“Gold?” scoffs your father.

“You say they’ve found gold? Why, a man as smart as Ben Franklin has said there’s no gold in North America.”

“It’s in every newspaper,” you reply. “Tales of riches, adventure, and all the land a man can settle.”

“You intend to cross these United States, through uncharted territory, fighting off savages along the way, for a the chance of a pittance in prospecting?”

Your father’s voice begins to rise.

“I was certain I raised you to be a wiser man than that,” he declares, rising from his reading chair to leave the room.

Your father’s words resonate deeply. You value his advice more than your own instincts, but you’ve never felt this strongly in your life.

You are 22 years old, and will never have this opportunity again.

• To heed your father’s advice and stay in New York, click here
• To head west, click here