Diane Hammond Ross

Peril on the Prairie Diane Hammond Ross

Horse Thief Cave was carved out of the limestone cliffs of Woodland Nature Preserve. Members of the Secret Alliance held their meetings at the cave. The club was an exclusive culture of boys, who celebrated the innocence of their youth, the meaning of their existence, and the blessings of freedom. Colby invited Kasey, a new boy in town, to go with him to his favorite haunt, to persuade him to become a member of the club. When the boys arrived, Colby was immediately obliged to deal with Orton, a fellow member, sitting with his arm around a girl. Her presence at the cave purportedly violated the rules of the club. Reveling in the opportunity to impress Kasey with his high status, Colby ordered Orton to leave and to never set a foot on the sacred premises again. After Orton's petulant departure, Kasey listened as Colby told him about mysterious cryptograms, a mystical ritual, and a chess competition. He discovered that he would be in the company of rough troublemakers. Baffling events began to worry Kasey after the excursion. A cryptic symbol appeared several times in the path of his comings and goings. Someone drew a cryptogram on Gretchen's front porch, and on two occasions, a stalker was observed outside the window of her house. These and other deceitful pranks convinced Kasey that a ruthless person intended to harm him. Gretchen received schooling at home because she was recuperating from an illness. She wanted to go to school with young people in her own age group. Her dream played an important part in Kasey's decision to enter a citizenship contest and win a new bike. However, an escalation of the shenanigans of the unscrupulous villain interfered with their worthy objectives. Kasey was the victim of a vicious plot that resulted in the distortion of the truth, heartless rejection, and a cruel violation of his innocence. With earnest determination, he resolved to defend his honor.