two miles by road

The beech nuts grew in the timber lot. Father owned 50 acres of timberland, two miles from the farm by the road, but letting down the fences and driving through the fields it was only a half mile. Mr. Webb was a good neighbor and let Father drive across his land. - Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farmer Boy manuscript

Published Farmer Boy says nothing about Father Wilder owning a timber lot. Recorded deeds say nothing about James Wilder owning any land within two miles of the farm, by road or not by road. The closest Mr. Webb (Dorlus) lived in a farmhouse at the end of Panunzio Road (across the bridge over Trout River); his property joined Mr. Wilder's across the Trout River to the southwest and it's about a half mile by road. Over the years, the Webbs held several mortgages on the Wilder property.

There are beech trees southwest of the Wilder property (see photo). And a bit of frustration when trying to make the fiction fit the lay of the land and recorded history. The only thing that makes sense (and nobody says it has to make sense; Farmer Boy is, after all, fiction) is that the Wilders took the road to Mr. Webb's property, and took down a fence to get to their own property across Trout River, a half mile by road. Who knows where you'd end up if you went two miles by road. Perhaps you'd best check your compass.

In the manuscript, there is a story about Mr. Webb that deserved to be edited out (sort of like the last sentence of the previous paragraph). I only wish it was still in Farmer Boy so we'd all be collecting compasses.

It was quite cold now, but no more snow had fallen, so it was pleasant out doors when the sun shone. Mr. Webb said it was good hunting weather and wanted Father to go with him into the mountains toward the lake and try and get a deer. But Father was busy so Mr. Webb went alone and they had seen nothing more of him when bedtime came.

In the middle of the night there was a pounding on the door and someone shouted for Father. Mr. Webb hadn't come home. They were afraid he was lost and the neighbors were gathering to hunt for him.

Mother said it wasn't any use to look for Mr. Webb before morning, for they would never find him in the pitch dark, but Father took his lantern and a compass, so they would not be lost in the woods on the hills.

All the rest of the night the men hunted for Mr. Webb in the woods toward the lake but they could find no trace of him. When the first, gray streaks of daybreak were in the sky, they came back tired and discouraged and now really worried, to get a bite of breakfast before they went again into the woods to hunt for the lost man.

They came to the fence at the back of the Webb farm and followed it around toward the house. And there, sound asleep, in a pile of beech leaves in a fence corner, only 200 yards from his own house, they found Mr. Webb. He was an astonished man, when they waked him and he saw where he was. He had been lost in the hills after the sun went down and wandered until he was exhausted. Then he lay down, making himself snug in a pile of leaves to wait for morning.

"But your compass, man." Father asked. "Why didn't you follow your compass?"

"The darned thing wouldn't work! It wouldn't do anything but point in the wrong direction," Mr. Webb answered.

"Let's see it!" said Mr. Wood. So Mr. Webb took his compass from his pocket and looked at it.

"Why it's all right now!" he exclaimed astonished.

Then tired as they were and a little angry too, everyone shouted with laughter.

"What's a compass for, if you won't believe it when you're lost?" Father wanted to know.

Oh great. Now I want to know who the heck Mr. Wood was.
- posted by pioneergirl at 11:00 PM