The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-01-29

almost, and while the anxious crowd
of passengers was watching the last ef-
/ iurt that was 10 make the channel free
from rhore TO shore, the sea ice above
| broke loose and the passage of the
J river was abandoned. The passengers
talked very aflectionately about the
! icc gorge, and scattered out to find rest
ing places. We sought the Lindell,
and found it not only one Of the best
hotels in the west, but also found that
Mrs. Caupcc g. Hairy knew just how
| TO do il.
ANYTHING that might be said of the
wheat crop at any point on the line
from Wichita to Fort Wayne could be
said of the crop at any other point.
We saw great deal of fall wheat, and
not one field that was not in excellent
condition. Should the latter part of
the season be as favorable as the early
part, the yield of wheat through Cen
trail Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio will be unusually large.
In many parts of Illinois, scattered
about over well-kept farms, we saw
nanv Of the great sources Of Wichita's
! business life and energy-the long
horned Texans, looking as much out
of place among their short, sleek Dur
ham cousins as some unwashed Kaw
would be in the parlors and society of
somc of Caucasia's upper tendon.
At jacksonville We stepped upon the
platform TO let better view of the
place, and somehow got left;'' SO we
concluded to do the city, and know
something about it. Ii is remarkable,
among other things, a. having been
the home of those two intellectual
giants, Dick Yates and Stephen a..
Douglas. and at the time Of my sight
seeing The muddiest hole, and, in that
respect, the most disagrceablc place in
Christcndom. just at this time one
day Of Wichita's good roads would
transport Jacksonville citizens to
Elysium. During the muddy season
(six months, unless frozen.) these roads
are bottomless, $50 they say" We
STAYED in Jacksonville one day, and
then sought the depot through sea of
mud and slush. jacksonville may be
a delightful place in the summer, but
in the winter il is strange with how
few regrets n stranger can leave its
muddy streets and almost impossible
pavements to loose himself in silent
rcveric in the berth Of some sleeping
coach, or entertain himself by forcing
into conversation some one of the vast
mixed multitude who, on missions of
pleasure, health and business, 60
"riding on the rail-
After leaving Jacksonville we 60
dashins away through one of the most
fertile and prosperous portions of llli-
nois, and, excepting the Arkansas val
ley, the finest country between Colo
RADIO and the Atlantic.
Ouc vi t:iC III CT VIC saw oitCi
passing the state line between Illinois
aud Indiana was large pile Of hoop
poles at a village. The village was
small and insignificant in itself, and
might have been in any other state as
well as in Indiana--in fact, might have
been out of any state altogether, but
that huge pile of hoop poles told just
as plainly as the voice of the conduc-
tor which had announced estate line"
as we passed into the land of Hoosier-
dom, just where we were, for il may
be stated as matter Of fact that the
hoop pole is just as certainly indicative
of the back woods autocrat of ''lnji-
ANY, as ''hog and hominy" is of The
sguallid inhabitants of the Missouri
bottom. Eut this is said without dis
arrangement TO either, for hoop poles
must be cut. and hog and hOminy must
be eaten, and We suppose there will be
somebody 10 discharge these duties as
long as there is money in the one and
health and happiness in the other.
We had been desiring to see live
Hoosicr at his home, and as the sure
indication of his presence doomed up
before us, our curiosity was gratified,
and making resting place of our seat,
improvising our overcoat into pillow
and throwing our lap robe over us, we
passed out into the land of dreams,
until, two hours afterwards, a voice
calling Fort Wayne-change cars for
Pitt sburg," aroused us from siumber,
and as the cold winter wind came rush
ing in upon us we gathered our wrap
pings more closely and passed out into
the falling snow. This is the first place
we have seen any snow of consequence
and As we understand it is much hcav
Ter east, and as another one hundred
mile ride will bring us home, we ex-
pcct before the close of another day TO
enjoy our first sloigh ride in four years
and speed away over the beautiful
snow at The merry music Of the jung
ling bells. GENE.