The Price of the Prairie: A Story of Kansas

"The Price of the Prairie: A Story of Kansas" by Margaret Hill McCarter is a tale set in Kansas, during the era of brave homesteaders, where Philip Baronet faces the trials of settling new land. Within the chapters reside the feelings of love, bravery, and the difficulties of life on the prairie, especially through Philip's friendship with Marjie Whately and his dealings with Jean Pahusca, an Osage Indian. The story begins with an older Philip Baronet, who looks back at his relationship with the rough Kansas prairie, holding memories of both loveliness and cruelty. When Philip is a youth, he has experiences with his friends, like Marjie Whately and O'mie, a young, headstrong girl. The story gets intense when Jean Pahusca, a drunken Indian, puts Marjie in danger, causing Philip and his friends to protect her. The beginning parts of the book give a vivid look into frontier life in Springvale, stressing the relationships between the young people and the dangers they encounter on the wild frontier, while also hinting at bigger struggles about who they are and how society is changing.