The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-05-11

ceries and Liquors" He had three
minutes in which to negotiate. Rush
ing in he demanded to look atsthe
stock Of hats and caps. No hats,
but about dozen caps were pulled
from under the counter. Keeping
one eye on the train, with the other
he made q selection and asked the
price. Jenama!! But the dealer
comprehcnded the situation and knew
he had him, and there was no time
for Jewing, and so the price was
paid over. On his way back to the
cars he realised that the cap was
quite too small tor his head. But
never mind, there was great reliefin
having SON ething to wear on his
head, even if it was too small. His
friends who had laughed SO heartily
at bis expense now gathered about
him to congratulate him on the suit
ableness OF his purchase when the
word brakeman" In gilt letters,
was discovered on tho band in front.
This was too bad. They laughed bo.
fore but thoy laughed longer and
louder now. 1t seemed to him that
that word Brakeman was in the eye
of every one which ever way he
turned. At tho FIRST convenient OPP
portunity he took out his knife and
made what surgeons call q A cut in
the occipital region which Brought
great relief to the forehead. Pres
cn:ly a kind-hearted lady (bloss hor
memory, may she live a thousand
years and never want fol, any good
thing,) went forward and pinned q
piece of ribbon over the offensive
word, and he was all right again
That act, SO woman-like, seemed to
melt him into u sentimental mood,
and he soliloquized something like
this, brakeman, yes, and saved by
woman. Where Is the man in this
wide world that has not his foibles,
his weaknesses, yea, it may be said,
his vices, that the angel hand Of
mother, wife or sister has not inter-
posed and shielded from the too &c.
we're gaze Of the world. Young man,
if ) GU undertake to make Iife's pass
ago without the inspiring, guiding
and sympathiaing presence Of wo-
man, ten chances,tU one you are a
lost man; lost to yourself, lost to
society, los. to virtue. Your self,
respect demands that these flaws In
your character be cured, or at least
concealed. You may think them to
be small, and unobserved, but they
stand in the eye of your best friend
and your worst enemy, like the word
brakeman" on the cap" We broke
the soliloquy by suggesting that we
were passing through some beautiful
country which he seemed 10 not be
enjoying. q
4 Until we reach Cheyenne, a dis
tanco from Omaha of little more
than 500 miles, the eye is unable tc
take in anything but the broad, gray
undulating expanse. The buffalo
and deer, for which the traveller hos
"peeled his eye" has receded from
his anxious gshe; and he must b.
content with the sight Of the ante
lopo, deer and prairie dog. As w
approach Cheyenne, the scen'
changes, greatly to our relief: o.
either side, to tho west, rise into view
great black hills, whose tops ar
capped with snow. Here the eleva
ton is more than six thousand fee
above tide level. Cheyenne ID on,
of tho stations whore man pays hi
dollar and gets a good, "square'
meal. From Cheyenne 10 Sherman
a distance of 80 to 40 miles, tn
grade is heavy and tho train moye
} slowly, and gives better opportunit,
to observe and admire the varyin,
scenery brought to view. On tn,
! right is q plateau OF 200 TO 3O'
square miles in extent, with here ant
there huge piles of rock of singular
fantastic forms, which the imagina
ton transform into hugo, Twin,
monsters, showing great familiarity
With the respective parts Of hi
Satanic excellency, and his method
of enjoyment, such as "Devil's Back
bone," "Devils Heel, ""Dev:l's Slide,'
"Devils Gate" etc. Looking off Il
the left, we see largo moundl
covered with pines of small growth
while away in the distance, befor.
and around us, arc mountain peaks
| As we approach Sherman, whose
elevation is 8,242 feet, owing to tn,
llghtness and chilliness Of the atmos
phere, passengers begin to sneezt
and complain of having taken cold
some complain of headache and liz
down. Thus is the highest poin,
reached on the road, and, it is said
that, Pixies peak, whose distance If
l65 miles, can be plainly seen from
this point. Mono OF our party, how
ever, succeeded in getting view
the state Of the atmosphere was not
favorable. One would think there
would BIO no occasion, for at least a
century to come, Of making farms
out of the table lands on top the
Rocky Mountains, but moro than
once we saw the plow turning over
the red soil amidst small streams Of
wator winding their way in various
directions, AS though in doubt
whether 10 go cast. into the Atlantic
or west into tho Pacific. Twenty.
five miles from Sherman is Laramie
situated in the Laramie plains. This
is most beautiful and attractive
place. The population we would
judge to be about 1000. The town
has a substantial look, and is SO per.
fectly clean. and everything in such
| good taste, that we were all pleased
with Laramie. Tho plains are 20
miles wide and 60 long, and have the
reputation of being the greatest of
all grazing regions of like extent
We wore told, upon good authority,
that there are now a quarter OF a
million of cattle grazing on these
plains. The pains are surrounded
by chain of mountains that afford
ample protection from the wind and
storm. Leaving the plains. the
country again becomes billy, noun
famous and barron. Snow sheds
cover the deep cuts, and in passing
through the smoke OF the engine is
forced into the cars, and the sleeper