Come for a good long visit,” Father Barnabé had written Riel. “A year at least will do you good.” So as soon as he left Beauport, Louis went straight to Keeseville. He dreamed of farming out west, possibly in Nebraska, but lacked funds. So he decided to farm near Keeseville instead, and the kind-hearted priest loaned him money to get started. Later that spring, Riel rented land and planted crops of corn and potatoes.
Soon after he arrived, he and Evelina Barnabé fell deeply in love. Again, Louis turned to poetry. Eagerly he wrote,
If my joys suit you
I hope that soon I can name you
Among those whom my heart knows how to love
And you will be one of those who belong to me