Gertrude Bell Short Story

Gertrude Bell (1911 – 1987) was born in Liberty, Missouri and graduated from William Jewell College in Liberty. During high school, she was the editor of the school paper, The Liberty Bell. After college, she worked at City Hall for over 20 years until devoting her full time to writing. Bell’s first juvenile historical book was Posse of Two, which was about Clay County, Missouri during the Civil War. Her books, Roundabout Road, First Crop, and Where Runs the River also take place in the same setting as Posse of Two. Inspiration for her stories came from stories her family members have told when she was young. First Crop was inspired by an ancestor in Blue Springs who watched as homes were burned Order 11 was given. Roundabout Road was inspired

In high school, Constant had her first literary work published, a poem titled “The Dream Tree”. Throughout college, she continued to write poems, along with plays. Three of her plays were produced at Oklahoma City University, while her children’s plays were published in various collections. Constant also wrote articles for Holland’s Household, Southwest Review, and Reader’s Digest. Articles weren’t the only writings published in magazines. She had short stories published in Good Housekeeping, Saturday Evening Post, Charm, The Sign, and several others. Constant’s first and only adult novel was Oklahoma Run, which she worked on for six years in Independence, Missouri. The book was intended for adults but was highly enjoyed by young people who wanted to know more, which resulted in Miss Charity Comes to Stay. Constant’s book Those Miller Girls was the first in a trilogy about the Miller family. The sequel, The Motoring Millers was very popular with women’s groups and the Feminist Press. The reason it was such a hit was because the females in the books don’t fall victim to the usual stereotypes. Does Anybody Care about Lou Emma Miller was the final book in the trilogy. Other books by Constant include Paintbox on the Frontier, and Willie an the Wildcat

She stayed in Warrensburg until her later years when her and her husband moved to Florida. Draper wrote children’s plays, along with children’s books. She got into playwriting because she loved to act. As a freshman in college at Central Missouri State College (now UCM), she won The Longman’s Green Prize for her one-act play, Holy Hour. Through college, Draper continued to write and act in plays. Other successful plays include The Grand Old Man and From the Singing Hills. She went on to write children’s books. One of Draper’s first book was Ridge Willoughby, which was about a child named Ridge Willoughby who had a big family and went on adventures in Missouri. She took inspiration for her own life experience, including her big family, the cabin in Bristle Ridge her family owned and her own adventures around Warrensburg. One of Draper’s other books, Dandy and the Mystery of the Locked Room is explicitly set in Warrensburg, Missouri. In fact, the story takes place in her childhood home, the Minnewawa Hotel at Pertle Springs. Other books by Draper include Papa Says, Rim of the Ridge and Mother the