Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-09-02
Womack's Letter.
For the Fayetteville Observer.

grasshoppcrs. Very little was
seen to please the mind i'll that
portion of country. The song
OF The wild birds by day and
the melodious chant Of the
katy dds by night was my on
.ly solace for forty-eiGht hours.
The lurid light of the boat cast
weird shadows on the shore,
while the red glare Of the smoke
stack burnt a hole in the dark
might. just above St. Joseph the
machinery Of the boat became
disabled, and the captain in
formed the passengers that he
would be compelled to remain
there several days for repairs.
( / did not like the boat, and took
the cars on the Kansas Pacific
railway for St. Louis. AtBruns-
wick, one hundred and eighty
miles above St. Louis, the Grand
river had washed away eight
miles of the track and it was
found impossible to go ahead.
After waiting in vain several
DAYS for the waters to subside,
! | hired q man TO take me to the
St. 10 and Hannibal railroad
| 20 miles to the north Of Bruins
wick. | made the trip on the
outside Of sixty dollar Mis-
souri, mule. What was my sur
prise or my arrival to find a
portion Of that road gone-it
having been torn away by the
Charlton river. | chewed the
cud of patience and waited
twelve days until it was re-
paired. After a long and toll
some Journey, l reached St.
Louis. | saw the great iron
and steel bridge which spans
the Mississippi there, and | am
compelled to pronounce it the
most elegant bridge which |
have ever seen, except the bridge
of a lady's nose. The crops in
central Missouri are excellent
except those in the river bot
toms. The high waters have
damaged the crops on the Mis-
souri,, the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers greatly. Most Of the
wheat in the State Of Missouri
was lost by the rains. The corn
crop in Illinois is fine indeed
wheat also good, as we'll as APP
piles and peaches in abundance.
| was much pleased with the
city of St. Louis. The streets
are lovely to the eye Of a STAN
ger. Take 14th, olive, locust,
pine, chestnut, 3rd and 4th- and
20 on block or two and you
find yourself running right
square into a cross block from
the opposite direction, or fire.
qucnly the street will end at
the foot of a shade tree or a lamp
post. After enquiring for the
Of the street and dodg-
ing around a dozen corners you
find the right way. If man
can run a steamboat in the la
ger beer which uns through the
streets, and hitch thirty engines
to a piece of bologna sausage,
he is considered a resident OF
the city. Corn, cotton and to-
bacco are very good in old Ken
lucky. except that of the latter.
which is "frenched" by too much
rain, apples in abundance, peach
es scarce. | never saw better
crops in my native State-Ten-
nessee. Fruit is scarce except
hen fruit. | would have written
you a letter from St. Louis, but
| had the ague and | shook so,
that / became bald headed and
bald cared. Old Lincoln coun-
ty is yet a good place to live in,
and her people are as hOspita-
bic as ever. | am now amongst
my old friends and relations
My heart is going pit-a-pat
wherever | go, for | see so many
young ladies with eyes like two
stars of night, and faces like
heavens bow in showers, and
ruby lips and teeth like grub
bling hoes, ears like saddle skirts,
that | feel mighty queer. Long
may they reign as queens of
beauty. May the radiant light
of our August sun and the sill
yer beams of full-orbed moon
shine in a halo of glory in the
eyes of every tom cat for the
especial benefit Of myself and
friends forever.
JOHN A. WOMACK.
-s0.--'---
HS The voters in the Uni
ted States must think for them