let you stay in her house.  And she doesn't like messes.  She keeps a clean, straight household. O.K. everyone?"
 "All right," Mary and Peter said in unison.
 "I want to go meet her right now!" Peter said excitedly. He hopped up and said, "Let's go find her!"
 "Oh, all right," said Elizabeth.
 "But remember you mustn't be wild or fussy or anything like that. Okay?" Isaac said.
 "O.K." they said still excited. They went to meet her and Mary and Peter loved her at once.
 The houses were finished and families were moving in. The Carvers had moved all their stuff in along with the Winslows things. It was crowded in that 10' by 12' little cabin but they were able to fit it all in. The next winter was hard to survive but the Carvers and Winslows made it. The Wampanoag Indians became their friends. Squanto helped them plant corn, and other things.
 In the fall, the Pilgrims planned a feast. They invited the Indians and the feast lasted for three days. There were races and other things. At the end of the last day there was dancing. Isaac took Elizabeth away from the people and said, "Elizabeth, do you like me?"
 "Yes."
 "Well, I was thinking - "
 "Isaac, you're trying to tell me something but you keep putting it off. What is it?" Elizabeth said.
 "Elizabeth, will you marry me?" Isaac asked. "Of course I will, Isaac," Elizabeth said.
 
 
 
 
 

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