...From The Desk of Alexandra Bergson

This locale, this great Divide, is unforgiving. I do fret that one day I will be unable to fulfill my father’s wishes and till this same land until my time is up. In eleven strenuous years, my father, Mr. Bergson himself, has been unable to make much of an impact on this rejected creation of God. This paradox of land, this puzzle of fields, this maze of ridges, I do not rightly know what to make of it, but pray that I will one day discover the answer that will lead to some form of prosperity, however small, that would accommodate our simple way of life.
It was my father’s dying wish for us Bergson’s to keep these acres and make the most of it. Unlike my Uncle Otto, I refuse to give up on the Divide. Life would be less worth living without formidable trials to test our endurance and perseverance.

-Alexandra Bergson, January 17th, 1885
(pgs. 12-17 in Mariner Books edition)

The last sixteen years have not ceased to take their toll on me. My mother now rests beside my father in their respective graves on this great Divide, and I am certain they would choose no other place to be laid to rest than here among their countrymen. The influx of people to this region of the Midwest in recent history is astounding. My prayers have been answered and this land has yielded my abundant soil to till where the plow makes easy work dividing the soil in preparation for cultivation. My father had the right feeling about this land and his premonitions of this day proved to be correct. The good fortune that has come to the Bergson’s and this land is innumerable and I feel humbled as one of the recipients.
My brother Emil has really grown into his own by taking on the responsibilities of the farm and toiling for endless hours for the betterment of the family. Oh how I do wish his father could have seen what he has become. This truly is a great time for us and for all those who populate the Divide! I do not foresee how circumstances could get much better for the Bergson family.

-Alexandra Bergson, February 19th, 1901
(pgs. 45-50)

This evening all of my brothers, except Emil of course, who is up in French country attending a wedding, are coming to dine with me. Oscar is bringing his young boys, aged from twelve to five years old, respectively, to dinner and I am overjoyed at the idea of spending some time with them. My nieces will also be visiting and I cannot wait to present them with the flower garden, my crown jewel of this humble abode. They are simply a treat to visit with and take great delight when I relate to them stories of the old days on the Divide and how it was for yours truly as I grew up on this land. I do not expect any surprise guests but do hope there are one or two, a little surprise and excitement would be more than welcome during these depressing, drawn-out winters.

-Alexandra Bergson, December 12, 1904.
(pgs. 58-64)