Dick's Desertion: A Boy's Adventures in Canadian Forests A Tale of the Early Settlement of Ontario

"Dick's Desertion: A Boy's Adventures in Canadian Forests" by Marjorie L. C. Pickthall is a story set in early Ontario, about a boy's adventures. It weaves together themes of familial duty, the challenges of settling a new land, and the irresistible call of the wild. Dick Underwood, along with his sister Stephanie, faces the hardships of frontier life after his family relocates from England. The tale begins with Dick lost in his imagination, crafting a canoe, as the story recounts the family's struggles after the death of their mother and the father's withdrawal. The contrast between the beautiful Canadian wilderness and the family's hardship, sets the stage for Dick's internal conflict between his love for his family and the temptation of the untamed forests.