This collection consists of sketches of Pacific Coast life, most of
which have appeared, from time to time, in the _Overland Monthly_, and
other Western magazines. If they have a merit, it is because they
picture scenes and characters having the charm of newness and
originality, such as belong to border life.
The poems embraced in the collection, have been written at all periods
of my life, and therefore cannot be called peculiarly Western. But they
embody feelings and emotions common to all hearts, East or West; and as
such, I dedicate them to my friends on the Pacific Coast, but most
especially in Oregon.
Portland, August, 1877.