An historical fiction book portraying temperance, abolition and women’s rights as the sparks that lit the First Woman’s Rights Convention

Drunks, slave catchers and 19th century chauvinists trigger the women’s rights movement

I’m Tess Riley. The Erie Canal is my one-way ticket out of Seneca Falls. Hop a canal boat, drive those long-eared mules—that’s how I’ll escape this boring western New York town. Tossing knives and wrestling with canalpath toughs are my pleasures. Can’t wait to jump into one of those ball bustin’ brawls my brother Coop talks about. That’s the life for me. No school. No sissy girly chores. No more drunken Pa. Forget those temperance societies.

I’d take Beany with me, but she’ll never leave her runaway slave mama. Beany’s happy as a pig in slop drawing her little pictures, writing out her ABCs, afraid to look a white man in the eye. She and August tuck themselves away like mice in a hole, especially with this Fugitive Slave Law waiting to pounce. Forget abolition.

I’d even take rich Lucy Manning with me. She’s stopped being a pain in the petunia, and we’re a good newspaper team at The Lily. Amelia Bloomer took us both under her wing, especially after old man Manning’s threats forced Lucy’s ma out of the house. But Lucy’s still hung up on college even though her pa will only spend money on the boys. Forget women’s rights.

After Elizabeth Cady Stanton told every female at her women’s rights convention how lousy their lives are Lucy’s ma started standing up for herself. My ma, of course, thinks her life’s as sweet as a peach. No matter her beer-swillin’ husband bothers August every time Ma’s in church saying her hopeless prayers. That boozer hurt Ma real bad once, and I know he’ll hurt someone bad again. I hate that worthless drunk.

So, once I save up enough traveling money, I’m hitting the canal. My stash of cash is growing. Someone finds that, he’ll be in big trouble.

Lucy’s saving her reporter’s salary for college. But she has some other scheme going, I know it. Some secret she won’t share.

We both have our secret stash and if we lose that, neither of our dreams will come true.

Beany, she doesn’t have any dream besides writing down her mama’s slave stories. She’ll have a big story to tell if those slave catchers show up in sleepy Seneca Falls.

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