Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-07-12

plain. We are TO see no more hill until We reacl
the Buttes Of the upper part Of the South Platte
b four hundred miles away, a night and day al
most arc between US aud them In the meanwhile
with the wind blowing big guns, we are to Skin
the left bank Of the Platte river with the tree
less prairie stretching away on every hand as ai
the eye can reach. In saying, as did in my last
} that Omaha stood ON The confines Of civilization
or something 10 that effect | would not be under
stood as snying that there civilization and cultnr
end, aud that all beyond is sayagesm and wilder
ness for along here upon The Platte and the lin,
Of the Union Pacific are quite number of thriy
ing cnicrprising towns chief among them be
: ing Grand Island place of excellent dinners
Columbus and South Bend Columbus being tn,
exact geographical centre of the Union, Is DIES
tined 20 become, according to George Fmnci.
Train. It's capital This event will bubbles %.
consummatod not mr FROM the time when he win.
propheses it, becomes the Unions president
greatly question the increase of these places 10
population. nc least for some time % come. ! ana
told that upon the Platte !, the plcanute,t an,
most fertile part of Nebraska but for the lIc OF
me could not see anything remarkably pleasant
ihNNiif N'iNil'A -NNNih JUICY tii HIll 20 H' We
fertile It seemed 10 me 10 be rather thin in most
places, q -upp1-ition supported by evidence drawn
from the bed Of the Platte itself, which is sand
that comes as near being quickand, md We, Is
not, as ia possibly can The Platte is a very wide
but very shallow river islands that for the most
part are long, low sand bars studJing Us waters
This part Of the world has not very good name
with the cmigrunts OF the days of cattle driving
and ox-teamlng across the plain Fording the
Platte, the treacherous sand would rob them of
their stock and wagons while the equally trcach-
crous Sioux were ever on the watch 90 serve them
after like manner This Nebraska plain along
the Platte North and South Forks. is their
present hunting ground but they have mllen
back from the road ON either side When we
came back, the last evening before coming into
Omaha, the fall moon poured it, light down upon
the broad waters of the South Platte For O. day
and half we had not looked upon even riyulet,
and SO the sight was most attractive ! DO not
remember of ever seeing the moonlight play upon
water with such magical effect. The river seemed
more like broad silver belt, studded with some
dark, precious stones, than river crowded with
islands Knowing the country, it did not re-
quire much force Of the Imagination To make
these islands canoes, loaded with black painted
Sioux, shooting across the water TO intercept our
train | was glad to feel that the canoe, filed
with Indians, was imaginative, while the island.
with few sparse willows GROWING its sand. was
the reality. ! have never had much of a desire
to trust myself in the hands Of the noble sly-
age, and since have seen him out Of the plain
and mountain of the novel, and as he really is
upon the Nebraska Plain and in the canons of the
Rocky Mountains as the Sioux the CHEYENNE
the Pieute and the Shoshonc, the desire is GER
ainly not strengthened Perhaps in some future
letter will pay my respects 70 these products Of
the wilderness and their brethren Of the Eastern
cities, who seem to think they are angels. only
slightly disguised with paint and blankets and
earrings while the real savage is the white set
tier, who has with malice aforethought left his |
home in the East to abuse this noble Indian by |
Offering him his wife and children to scalp hi /
stock to steal his home to burn. and his goods |
to sling about generally
In the meanwhile we will consider we haven
reached him yet but are stlll upon the lower
Platte gliding toward the first evening out from |
Omaha, which is to treat US to sight we never
expected to sea prairie on FIRE Do You
remember, dear reader, those heart moving de- |
scriptons Of burning prairies you and used
to read in the Third and Fourth Readers, in the
days long ago2 in those days when the only
level land we knew from experience was the
meadow down By the river and when a bona
fde honse-burning was so rare, that glow upon
the evening sky, telling that one was really in
progress set the teeth of us children chatter
ing and made father and mother for the next
month or two very diligent with the shutters
lest some fugitive spark from the candle-wick
might put similar glow upon the evening sky
above cur dear home? Well. one Of us at least
has seen real prairie on fire and though the
evening heavens We're aglow on every hand, tally
ing maryellously well with the descriptions in
the reader aforesaid his heart was not moved
1.-THE as much rs it was wont 10 be under the de-
scriptions. Perhaps you will say that the heart
plain has been run over with fire TOO often since
to be moved any longer as it was then guess
you are right But still it was sight always to
be remembered. The train that we met few
miles out of Omaha, had sent its sparks far and
wide upon the wings of the March gale 1t had
been time of great drought the flame kinded
easily, and was famed into fury by the wind
and 50 when we came up at evening TO the unre-
claimed prairie it was blazing away in all direc-
tons in grand style. We rode through its bord-
or several times. Whilst we felt its breath some
what hot against our faces, we noticed it did not
scorch the hoois of the animal We bestrode they
were of iron decided improvement under the
rf.,,. a.. ~ 4 =
to ride with grand dash through the flame out
upon the charred ground beyond, saved at last.
fair burden and although somewhat snged by
the fiery ordeal. After trying one way in fancy
and the other really, am Of the opinion that Of
the two had rather look upon a prairie on fire
from the window Of a Pullman car than from the
door OF my log cabin and if | am to run the
gauntlet Of the flames, bearing fair burden,
! would prefer to have said burden seated by nv
side upon a car sofa, remarking cody, &" that's
a Jolly sight, than 10 have her reclining graceful
| ly upon the pommel Of my saddle, shreking with
horror struck tones, " Save me Oh save me ln
To come right down to the level of true life. YOU
see, the safe comfortable reality is always better,
a hundred to one, than the dangerous unreal
phantasy Of the Imagination. Two months after
wards, upon our way back, we could trace the
track of the fire by the vivid green of the fresh
growing grass, while the places unburnt were
still in the sere and yellow leaf" Would it
be very far from the truth, think YOU to say that
God permits fire to sweep across the plains Of the
heart to bring about in our lives similar results
a newer iresher growth Of loy1 to Him and to his
child, our brother man
! But returning to our route, we find that the
light Of Monday morning comes to US as we are
about leaving the plain and coming up among
the Buttes Of the upper part of the South Platte
The Buttes are moderately high, very precpitous
bluhs, running sometimes parallel, sometimes
directly at right angles with the river, now dwin-
died to small, rapidly flowing stream The as
pect OF the country has changed, and decidedly for
the worse. Everything has a hard, sterile look
We have left far behind the thriving and enter
prisng town. We meet now only railroad sta
tions aboutwhich gather few rough cabins to ac-
commodate the worknen upon the road, and few
traders. There is now never farm house to be
seen. Nothing breaks the monotony of the scene