A diary account of fourteen-year-old Susanna Fairchild's life in 1849, when her father succumbs to gold fever on the way to establish his medical practice in Oregon after losing his wife and money on their steamship journey from New York. Includes a historical note.

When the king orders a boy to make him a huge wardrobe out of the clouds in the sky, the boy warns him that it is more than he needs but the king does not listen.

"Villagers like to come to rest and cool down in the shade of a huge, old tree. But when a young traveler decides to join them one day, a rich man on whose land the tree stands demands they leave because he owns the tree and therefore its shade. Thinking fast, the traveler strikes a deal: one that will enable him to outsmart the rich man--and ensure that the villagers will always have access to the shade tree's shade, wherever it may fall. With simple,...