The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-02-18
Fnr the Gate City.

Through.
| About nine O'Clock in the morning, on q
certain winter day. sstwo travellers might
have been seen" Gin fact they we're seen)
seated in an open two-horse wagon, descend
ing the hill leading to that fine bridge which
John Frost, Esq, Contractor General, has
built across the Mississippi river opposite to
Keokuk, without any aid from city bonds or
scrip. Hope was in their hearts and their
s'ticksts through" IN their pockets.
Reader, those two travellers were We. We
we're bound for st. Louis, and are going to
tell You how and when we got there.
In due season we arrived at the place
whore the depot ought to be of the railroad
to Carthage, and had q spare hour in which
to cool our heels and our hopes. But Time,
who brings about everything in bis LAPSE,
how many has he,) at last brought the train
TO us, and, in refreshed train of mind, we
entered the car. We noticed the locomotive
had the usual appendage called a cow catch
er, and ere we arrived at Carthage we learned
that ii was the only thing about the train
that could in any way lay claim to the title.
All the COWS beat US in every fair race.
After something less than two hours
succession Of "thanky -marms," we were
landed somewhere near the respectable city
Of Carthage, and received into meagre-
looking BUS to be conveyed the rest Of the
way to the town and stage Office, for the tri-
fling SUM of fifteen cents, lawful currency
Here we might have eaten dinner if we want
ed to, bat we didn't want to.
Again we were on the road in a hack
named after distinguished ex- Mayor Of Ke.
okuk,--a sample hack,--and it took only
three hours to draw us fourteen miles to the
station at Oollamer, an embryo city on the
Northern Cross Railroad, where we spent
three hours very instructipeiy, waiting for
the train going north. We did at length ar.
rive at Galesburgh, where the blessed privi-
lege to eat was again vouohsafed US, and
twenty minutes,-a long time for an Ameri-
can allowed as to do it in. All the deli
cacies of the season, that is, hog in oil its
varieties, in chunks, in entrails and in dabs,
were arranged before us. We succumbed.
On assuming our seats in the Chicago and
Burlington oars, We innocently asked the
conductor when we should be at Mendoza,
and were civilly told cat about one O'Clock.
Our thirst for knowledge being still unap-
peased, we ventured the holder query as TO
when we would leave Mendoza by the Illinois
Central, on our way to st. Louis. We are
Bible Christians, and have read the Book OF
Job, Proverbial Philosophy, and even some
Congressional debates, clean through bu;
when, with look Of commiseration, dashed
with slight grin Of fun, the conductor told
us in plain English, "about twelve O'Clock
tomorrow" We confess our dander "riz, 2
and owing, suppose, to the nature of oul
late supper, we bristIed up and uttered for
| chile expressions concerning the institution
Of railroads in general and Of ticket agents
in particular. Wewere wrathy, but philos.
ophy coming TO our elbow and whisperin,
into our ears, "there is no help for it, boys, ,
we subsidized into silence and our seats lik.
spent volcanoes.
We have nothing TO cay against Mendot,
as town, nor OF our accommodations there
only We thought We had scarcely got fail
dollars worth out OF the sheets and break
fast table. But that is mere difference o.
opinion liable to exist between landlord ans
tenant. We found some compensation il
witnessing an extraordinary animal produc
ton, which, We SUPPOSE, from her habits
was woman. She illustrated the Scripture
which saith eve are fearfully and wonder
fully made" Truly she was.
| Tempus does tugis just the same, whcth
er fellow is waiting or not, and 80 twelv,
O'Clock next day and the train going soutl
came to hand together. Learning that ther
was no chance of our making connectio,
at Psua, to which town we were next ticketed
until s'six forty-fve next day." we had ex
changed our tickets for those that would tax
us to Sandoval and thence by the Ohio an,
Mississippi to st. Louis.
And now behold us speeding over tn
boundless prairies Of Illinois. The soil i
very fine and 10 variously cultivated; but IL
chief productions are lots OF corn and corne
lots. What apassion our people have To-
laying out cities! So many arc already lyinj
out in these cold, bleak prairies, with yer,
few houses or hearthstoDes to shelter them
and they seem so to have taken an sgue an,
shaken oil apart, that our hearts bled To-
them. Alas! how many pockets have Bile,
for them.
But the revolution of Time and car wheel
continued, and at last brought us to th
place where We would be, just forty hour
from our point Of departure, wearied an
worn, bat thankful that it was no worse
and with certain fixed principles regardin