The New York herald., 1922-06-11

son houSh u Appleton - To-
II EFORE the great gold call OF
X '4s rang on Adventures ears.
and set her followers rushing
TO California the rich lands OF Ore
gon. safely American since the ratif-
cation OF Buchanan's treaty with
England in 1916. had been drawing
thousands of settlers across the two
thousand dangerous miles between
the Missouri and Portland. As early
As is43 there had been what was
known as the Great Immigration.
when nearly 500 men, women and
children had settled in the magnifi-
cent valley Of the Columbia BY
ls4S probably five or six thousand
had followed and reports coming
back of the richness of the soil and
mildness OF the climate, with the
later system of donation lands. that
made it possible for a claim a mile
square to come into the possession
OF the settler entirely free. kept Ore
gon lure for pioneers in spite of the
tremendous difficulties of the Jour-
ney across the plains. deserts and
mountains. Entire parties had been
lost on this journey. and even to-day
the traveller on the Union Pacific
looks down from the comfortable
chair in the observation car to the
lovely lake amid the towering spruces
where the Donner party died slowly
through terrible winter. trapped on
the long crossing.
Mr. Hough has chosen this para
graph of our country's story for his
book, The Covered Wagon" and the
year lS4s for the particular date:
''Oh. then. Susannah,
Don't you cry for me-.
I'm goin' out to Oregon.
With my banjo on my knee"
sang the pioneer lad as the train
broke camp in early May. when the
grass was turning green. assuring
food for the cattle and horses that
mast drag the huge covered wagons
or bear the men on their backs mile
after mile on the colossal search for
a new home. And more than two
thousand strong. Off they go. many
a one never to arrive. for disease and
accident and the Indians took toll of
the weak or the uniucky.
The least valuable and most per-
functory part of Mr.. Hough's book
is no doubt the part that will carry
1t with the popular fancy: that is to
say. the romance he has wound into
il. the love story of Molly Winstead
and the two young men who seek her
favor. Love may make the world
go round. but its insistence in a story
of this sort. where the immense ro-
nance of the actual adventure should
be the heroine. IS to be regretted
The author probably deplores the
demand for this sugar on the sound
bread Of his Offering. but be that as
IL may. we have the villain, the lovely
maiden. the hero. wrongfully ac-
cused and constantly going in peril
OF his life. yet coming out on top as
heroes must with the final chapter.
All utterly negligible and rather un-
real But there IS a whole lot more
to the book. and the more is good
stun.
He has pictures worth the looking
at:
- was a great picture. a stirring
panorama of an earlier day. which
now unfolded. Slow. swaying. state
ly. the OK teams came on. as though
impelled by and not compelling the
feet of white canvas sails. The teams
did not hasten. did not abate their
speed. but moved in an unagitated
advance that gave the massed col
umn something irresistibIy epochal
in look. The train had
well spaced formation there
were outriders: there were clumps
of driven cattle. Along the flanks
walked tall men. who flung over the
low headed cattle an admonitory lash
whose keen report presently could be
heard. still faint and far or A dull
dust cloud arose. softening the out
lines OF the prairie ships. The broad
gestures OF arm and trunk. the mo-
pafonottS so0fhinR of commands To