The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-10-29
A Ride Into the Country.

. tildt itdssliit sCnOOi iOust. vi
in Lincoln ton nship. sixteen miles northeast
and wanted our company. The afternoon
was pleasant, the team, with its bright new
harness, looked fresh. and-we we couldn't
q Withstand the temptation, but with no more
n ado we just jumped in.
# Our way was up Chisholm valley. Scram-
bier and Rattler-the names Of the nays that
haul his sheriil-hip a5out-jogged leisurcly
along aud, editor like, we naturally took notes
OF the fields, houses, Improvements. hay
stacks and the like. OF to the east of us and
upon the other bank of the creek we noted
the farms of Devore, Kendle and Alli,ton. all
I, on the valley, and Mr. Watson's place on an
: elevation or roll beyond Green wheat fields
and large hay ricks seemed to predominant
Passing Mr.. Whitworths place, which al
ready commences to assume home-iikc air.
We wound around the fields of Robert Dun
can, whose hedge looked very promising and
who evidently must have harvested some corn
in spite OF grasshoppers. \ little TO the north
and west OF the road, upon The high bank OF
the creek, stood the house of ". Il. Williams
and what is very noticeable in this country,
his bank barn. The fruit trees of Mr. W.
looked thrifty and his large field OF wheat as
green Us green could be. Here the country
began to gently swell up from the fat valley.
The places of Jackson and Dennis, who both
must be farmers, indicated thrift and fore
handedness. The young fruit and forest trees.
the hedges, the wheat fields. and even the old
corn fields, told Of labor and pains To the
right Of MIR. Dennis, and the road, some one is
\ M. ipsrf 10 ..it ton, -.
name we did not get. We We're now about
| eight miles from home on the divide between
Little river and Whitewater Wichita was
just visible far down the valley. her white
houses family shimering in the long hazy dis
| lance; TO the east the autumn foliage of the
| Whitewater arrested the vision with tints of
red and gold,wbile away, away still farther and
| farther dimly outlined in faint though SOM
| bre hue, dusk and dun. on the western hori-
| ZOn was the streak of timber that Swallowed
the flowing waters of the great Arkansas
river. Here and there was pale autumn
flower by our wayside; and now and then the
lonesome lay of forlorn cricket, disturbed
by our, to him, untimcly drive, while the soft
gories OF an Indian summer sun rested
quietly over aputting us into a dreamy reyey
which might have resulted in something /
worthy OF print had not Massey nudged u,
with his elbow and asked us to notice what a !
splendid stopper Scrambler was. The old /
gray was reaching out wonderfully and our
readers will agree with Us that there must be |
| something extraordinary about the sheriff.
team when we tell them that we made the
whole sixteen miles inside Of four hours and |
forty-five minutes. But you needn't let on to
Massey that we said anything about it for he
sets world OF store by that team and new
harness. team which has broken its sixty
acres Of sod during the summer
Just before we reached the fifth parallel our
attention was attracted by big field Of castor
beans, raised by Mr.. Kane. The crop was
still a dark green and had not been affected by
the two or three light frosts. Just as We
crossed the fifth parallel our attention was
called to the home and improvements Of sam
uei III. Bragg, who although coming TO this
country without anything save his hands and
pluck will soon have a fine and valuable place
Lincoln township is delightfully."- located
The land is rich and just rolling enough to be
attractive. We reached the home of l. n
Woodcock a little after sunset,--we might ,
have reached it ten minutes sooner had not
the tugs of Scrambler and Rather both come
loose upon the same instant at the bottom of
a rayine. His wheat like that of hls neigh
bors promises splendidy. But what particIl-
larry attracted us about Mr.. W. : farmswas his
hedges and large number of fruit trees, all
cared for and kept clean they should be.
He has built, but not yet finished, a very COM
Portable frame house. From his place many i
line farms and improvements can be seen dot !
ting the prairie in every direction. We fell a
in love with Lincoln township and we con- j
clude from what we saw of her people and {
improvements that in six or eight years it will
be heard from. We had hardly time to look |
around Us before Mrs. Woodcock announced
supper, and such a supper, just exactly fitted '
to the tastes of hungry men--cold roast chick
en-, pig, good coffee, sweet bread and butter +
sauces and the ctceteras. We ate, enjoyed c
and were thankiul-we speak now for Massey
and Stanley, too. t
The meeting at the school house was a sue |
cess. DIR. Allen and Judge Little had arrived
before us-they didn't start for an hour after j
We did, which Scrambler and Rather don't :
lnow TO this day-the school house was lam
ul, aisles, door and all One side of the |
house was filed with the ladies of Lincoln.
who had accompanied lovers husbands and I
brothers. The meeting was success in every
particular The taismanic name of Lincoln o
nay have something TO do with il. but we
;cnture that Lincoln township will prove true c
o the republican party so long As that party
proves true to itself. {
The ride home 10y bright moonlight was
without incident, save we were left in the bed
,f East Chisholm. nigh unto midnight or a u
title thereafter. by those tugs coAing sudden u
y unhitched again; Scramblor and Rather II
continuing on np the bank with the sherif's II
1ortiy form paving the ground and ne holding =
III to the lines.
In this ride of sixteen miles We passed five
neat white frame school houses. Lees summit. u
sunny Dale. Fair View. White Cotton and u
Pleasant Ridge. And this In a country of four II
'ears settlement Any resident or owner of =
and upon that route who i. not proud of his u
possession, or who lacks faith in the country =
'ught TO leave the country. or join the beg =
n its favor or picture too highly its natural
'eauty and richness. VI
Mr.. J. :. McCulley. we incidcntiy learn. is is
building large and cummoliou. hrir,, resi- i,