Travelers in Painted Wagons On Cohay Creek
Travelers in Painted Wagons On Cohay Creek
Mary Lou Cheatham
Sarah Walker Gorrell
Living on the Shores of Cohay Creek
Travelers in Painted Wagons on Cohay Creek is a novel about Jeremy, a young boy in Mississippi a little more than a hundred years ago. His mother is dying of cancer, and his father beats him. Jeremy survives by clinging to other kids, but he doesn’t get to see his friends often. At a low point in his existence, a Romani (Gypsy) shows up and offers to help the boy’s father in the blacksmith shop in payment for moving his clan onto Cohay Creek for a season.
The young boy learns from his friend Walthere, the Traveler, how to assist in the blacksmith shop, how to laugh, and most importantly how to forgive. A lover of books from the school library and a naturally curious student, the boy learns about the history of the Romani people.
And there is a panther living nearby on the banks of Cohay Creek. If you read Travelers in Painted Wagons, you will find yourself listening for the cry of panther…looking for him on the side of the road when you travel at night…hoping you don’t have a flat tire when you’re out there.oon
The Romanis
Sarah Walker Gorrell and Mary Lou Cheatham tell about people who are invisible in the United States–the Romanis. The story shows what their lives were like a century ago; in many ways, as their lives were the same a millennium ago; and their lives, which have not changed much over the last one hundred years.
Despite their intelligence, gentle ways, and loyalty to their own people, these beautiful ones go unnoticed. The Gypsies seldom call attention to themselves. Did you know that more than a few famous entertainers have come from the Gypsy heritage?
People’s attitudes toward the Travelers have been unkind.
Simple Pleasures Sometimes
Jeremy Smitherlin finds himself functioning as the adult in his home because his parents have emotional and physical illnesses. He first appears in The Dream Bucket, the third book of the Covington Chronicles as the slimy boy who dips Trudy Cameron’s braids into his ink well.
Jeremy struggles to be perfect so he can win approval. The more he tries to do the right things, the more he irritates Caleb, his papa.
Sometimes, despite all his problems, Jeremy has adventures that are fun, such as snacking on a candy bar and soda at a store in Soso or wading in the ice-cold water near the Spillway at Gitano, Mississippi.
