The Blue Grass Seminary Girls' Vacation Adventures Or, Shirley Willing to the Rescue

A brisk summer vacation in the lowlands of Illinois turns suddenly urgent when news spreads that the Darret Dam has given way. Shirley Willing, a determined seminary student visiting friends, refuses to flee to higher ground and instead decides to become the warning the valley needs. With only a single spirited horse and a handful of frantic odds and ends, she darts out of the farmhouse, confronting a frightened rider and a stubborn animal before taking the reins herself.

What follows is a pulse‑quickening ride through fields and farms as she shouts “The dam!” to anyone she can reach. Each farmhouse becomes a brief, frantic stop, each family a chance for survival, and the rushing waters grow louder with every heartbeat. Listeners will feel the wind in Shirley’s hair, the thundering hooves, and the desperate race against a wall of water that threatens to swallow the whole valley.