Trail of Broken Dreams, A

by Barbara Haworth-Attard

The Gold Rush Diary of Harriet PalmerOverland to the Cariboo, 1862

June 7, 1862 - My legs and feet hurt too much tonight to write. That doesn't make sense, but that is how it is.
June 8, 1862 - A day of rest as it is Sunday. As much as I want to hurry to find Father, dear diary, I am glad to sit still, and let my feet rest. The blisters on them are a frightful sight. I boiled some water in my pot and cleaned them as best I could. I'm sitting now with my boots off.
Waves of sadness keep coming over me today. Missing Mama, missing William and Luella. Every time a scout rides up in a cloud of dust I think it is someone from the fort come to fetch me. No doubt Mrs. Owen has told William and Luella that I am not coming back, even though I swore to William that I would. I bet she told them I've been stolen by Indians, or drowned in the river. I do not mean to cause them worry, but I see now I probably have. Another of my faults that Mama often sighed over - leaping before I looked.