The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-02-28
2uiscellaneous.
IOUR FROM THE VEST.

A lady sends us the following letter with a
request to publish.-EDs.
M Dear E-:-The following sketch of my
return trip from the West will not be painted
in such glowing colors as | could wish, for, in
stead of coming in the beautiful and balmy days
of June, or in the bright and bountiful Autumn,
we are called to our home in Maryland in the
rainy, unsettled and altogether disagreeable
days of April.
We-my mother and had been spending
the Winter in Wnona. This is city of be-
tween nine or ten thousand inhabitants, situa-
ted on the Mississippi, and the third in import
ance of Minnesota. We were now about to un-
dertal1e journey OF some twelve hundred miles
east, via Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul route.
Therefore, Notwithstanding the pouring rain
of the night a day previous, we sailed forth
at midnights dreary hour from the Huff House,
accompanied to the depot by several intimate
friends. Norah, too, our hired Hibernian, was
of the party, and to bear US company to Chicago.
Alter tiresome, and it seemed almost endless
waiting, for the tardy, belated train, we were
at last miorably ensconsed in our car, and
with an introduction to DR.. -, who was a
resident of Winona,-and destined to Milwau-
kee-we were left alone with each other. The
train moving slowly along we gaze out into the
blackness and darkness Of stormy night and
know-though we cannot see-that we are
cautiously crossing the majestic Mississippi.-
iortably as may be for sleep. Soon-it almost
seemed too soCn for q realty-dayight came
streaming in, not bright and cloudless as we
could wish, still not raining.
The cars came to a stand and portage City !"
was sonorously announced. The Doctor sleep
lily makes his appearance, and gallantly offers
himself as my escort to breakfast. My mother
being too great an invalid to leave the car on
such brief and hurried excursions, Norah at
tends TO having their coffee taken in to them,
we, in the meantime, find ours very refreshing
in the breakfast room.
Here we noticed some of the most ludicrous
as we'll as pitiable specimens OF the Red man
we had yet encountered. Their decorations
were of the gaudiest hue, with much jewelry,
particularly ear rings, some having as many as
three rings in one ear. But our twenty minutes
are now up and we are speeding along across
Wisconsin, everything exceedingly dreary and
monotonous, the gloomy day, of course, adding
much to the cheerlessness of the aspect. We
reached Milwaukee late in the afternoon. Here
we all left the car and had rest and refresh
ments. Milwaukee is the largest and most i'm
portant city in the State, mum bering about IT,
469 inhabitants. After bidding the Doctor
final farewell we again resume our onward
Journey. A disagreeable northeast rain set in
as we left the city, about five o'clock p M, Civ
ing promise of another gloomy, cherries night.
But on we sped after our whistling, fiery, iron
steed, through meadows, across bridges, past
some thrifty village, on, on until glimpse of
Lake Michigan is had. The railroad runs for
miles on the border of this beautiful lake, and
l wish might picture the charms of its placid
waters as viewed on previous occasion-when
the sun was just setting and the gorgeous tinge
of purple and gold which emblazoned the cloud
less sky and was reflected upon the ripping
surface of the lake made it a scene of exquisite
De@uty aud su rliuii iky. fyVW, hvv esel, "saPped
in sombre twilight, and known to be an expanse
of water only by the fitful lights from the nu-
merous schooners and water craft dotted over it.
The rain still continued to plash dismally
against the window pane, creating an intense
longing for the change we knew could not now
be far distant, the many lights together with
the slow motion of the train proclaim our en-
tree into Chicago. Slowly, slowly we creep
along, finally the depot is reached, now almost
eight o'clock p. M, darkness has settled down
upon the world, the storm still unabated. We
make our way to the platform, and such crowds
of passengers, such crowds of friends coming to
greet them, such hosts of porters, carriage and
omnibus men, and ISLANDERS by. No friendly
face to bestow glance of recognition upon us,
however. so we quietly take our places in cab
for the Sherman House, where we were glad to
find comfort and cheer. How welcome to the
weary traveller is place of rest and doubly
so it was to us after travelling four hundred
tiresome railroad car.
Chicago is a busy rapidly growing and enter
prising city, numbering not less than $4,000
Inhabitants. Being built on an extensive
prairie, there is no digging away hills, no blast
ing of rocks, no filling of valleys to be done 5
nature has graded its surface upon which houses
seem to grow as rapidly as the grass. The
streets are wide and Michigan Avenue, on the
lake, and many others are finely built; and
hot ind n
the true character of the moving spirits OF the
"Garden City," are its nobly conceived public
improvements, its substantial public buildings,
its school houses, and its churches, which are
built in the most conspicuous and frequented
places. We know that Chicago is one of the
great throughfares through which the tide
westward pours; but to have any just idea of
immigration west, one must look upon the
masses of human beings which crowd those
long trains of cars and the large boats which
ply those lakes and rivers
On Tuesday morning we took the nine o'clock
train over the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and
Chicago road. A light snow was now falling,
but turned to rain again in a few hours. We
looked upon Illinois praries,-"God's pastures
fenced by the STOPPING sky,"-and passed
through the immense forests of Indiana; saw
log houses and cabins in abundance, but all
generally giving promise of being eventually
fine country, for the land is being very rapidly
brought under cultivation. The continued
rains had now overhowed the level plains,
causing US no little fear Of detention for the
track was submerged for miles and miles in
many places. There are handsome towns along
the entire line of this road, both in Indiana
and Ohio, among which we noticed Fort Wayne,
Mansfield, Crest;ne and Alliance. At Fort
Wayne, one of the most important, we halted
for dinner; then with puff and whiz we are
off again. The country through Ohio is beau
tiful, made beautiful by farms we'll cultivated, !,
large, handsome towns and villages, and gem
eral appearance of thrift and enterprise which
are never found only among people of intelli-
gence and virtue.
Nothing occurred during the day to essen
TALLY mar our comfort or pleasure. There are
always little discomforts in travelling which, if
persons are disposed to fret about and be annoy
ed by, will cause unhappiness, but there is
usually enough to amuse and an admirable OPP
portunity to study human nature, SO it is far
better to take the jolts, elbowings and crowdings
as they come and be content How we do en-
Joy having pleasant people about us as we'll as
agreeable surroundings. This feeling was truly
exemplified now as night drew on and one OF
the gentlemen passengers brought US small
leaf table, with which the car was supplied, and
suggested the idea of our having our supper
costly in the car since the rain continued stead
lily to pour; it was small courtesy, politely
ana unassumlngiy rendered, yetspoKe Volunes
in his praise, showing at once his kindly con-
sideration for his fellow-voyager. Illustrations
to the contrary were not wanting, but then the
careless and selfish are to be found everywhere.
We found our ''sleepers" very comfortable
but, "Natures sweet restorer, balmy sleep"
failed to visit us.
The "porter's" light is now seen flashing
through the car and he is announcing "Pitts-
burgw in unmistakable tones; this being q
through train, few passengers are preparing to
stop here. A nameless dread seizes us as we
find it is two o'clock a. and SO fearfully dark
Three persons stepped off the car as we did and
disappeared in the gloom. We find ourselves
at the further end of the long platform, and the
most profound solitude and darkness reigned,
dim lights cleaned, however, from the Union
Depot House, to which we had been recommend
ed, arriving at this hour. My companion be-
ing now almost overcome with fatigue and
nervous exhaustion, it is with difficulty we
make our way to and up the long fight Of stairs
into the hotel. We find the clerk at his night
ly post, inquire for rooms, and are told with
most becoming nonchalant. 'They are all taken,
the house very full" This of course was most
exasperating news. surmising, however, that
conveyances would be in waiting in front Of the
hotel, we are about to make our way in that
direction when another unfortunate-rn Je'ne
homme-who has been-fortunately for us-un-
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