Mary Ann and James Sherrill were quietly absorbing the sounds of their land at twilight. Edward Evans, Mary Ann's brother, had offered to watch over the children so that Mary Ann and James could take time for each other.
"Oh look James - there goes one of the paddlewheelers!"
"Looks like it's a side-wheeler, Mary Ann. The name on the side says it's the ''OREGON''. I heard that it only went from Marysville (~Corvalis) to Oregon City, so I'm surprised to see it this far upstream. There was an ad for it in the Spectator just yesterday."
"There is something wonderful about seeing it go against the flow of the river, churning the water with the paddle wheel on each side of the boat. But I don't know if I'd feel safe on one."
"There speaks the woman who traversed the Oregon Trail, with a baby along too."
"That was different, James. There was no other practical way to get here. There are roads that go where the paddle wheelers go. Rough as the roads are, that would be my choice."
"And a good thing, too, since they want $30 per passenger from Salem to Marysville."
"That is outrageous, James! Our oxen may be slow but they have served us just fine. Anyway, we'd ride the horses. We have plenty of choices."
"I'm glad I have such an economical little wife. Come sit with me on this log and I'll show you how glad."
No comments:
Post a Comment