J. F. Harden Jr

Charley and the Last Cavaliers J. F. Harden Jr

They were five young men, all still in their teens and all from the same community. Schooled together they had remained close friends after finishing the eighth grade. These last few years they'd worked, each helping on their own families farms. Now with their younger brothers and sisters old enough to take over, they could leave. Their parents and others relatives would have all the help they needed. For years they had banded together as adventurous youths and now they talked of more exciting things to do and places to see. Though they were warned about how tough the times were and there was little work, except for seasonal farm labor, they were not deterred. They had heard the new courthouse being built in St. Louis. Though it was some distance away and place where they had never been, they felt sure a city with that large a building project would surly need many workers. Their families though reluctant to see them leave did help them gather the things they would need. They knew these were determined young men, anxious to look for that something they felt in their hearts was out there, waiting just for them.