Nebraska! by Ross Dana Fuller

Author:Ross, Dana Fuller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical fiction, Frontier and pioneer life
Publisher: New York : Bantam Books
Published: 1978-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

NEBRASKA!

did trail around behind Otto. But I'm a big girl now, and I'll never do it again. That shouldn't be necessary in a happy marriage, and the women who behave that way are responsible for all the grief they create for themselves. Not for me!"

"Are you two telling me that you've come around to my way of thinking?" Cindy demanded. "That you're willing to cope alone-"

"I will if I must," Tonie said firmly. "My pride in myself must come first."

"I'm afraid there's no choice," Cathy said. "No matter what troubles lie ahead for us on the trail and in Oregon, if the choice is between staying single and making a bad marriage, I'll stay single, thank you. I've had the bad marriage, and nothing is worth that kind of life."

Routines were reestablished by the third day out of Fort Madison. The men, women, and older children knew what was expected of them and, for the most part, performed their tasks cheerfully. By now they realized they had entered a new phase of life; they had put the last outpost of civilization behind them, and they would see no towns, no villages, and no forts hereafter. The Great Plains and two chains of mountains, where potential enemies and other dangers lurked, stood between them and their longed-for destination.

On the fourth morning Grace Drummond made a discovery that she shared at breakfast with anyone who would listen to her. "You know something?" she asked in her booming voice. "We're pioneers!"

Most of the audience laughed heartily, but her words stuck in their minds. What she said was true: they were pioneers. Even though they had recognized their role, within themselves, the statement brought with it a stronger realization of that role, and gave them greater pride and dignity, as well as an increased sense of purpose.

Many people were still eating pancakes and drinking coffee, among them Lena Malcolm, who sat on the ground chatting with several other women while Lenore toddled off through the grass in the direction of a pile of rocks. Terence, who was now in charge of the water detail, had

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