"But he has never been away from home."
"He must go some time."
"If it were only to Boston or New York; but to go more than three thousand miles away!" and the mother shuddered.
"There are dangers as great in Boston or New York as in California, Mary, to a boy of Tom's age. He can't always be surrounded by home influences."
"I wish we could find employment for him in town," said Mrs. Nelson uneasily.
"That is a mother's thought, and it would be pleasant for all of us; but I doubt if it would be better for Tom."
"Why not?"
"A boy who is thrown upon his own guardianship and his own resources develops manliness and self-reliance sooner than at home. But we need not take that into consideration; there is nothing to do here, nor is there likely to be. He must go away from home to find employment. To obtain a place in Boston or New York requires influence and friends in those places; and we can hope for neither. In California he will become his own employer. The gold-mines are open to all, and he may earn in a year as much as he could in five years in the East."
"Do you favor his going, then, Mark?"
"Not against your will, Mary. Indeed, I should not feel justified in increasing the mortgage upon our little property against your wish. That concerns us all."