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The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 A Rail Running Soldier (part 1)

A Rail Running Soldier (part 1)
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   high interest, readability grades 8 to 10
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   3.93

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    baying, northbound, pointed, canteen, determined, rawhide, better, lieutenant, achieve, barking, valley, position, refused, slim, rifles, leading
     content words:    Sam Robertson, Since Jake

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A Rail Running Soldier (part 1)
By Mary L. Bushong 		  
1     Jacob peered out from between the trees. He was not sure if it was fear or excitement he felt. His hands trembled and his stomach fluttered inside. Ahead of him was a single line of train track. Sam Robertson looked over his shoulder.
 
2     "Isn't this the same track we rode north along earlier?" he asked.
 
3     Jacob nodded. The two young men listened, but they didn't hear anything. Perhaps they could hop aboard the next northbound train.
 
4     "Which way is north?" whispered Jake. "I got all turned around hours ago."
 
5     Sam stared at the shadows under the trees, the position of the sun, and then he pointed.
 
6     "We need to go that way," he said.
 
7     The baying of tracking dogs echoed up the hill from the valley behind them. Jake and Sam looked at each other.
 
8     "Are those hounds on our trail?" asked Sam.
 
9     Jake nodded. His mouth felt dry like he had stuffed it with cotton boles. He would have given almost anything for a full canteen right about then.

Paragraphs 10 to 17:
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