Enough and to spare we had; and our land opening; and Molly teaching the school, with twelve dollars a month cash for it, and Ted learning his blacksmith trade before he was eighteen.

How could we ask more?
What better will we do in Oregon ?" "You always throw the wet blanket on Oregon, Molly." "It is so far!" "How do we know it is far?
We know men and women have crossed, and we know the land is rich.

Wheat grows fifty bushels to the acre, the trees are big as the spires on meeting houses, the fish run by millions in the streams.

Yet the winters have little snow.

A man can live there and not slave out a life.
"Besides"-- and the frontier now spoke in him--"this country is too old, too long settled.