A stray dog, I might understand," she said. "But this? You are too softhearted. " No, Mabry," Ravus said. "I am not. " He looked in Val's direction. "I think she wants to die. " Maybe you can help her after all," Mabry said. "You're good at helping people die.
As a nation, we may take pride in the fact that we are softhearted; but we cannot afford to be soft-headed.
The America to which these Swedish settlers came was a land that needed the hardy qualities they brought. It was not a land that was particularly softhearted towards newcomers, but everyone believed that each should have a fair chance regardless of his origin.