Do not detain me,
For I am going
To where the streamlets
Of life are flowing.
I'm a pilgrim
And
I'm a stranger.
I can tarry,
I can tarry but a night.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, many pioneer families moved westward into the unsettled regions of America, to start a new life in a world that was often hostile to them. Mrs. Hurd (Sabina's neighbor) finds it difficult to understand why decent men would take their families away from the relative safety of the Eastern towns, away from their numerous friends and relatives, and bring them into the wilderness. In other words, what exactly is the pioneering spirit that makes men - and women - undergo all the hardships associated with it?
In search of the proverbial land of milk and honey, these
settlers had a dream: a home to call their own, with plenty of land outside and a family to look after inside. A frontier world with virgin lands, lands where their cattle could graze and be fruitful... There was a sorrow in the old world they had left; perhaps they wanted to leave their poverty behind them to make their fortunes, or perhaps they just wanted another chance to begin life again.
New Home paints an accurate picture of life upon the plains of Texas some hundred years ago. In fact, one learns a great deal about life in America at an earlier time; the type of food they ate, the issues that were of concern to them, how they passed their evenings, and how they led their daily lives. In a manner of speaking, this is an eye-witness sketch of a settler family's new homestead in the wilderness. The story contains a detailed description of everyday pioneer life. The events that take place are ordinary, everyday events, it is only the locale or setting of the tale that is extraordinary.
In brief, this story describes the underlying conflict between the homesteaders (settlers with legal claim to the land they had settled) and the squatters (settlers who had settled on land to which they had no claim). This story describes the trials and tribulations faced by one such settler family - the Clarks. The action consists primarily in Sabina's husband going to the land office, a government office that managed the sale of public land, and in getting an official document granting them the right of ownership. But the problems being faced by the Clarks are not just limited to regularizing their land hopldings. The Kiowas (an Indian tribe or nation) are on the rampage, and the pioneers face real, physical danger as well.
The settlers are assembling (at Cross Keys) to avoid the danger posed by the Red Indians, but Sabina prefers to stay at home - relying upon herself, her gun and her bible to defend her home. Leaving her home, suggests the author, would be tantamount to abandoning her dream; she is prepared to risk her life but she is not prepared to give up on their dream.
The author of this story (Conrad Richter) says that he was fascinated both by early American life - and by its people. He learned about pioneer life from original or first-hand sources such as newspapers, diaries, letters and the memories of old settlers. It is based upon this knowledge that the author has written numerous books and stories.