The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-07-01
OUR SHORT LINZ.

OUR SHORT LINZ.
10 the Editor Of the Dallas IIeraldl
10 New York IN II hurry Having
fully done our duty by the Morgan line
In days past and 10y the Pioneer road
more recently, we felt bound To try our
'short llno' and accomplish our jour
ncy IN the least possible time. We
Texas folks are growing strangely IN.
dependent. We were almost inclined
20 rub our eyes and pinch Ourselves to
see II we ARE not dreaming when we
sit down TO see what route we should
take when we want 10 20 north. Ner-
| ily we have u choice now, and choice
that Is hard TO make, all ways are 80
pleasant and 30 speedy. 80 up the old
familiar Houston, Henderson and Gal
weston road TO Houston, aud then over
the Great Northern, the smoothcst,
and best appointed road In the state,
through the pine forests with their
sweet resinous fragrance breathing
over iis, past saw mills, springing up
every few miles and forming n nucle-
Gus for thriving towns, and pointing
out grand industries In the future. We
connect promptly with the Texas and
Pacific road, and our beautiful Pullman
IL taken on and we need not pick up
our bundles TO change cars. On through
the towns Of Marshall andJellerson, past
farms with grain already waiting for
the reapers, with cotton hardy and
thriving, with corn already "a foot high,
| on through hill and dale, with warmth
and sunshine, and such n wonderful
pr0fusion Of flowers on every hand that
the whole seems like one vast flower
garden. On through that strange
wierd, Sulphur lake" where we trav-
81 by water nearly two miles, and yet
see trees and vines growing in the
midst Of IT. on TO TeXarkana, where
we nre lifted up bodily and one ear,
which already Is growing home-like,
has It's trucks changed, and we are
ready TO travel on'a broader guagc, al
ready far on our way to 81. Louis. a
word of TeXarknna before we leave II.
II il, rs most Texas people know, the
youngest, the thrvinglst, and toughest
town In the state, but no longer may
We dare to call II the wickedest. Tex
arkana has become reformed. There
has spasm of righteous anger passed
over the place, which resulted in the
election of the numerous roughs and
thieves which have been infesting it..
Having no organized law, the citizens
became law unto themselves, and
one day, when some ofthe desperadoes
had taken an old man from the train
and robbed him of all his money, they
gathered and compelled them to return
1t, and then gave them short notice
to quit, under penalty of shorter line
than the Cairo and Fulton. To the
leader they gave u mule, and the in
junction to quit the town In fifteen
minutes. The reply was, che didn't
want three, if the d.-n mule didn't
buck" SO TeXarkana, ifnot exactly II
virtuous town, is trying to be rs vir-
tuous rs il can he.
We We're not throngod with passen-
gers for the Little Rock troubles had
scared some travellers, but when we
gllded into the fine depot Mt one o clock
in the night, and we looked out into
the quiet and beautiful night, ii was
very hard to believe we were near any
point that had been the scene of strife.
There is some beautiful scenery on the
Iron Mountain road. We leap over
clear, beautiful streams, such MS only
flow from the everlasting hills, streams
clear MS crystal, leaping over rocks or
lying still NJ dream in deep pools,
making the anglers fingers itch for u
rod, that he might get out and entice
the finny inhabitants from their cool
depths. On through the iron country,
past beautiful mountain ridges crop
ping out with rich ore, and crowned
with the richest coloring OF spring.
We pass through some enchanting
towns and villages, some of them wor-
thy indeed, to bear the title Of "Arca-
dia," rs we look on our check and
find the name. We are nearing st.
Louis now, the city we love, and are
80 proud of and the evidences of
wealth and enterprise multiply as we
fly along. On time. We are in st.
Louis ut six o'clock, In the evening, in
good time to look out for familiar OBJ.
Jects and in good time to make con-
nection with our eastward bound train.
We are 10th to leave our Pullman
car, which has been our home for two
nights and days, and where we have
had comfort by day and luxurious rest
by night. We are less comfortable
now because more crowded, but we
sleep the sleep of the just, and glide
swiftly ON.
We meet in the daylight some old
friends, and we chat and laugh, and
the time runs away and another day
and night are gone, and the next
morning we awaken amid the beauti-
full scenery of the spurs of the Catskills.
Now indeed our hearts are thrilled
with the grandeur and rejoieed with
the beauties which reveal themselves
ut every turn. The road winds around
the base of the mountains and leaps
over the Susquehanna, which is wash
ing their feet the mists of morning lie
upon the hills, and the sunlight gilds
theirtops, the scenery is tenderand new
er now, and the tints are softer and less
vivid than oursouthern coloring, but the
tender, pale greens, the grey swelling
buds, the deep somber evergreen, the
red and brown leaves of the sprouting
oaks all form n picture of exquisite
tinting, such ms would distract a pain
ter. Then, when the mists rolled up
and the sunlight flooded the hills,
the glory and beauty We're indescriba-
bic. | knew one who lived amid the
solitude of the mountains for two years
entirely without human companions
ship. 81 was never lonely" he said,
''and every morning and evening We're
as new and fresh to me as IL it had
been newly created.n l did not under
stand It then, but rs looked out that
morning, remembered and under.
stood. At half.past one we were in
New York. What Is 1t, or why is it,