The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-08-14
BELLEVUE, La, THURSDAY AUGUST A. 1879

corn mere side issue. Kansas will be
the rainbow of the Union"
Wabash and both laughed, in spite
of ourselves; and Markley himself let
his face relax into broad smile as he
proceeded:
"You don't see the point, do you?
Very we'll" recovering his earnestness
of manner; "what constitutes StateP
Men-high minded ,tough-sinewed men.
And what makes such men? Wheat
bread, gentlemen-wheat bread. Corn
does for 'roughness,' 80 to speak-hogs
thrive on it-but it takes wheat to win
in the long run. Now, have no doubt
that the North finally triumphed in the
rebellion because her soldiers lived on
wheat bread. The soldiers of the South
were brave enough, but they were loose
jointed, and lacking in that finer, con-
quering strength of muscle and brain
that comes from wheat; they lived on
corn bread, sometimes on the raw corn,
you see. Granting all other things to
have been equal, this difference in diet
alone was sufficient to turn the scale.
Mind what tell you: there's destiny in
I u.
of it we'll be able to produce few years
from now! There are over 100000
acres of land yet unused in Kansas
first-class wheat land, all of it. A per
feet empire! Now, taking the present
average-about fifteen bushels to the
acre-look how many bushels this land
VIII yield in the aggregate every year,
when it all comes to be cultivated"
He sharpened his pencil to make the
calculation; but, much to his chagrin,
he had to defer it, for locomotive
whistle uttered its warning scream down
under the river-bluff, and quivering,
widening belt of steam, glittering in
the sunlight, shot up like comets tail
among the branches of the trees. The
station waiting room was vacated with
a rush. The St. Louis train was COM
ing.
1t was curious to watch the young
man waiting for his sweetheart. He
stood apart from the rest of US, at the
extreme eastern end of the station plat
form, oblivious of every thing but the
slowly approaching locomotive. Very
likely the world stood still, in his tense
thoughts, while that great, putting,
hoarse-throated thing drew itself to-
wards him over the creaking rails; for
was not she coming with it, to make
life long, glad song to himp 1t was
not strictly happy look he had, how
ever. 1t seemed rather to indicate that
sharp sense of joy which has a touch of
fear in it, and so becomes in part a
pain. And when, at length, the train
reached the platform and stopped, we
noticed that he did not hasten to the
cars, as we had supposed he would, but
walked doubtfully along the outer edge
!, of the crowd of alighting passengers,
, with strange stare in his countenance.
At last, though, she stepped out of the
rear coach, and stood there with her
. head slightly inclined and smiling. We
all knew her at a glance. And the
next moment he was by her side, and
, she had put her hand in his, and they
| were both blushing to their very ears.
: "Why, Seth" " she said.
7 elbow d'y' do, Clara!"
3 That was all there was of it; and il
8 was disappointing the spectators,
mean. No doubt the parties in inter
4 est were satisfied with it, however; anC
t how could we know what warmer
: greetings they would exchange in th'
f shade of their road through yondel
o forest?
q They had little whispered consul
: tation that we did not hear, but W
n could surmise that it related to he
trunk for presently they sought it ou
! and claimed it, and she opened it ant
n took from it certain neatly folded an
n mysterious articles, which she put to
t. gether in a little bundle and pinne
), what looked to be an apron aroun
a them. Then the trunk was handle
k over to the station agent, apparently t
b be kept until sent for, and they wake
20 briskly across the zigzag complexitv {
70 railway tracks to where the horses wer
ID impatiently waiting to carry them to th
wedding.
id We stood gazing after them from th
20 station, as they mounted their horse
" and rode up the green and inviting va
's ley-he On the housekeeping bay wit
the flowing name, and she on the brisl
ed siding chestnut sorrel, that wore Il
new saddle, and the bride gaudy wit
it blue and white ribbons. Behind the
We and about them was the bland Apr
ke sunshine; in front of them, just ov
n. the river, in the shadow of the blu
10 glowed the pink miracle of the pea'
III blossoms Somehow the scene recall
to to my mind Scott's young Lochinv
We ssfrom out of the west" and the ia
ed Ellen of Netherby Hall; and l foul
90 myself repeating. under my breath
ne They'll have fleet steeds that follow, quo
h young Lochinvar.
IN A vein of similar fancy must ha
,t. reached the heart of my friend " abas
I too; for as the happy couple crossed t
,er river bridge, and sped past the pink
mt chard, and concealing foliage, he G
la served, with an admirable smile
"It looks like the last chapter
nd some old romance!"
a "Heaven bless 'em!" said Marklt
Then the bell sounded, and we b
If tened aboard the train. A few minu
d. later we had turned our backs on KAY
20. mouth, and set our expectant faces
wards the land of ozone and the od'
". Homer sang the land where the sur