We laid our course westward and tramped on.

The houses were very far apart, and we tried at every one of them for a chance to work, but could get none, not even if we would work for our board.

The people all seemed to be new settlers, and very poor, compelled to do their own work until a better day could be reached.

The coarse meals we got were very reasonable, generally only ten cents, but sometimes a little more.
As we travelled westward the prairies seemed smaller with now and then some oak openings between.

Some of the farms seemed to be three or four years old, and what had been laid out as towns consisted of from three to six houses, small and cheap, with plenty of vacant lots.