During 1896, Clara and her mother are traveling by train from New York State almost across the continent. Clara's mother worries about germs, strangers, and train wrecks. During one of the stopovers Clara sees a poster offering a $4,000 reward to the person who turns in Butch Cassidy, an outlaw wanted for train robbery, cattle rustling, and bank robbery. She hears from a train newsboy that Butch Cassidy is no worse than the robber barons who run these railways and, furthermore, he's said to be awfully good-hearted. Gives some of what he steals to needy folks... Somewhere near the Utah border the train becomes snowbound. Nearby ranchers with sleighs rescue the stranded passengers, some of whom are taken to a small hotel where preparations have been made for Thanksgiving dinner. Clara recognizes one of the friendly cowhands hosting the surprisingly elegant dinner as the man whose picture she saw on the wanted poster. According to the author's note, a Thanksgiving dinner with those particular hosts was documented by a former Brown's Hole resident who attended it. McCully is particularly adept at writing an appealing story involving a young protagonist with a believable personality and in creating visual historical settings with carefully costumed characters and environments in which they interact with many others. Her lovely artwork for this splendid story was made using watercolor and tempera. (Ages 5-9)

Clara Maher and her mother are traveling across the country by train. When a snowstorm buries the tracks, a fellow passenger invites Clara and Mama to a special Thanksgiving feast. But Clara has a sneaking suspicion that the fun-loving "old cowhands" hosting the delicious banquet are really Butch Cassidy and his gang!