1886 is a story book. It's about a time that has receded past remembering, having left behind only the remnants of family tales passed over generations. In part, it's about things I learned from my grandmother when I was just a boy; for the rest, my own imagination populated the situations and characters which are described. It's true that my grandmother was born in a covered wagon somewhere on a trail between Texas and Oklahoma. It's true that the town her family settled in was little more than a wide spot in the trail. It's true that the life was harder, the people more generous and the...