That
was one of the finest qualities of the Americans who migrated to this vast
section of the country. They were always good losers, as well as modest
winners. The land was rich in possibilities, as Sturgis had told Pell; and
though the hot season lasted interminably and caused one's spirits, as well
as one's hopes, to droop, there were enchanting spring days and bright,
colorful, dwindling autumns when the air was keen and clear, and life was a
song with youth for its eternal theme.
Men with families bore the hardest burdens in their early struggle for
success. Gilbert, being single, had less to worry about than many another;
but his Uncle Henry was a handicap. For Uncle Henry used his invalid's
chair much as a king might use his throne--a vantage place from which to
hurl his tyrannous speeches. And there was no come-back. Uncle Henry had
reigned too long to be fearful of any retort from any mere subject who
walked about on two firm legs. For ten years he had held court, moving his
little throne about with sudden jerks. When things did not go entirely his
way, he could always withdraw--expertly, swiftly, cleverly. Doorsills were
nothing to him. He skimmed them dexterously, as a regiment might storm a
hill.
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