When a stagecoach came through your town in the late 1800's it could have meant several things. First, the stagecoach might have been carrying a family on its way to settling down in the community or just to stop in the middle of their journey east…
Ruth Suckow's most anthologized short story, "A Start in Life" chronicles young Daisy's departure from her family to begin life as a "hired girl." Moving and even heart-breaking, it is widely used to spur conversations on first jobs or leaving home.
