Two Years in Oregon

nives and revolvers-?A sheriff in danger-?No tragedy-?Our landing at Corvallis-?Frail houses-?Pleasant welco

four companions through its length and breadth, I ventured to publis

distinguished me by a long notice, the whole point of which lay in the observation that it would be interesting to know

position rendering emigration necessary, or in the opinion of any of my friends and acquaintances even desirable, yet I did not like it to be possible to be accused rightly of

ce in overcoming the crowd of hesitations and difficulties which sp

uld desire to have it known if it be necessary to recall the general advice given in the f

pe our experiences for the past two years in this far Western l

a good many fathers to take some superintendence of their sons, who desired to emigrate to Oregon. Next, one or two married couples expressed a wish to join us. Then several acquaintances,

arty of twenty-six fully large enough for comfort. We were kindly and liberally treated by the Allan Steamship Company, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, and the Chicago and Northwestern Railway; but our lines did not fa

rdities. We should have had to buy all our experience, amid the covert ridicule of our neighbors. And I was confident that many members of our party would have played at emigrating, and treated the whole business as picnicking on a large scale. Moreover, I was not sure that, even if we succeed

the Oregonians with as little parade and fuss as possible, and to

f inquiry as to place and people that we have had, but to offer no advice; leaving those who were

tural selection goes on all the time. Not every one who comes remains; but we have every reason to be satisfied with the representatives of

le we live among here, a hundred miles fr

llis,

rom arming themselves, as for a campaign in the hostile Indian country, so that each man stepped ashore from the boat that brought us up the Will

ld say in a whisper that the sheriff, worthy man, had proposed to return the assault in kind, but had failed to get his six-shooter out in time from the depths of a capacious pocket, where the deadly weapon lay in harmless ne

ters home, and I dare say caused a good many shiverings and shudders a

ee-storied structure on the water that they called a stern-wheel river-boat, and in which we had spent two days coming up the great river from Portland. It was the 17th of May, just a month from leaving Liverpool, that we landed. The white houses of the little city of Corval

em off, grated a little, I could see, on the feelings of some of the party. The redeeming feature was the trees, lining the street at long intervals, darkening the houses a little, but clothing the

h sounded pleasantly in our travel-worn ears. The house was tumble-down and shabby, and needed the new coat of paint it received soon after-but in the corner of the sitting-room stood a good parlor-organ. The dining-room adjoining had red cloths on the tables, and gave a ful

oom, were not so interesting, and tempted no long delay in bed after the early breakfast-gong had been sounded soon after six. Breakfast at half-past six, dinner

ding a sober head and a good conscience to navigate safely after dark; for, when evening had closed in, th

lled they were by the grave and reverend seigniors of the city-each man reposing calmly, draped in white, while he enjoyed the luxury, under the skillful hands of the barber or his man, of a clean shave. At the fa

(or, as sometimes spelled, "overhaul"), the trousers tucked into knee-high boots, worn six months and never blacked. His hands were always in his pockets, except when used to feed his mouth with the constant "chaw."-"Hello, Tom," he says slowly, as he makes his way to th

ed up all the boys' given names, so I could call them when I met them," was the answer. "I guess knowing 'em was as good as a hundred votes to me in the end." It was a little startling at first

f horses, the prices of cattle, the best and most likely and accessible places for fishing, and deer-shooting, and duck-hunting-all such matters

usiveness and pride they attributed to that maligned race in advance; while we on our side found a vast amount of self-respect, of native and acquired shrewdne

of the strangers than on the service in which we united. We heard afterward how disappointed they were that the stranger ladies were so quietly and cheaply dressed. We could not say the same when callers came, which they speedily did after we

erians, Roman Catholics, Methodists North, and Methodists South, Evangelicals, and Baptists-but very little rivalry and no rancor. I shall have something more