At noon,a wilderness,at night,a land of tents,and on the morrow,a settled country of furrowed fields.Pioneer work is awful quick,nowadays!grumbled Bill Atkins,as Brick concluded.It wasn't so in my time.Up there in the Oklahoma country,fifty years have been squeezed into a week's time--it's like a magician making a seed grow and sprout and blossom right before the audience.Lucky I came to Greer County,Texas--I don't guess IT'LL ever be anything but sand and a blow.
It's a great story,Brick declared with enthusiasm.I reckon it's the greatest story that America can put out,in the pioneering line.There they had everything in twenty-four hours that used to wear out our ancestors:Injuns,unbroken land,no sign of life for hundreds of miles--and just a turn of the hand and cities is a-coming up out of the ground,and saloons and churches is rubbing shoulders,and there's talk of getting out newspapers.What do you think of it,honey?
Lahoma was sitting in grave silence,her hands clasped in her lap.She turned slowly and looked at Willock.Brick,I'm disappointed.
Which?asked Willock,somewhat taken aback.Where?In him--in Wilfred.
As how so?
Going into that wilderness-life,instead of taking his place in the world!
Well,honey if he hadn't come to THIS wilderness,you'd never of saw him.
Yes--but he wasn't settled,and now he's settled in it.Is that the way to be a man?There's all those other people to do the thing he's doing.Then what's the use of him?
Ain't we in the same box?
Yes,and that's why I mean to get out of it,some day.But it's different with him.He's chosen his box,and gone in,and shut the lid on himself!I'm disappointed in him.I've been thinking him a real man.I guess I'm still to see what I'm looking for,added Lahoma,shaking her head.
We'll let it go at that,muttered Bill who was anxious to turn Lahoma's mind from thoughts of Wilfred.We'll just go ahead and look for new prospects.