Adventure on the Oregon Trail

Chapter 15

"So this is Oregon?" Sarah asked.

"That's what Mr. Walker tells me," her father replied as she rode alongside the wagon while he drove. "He told me last night that we only have three or four more days before we get to Salem."

"Is that where we're going? Salem?"

"Unless we decide we don't like it." her father replied. "If there's not any good land around town, we might try looking outside the city. Well, further outside, I guess."

Sarah grew quiet. It had felt as though it was taking forever to get to their destination, but now that they were so close, she was shocked at how fast it seemed to have gone by. "Pa, do you mind if I go see if Jill can ride for a while today?"

"Go ahead. Just be careful. We don't need any accidents when we're this close, you know?" he smiled at her.

"Yeah, I know." she laughed softly before kicking her horse into a trot.

Jill must have had the same idea, because they met in the middle of the line of wagons. "Did you hear, we're in Oregon!?" she asked.

"Yes, Pa just told me." Sarah said. "I can't believe it. Now that we're here, it feels like we just left home."

Jill nodded. "So, what are you going to do first once we 'settle into things'?"

"I don't know. I'm sure Pa will want to get started building a house and Ma will probably want to start a winter garden."

"No, I don't mean all that. We'll all be doing that." Jill replied.

"Well, what do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"I mean with Mr. Walker!"

"Oh. What is it you expect me to do with him?" she appeared confused.

"Well, I thought perhaps you'd drag him down to the justice of the peace and marry him!" Jill said. "Have you still not made up your mind about him?"

"I didn't know I was supposed to!"

Jill sighed. "Well, I was hoping you had. Almost as much as much as he is, I'm sure!"

"That's not funny!" Sarah said, but she couldn't help but smile at her friend's antics. "I get it. I know he likes me. But he hasn't said a word about anything more than that."

"I'm sure he will soon."

"Why do you think that?"

"Oh, just a feeling I have." Jill shrugged, though to be honest, she had seen him taking something small out of his pocket and looking closely at it, several times when he thought no one was looking.

"Well, we all know your feelings are wrong sometimes." Sarah said. "I have a feeling we're going to get to Salem, and everyone is going to disperse to their prospective farms, homes, etcetera, and never see each other again. Well, not you and I, but the rest of these people that I barely know. And Mr. Walker will probably turn right around and ride back to Central Peaks just in time to bring another group of families who want to move west."

"You think so, do you?"

"Yes, I do."

"And what will you do if you're wrong?"

"I doubt I'm wrong."

"Hm."

"You think I'm wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"What makes you think I'm wrong?"