The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-05-15
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
Kansas and Texas.

l PARSONS. Aprii oVtn, 1919.
| DEAR EAGLE: We are again back 10
Kansas and within two hundred miles
of home. Our last letter was written
on steamer on the bay Of San Jacinto.
The announcement for dinner cut short
. nice description that we were work.
ing up. The description was failure,
but the dinner on that boat was not.
From Galveston to Houston by water
IL ninety miles; fifty across the bay of
Galveston, ten across the bay of san
Jacinto, and thirty up Buffalo bayou.
Buffalo bayou is not as wide as the
Little Arkansas, hut it is thirty feet
deep. Most of the time our big steam
er rubbed both banks, while the limbs
Of the cypress. live oak, pine and mag
nolia continually brushed the vessel.
The ride up the bayou this Sunday
afternoon was a strange ind wild ex-
pericnce. The waters are full of large
fish, and are the home Of the alligator.
The dense foliage upon either bank,
hung with air-moss, rendered the scene
ghostly and supernatural in the ex-
tremc, relieved only by one feature.
Its banks are lined with the magnolia
tree, the buds and blossoms of which
are pure white. The tree is Of brittle
wood, and attains immense size and
strength. Its blossoms are as large as
a mans hat, the petals resembling deli
cate wax work. The buds are about
the size Of goose egg, and of the same
shape. Their fragrance is truly Won
dcrful. For thirty miles we sat in the
pilot house watching and studying this
almost tropical scenery. Night found
us at Houston, where delegation Of
the Texas legislature were awaiting us
with formal invitation to visit Aus
tin, their capital, San Antonio and
Corpus Christi. but our faces were set
for our homes in less cnervating cline.
From eating too much fruit, schrimps,
crabs, fish, oysters, etc, or the ride
upon the gulf. had done the business
for many of our party, who were wan-
dering listlcssly around with vacancy
in their eyes, their hands pressed tight
ly below their belts, and longing for
home and mother in deep groans. The
solons of Texas and their capital was
not to be thought of. Our sleeper,
which we had chartered, stood ready
upon side track. We got our women
and baggage aboard, and were soon
whirling away for the north.
We have forgotten whether we men,
toned in our formrr letters anything
of the vegetables of the south. Green
peas were just going out. All kinds of
garden ''truck" filled the markets.
New potatoes were just coming in.
Corn was tasseling on the island of
Up about Houston it was
waist high. The season, they claimed,
was a month late.
Monday morning breakfast found us
in central Texas. All Of our party had
recovered and were feeling better for
the ordeal through which their stom-
achs had passed. The next evening we
took supper at Dennison. Tuesday
found us crossing the north
ern line of the Indian territory, and to-
day noon we are awaiting here at Par
SONS the train that will take us to EN-
poria and Topeka tonight. We will
start for Chicago on Thursday from
where business calls us. If
not too much hurried, will try and dot
down some of the observable differ
enccs between the extreme south and
the north. Next Tuesday we are to
meet with the normal board of regents
and, if nothing should happen, will be
ut Wichita and home by the last of the |
week.
But for fear Of crowding ont more
important matter, we should have
written more extensively of our trip |
south. Upon the whole it was grand
success, and il is gratifying to know
that the relations established between
our Galveston friends and some of the |
of Kansas were of the |
most pleasant possible nature, and that
both entertainers and entertained will |
cherish the most grateful remembrance |
of the visit. Our estimate Of Texas,
upon the whole, would stand about SO:
Northern Texas in appearance is very
much like Southern Kansas. with some
more timber. but of the same character: |
short grass, light soil, with clay sub
soil water good and quite abundant.
Central Texas is very beautiful, with |
prairie and timber about equally dis
tributed: timber of better character:
soil most like the divide between the /
Arkansas and Walnut rivers; well set /
tied with good homes and good i'm
provemcnts. Southeastern Texas is !
low and fiat good only for stock, and
not desirable country in which to
live: full of bayous. heavy timber and
sicklv. AS whole il is a wonderful
state, as far as we have been permitted
to see. aud as whole is only excelled
by Southwestern Kansas.
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