The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-08-01
AT KAwsMOUTH STATION.
by HENRY KING.

He grasped my friends hand with a
cordial grip, and there was a persuasive,
proselyting look in his face as he con
tinued:
Il used TO live in Hoosierdom, and !
know how il is myself, so Ia speak
You're going TO Kansas, of course. Cor
rect, sir; correct. Let me congratulate
you. That's Kansas just across the riv-
or there"
We were in the KawsmOuth railway
station, waiting for train TO Topeka,
and this chance acquaintance was like "A
Whit of fresh air 10 us, in the sultry
strangeness of the place. He had an as
surfing countenance, slightly abated by
an equivocal little twitching at the cor.
ners of his mouth his bearing was cas-
lily familiar without being offensive; and
his voice had in il something of the
sparkle of the April sunshine that was
making gold of the cracked and dingy
station windows. Moreover, he was
quite intelligent in his way, and unique.
ly original at times and if he presumed
upon our credulity, as fear he did to
some extent, it was done so adroitly and
so graciously that no chance was left for
detection.
you'll like Kansas" lac went on
"it's the very perfection of a prairie
country-not flat, nor bOggy, but gently
swelling, with rich valleys, and slOpIng
everywhere. Eden sloped, you remem-
ber-'beautiful as the gardens of the an
gels upon the slopes in Eden And the
climate is simply celestial, if l may be
allowed the word. Do you know, the
average temperature of Kansas at the
present day is very nearly the same that
Greece enioyed when she was at the pin.
nacle of her greatness. Fact, gentlemen
sure's as my names Markley."
So saying, he took from his pocket a roll
of papers, some printed and some writ
ten; and leaving my friend to the study
of what l took to be unassailable proofs
of "the glory that was Greece" in the
weather of Kansas, l turned my own at
tention TO the young man who had been
furtively passing back and forth in front
of us as we talked, and who now stood
gazing out through the dusty east win
dow, a few steps away, with his elbow
against the wall, and his hand TO his
cheek-silent, listening and absorbed.
He was a wholesome, honest-lOoking
fellow, this young man, with frank blue
eyes and the limbs of n gladiator. Evi
IDENTIFY he was unused to the glossy black
clothes he wore, for hewriggled about in
them now and then,as if with haunting
sense of their illogicalncss; and in vari-
Gus noticeable ways he betrayed that
confessing flutter of the heart which
marks a man at once for a lover think
ing of his mistress, or criminal appre
hensive of pursuing oflicers-it is often
hard To tell which, the two are so much
alike. But lie did not leave me long in
doubt on this point, for as | walked near
him he faced about, and said, pleasantly
in answer to question concerning his
destination
"I'm not going anywhere-that is, on
the cars. I'm waiting for young wO
man. She's to be here this morning
and I'm nightly afraid she's got left al
ST. Louis. She had to change cars there
coming from Macoupin county, Illinois
One trans in from st. Louis, you know
the one you came on-and she WASN'T
on that. There's another one due al
1890, though. l reckon she'll be ON
that; but l don't feel easy about it al
all"
lie went to the door, and looked eager
ly out along the railroad track eastward
and then, returning, he added
"We'rc To he married tonight, that's
the truth of it; and we've fifteen miles tC
ride in the country after she comes. Il
would he too bad If we didn't get there
in time, with the license bought, and the
preacher all ready and tho folks waiting
and notioning about us. 1t would take
us down SO, you know. Is il much
trouble for woman to change cars by
herself at st. LOUISE
mot much" l assured him. mo
doubt her ticket was over the other road
and she'll he here, all right, when thu
train gets in"
"if she didn't get left, or if there hasn'
ish, suppose, but do you know l cam
help being shaky about it? And TIT
nearer the time comes for the train, TIT
Shaker feel do really. Things art
so uncertain, you know, specially rail
roads," and he tried to laugh, but it wa:
hollow mockery.
CHANGING towards the man Markley,
saw that he had spread out before hin
various documents, full of queer paral
lei lines and plentifully sprinkled will
figures, from which he was interpreter;
To my friend, ''Mr. Wabash" as he ha'
named him, the marvellous growth a
Kansas-"a growth which nobody wOul'
credit" he remarked, 'werc it not fO
the records, which have here in blacl
and white"
1.-The population of Kansas" he wen
an to say, "grew from one hundred thou
sand in 1860 to over three hundred ant
sixty thousand in 1870, n gain of nearl
two hundred and forty per cent. in tel
than twenty-five per cent. in the Who'll
country; and more than four fifths of
came during the latter five of those te
wears. 1t doesn't seem possible, does il
And now in 1873, the population is Gel
taInly three-fourths of u million, ut leaS
More than doubled, you see, since 1870.
He paused a minute in an exultan
way, and then adjusting his document
resumed:
There are now over five million acre
of cultivated land in the state. Nor
than three millions of il was raw prairl
eight years ago; and in 1860 less tina
half million acres had been "brOken.
And then, you must remember, the wa
had To be fought meantime, and Kansa
WAS in the red-hot of it all the Will
You may have forgotten that ut one tim
she had 10000 men in the army out Of
voting population of $4,000, and she a
tually gave more lives to the Union
proportion to the number of troops eI
gagged, than any other state"
These were indeed striking figures, "
readily agreed; and sought, with Il
best intentions in the world, to win IL
young man waiting for his sweetheart
AN interested notice of them. He WI
not looking for land. He had home
in Kansas, too. lie was telling the pa
little lady in black alpaca, who sat ne;
him, all about it; how he had pre-emptC
it five years before, and paid for il wit
two years crops, and built u snug hou.
of three rooms and a beauty of n bu
tcry;" and how the front yard was so
ded and evcrgreens put out, and wisteri;
PLANTED by the south porch. He WI
telling her, also, of the young wOms
who was to- he queen of all this, al
who was coming that morning to clai
her crown, If she hadn't got LETT, or q
cars didn't run of the track, or som
thing else didn't happen to her.
Maybe you saw her at st. Louis. ID
you notice q young woman there IN
drab gown, cut gOring, and a sleevele
Jacket, and n brown hat with two r.
roses and a bunch of wheat heads on ii
artificial, you knows That's the way $
wrote me she was going to dress"
"A smallish young woman, with lar
hazel eyes ~ asked the little lady in
paca.
ayes, yes" he replied quickly al
fondly.
II did see q person looking among I
baggage" returned the little lady in
paca. II remarked her, l remember,
account of her elegant little feet. A
your young woman's feet very small a
trim-about twos, / should sayT
He dropped his head, blushing, a
said in "A kind of hesitating undertOnt
the big, bashful, simple-thoughted
N G.s.NH