Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-09-25
Ar KAWSM0UTH STATION.
Henry King in the Atlantic Moatnly for August

FROM India did you say NV dear
sir, You have my warmest sympathy
lie grasped my friends hand with
cordial grip, aud there was per-
suasive, proselyting look in his face
as he continued :
Il used TO live at Hoosierdom, and
| know how it is myself, so to speak
You're going to Kansas, of course -
Correct, sir. correct. Let me con
graduate 1ou. That's Kansas. inst
across the river there"
We were waiting in the Kaws-
mouth Railway Station, waiting for a
train to Topeka, aud this chance ac-
quaintance was like a Whit Of fresh
air to US, in the sultry strangeness of
the place. He had an assuring coun
tenance, slightly abated by an cquiv
ocal little twitching at the corners of
the mouth his bearing was easily
familiar without being offensive and
his voice bad 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 uniquely original at times; and
if he presumed upon our creduhty, as
| fear he did 10 some extent, i was
done so adrotly and so graciously,
that no chance was lett for detection.
You'll like Kansas he went on !;
it's the very perfection of prairie
country-not fiat nor DOGGY, but
gently swelling, with rich valleys,
and sloping everywhere Eden sloped,
you remember-'beautifnl as the gar.
dens of the angels upon the slopes in
Eden And the climate is simply
celestial. if | may be allowed the
word Do you know, the average
temperature of Kansas at the present
day is very nearly the same that
Greece enjoyed when she was at the
pinnacle of her greatness? Fact, gen
,lemen, sure's my names Markley.'
So saying, he took from his pocket
roll of papers, some printed and
some written and leaving my friend
to the study of what | took to be un.
assailable proofs of the glory that
was Greece, in the weather OF Kan
sas, | turned my attention 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
window, few steps away, with his
elbow against the wall and his hand
to his cheek-silent, listening and
absorbed
He was wholesome, honest. look
ing fellow, this young man, with frank
blue eyes and the limbs of gladia.
tor. Evidently he was unused to the
glossy black clothes he wore, for Ire
wriggled about 10 them now and
then, as if with haunting sense of
their illogicalness; and in various
noticeable ways, he betrayed that con
Tossing futter of the heart which
marks a man at once for a lover
thinking of his mistress, or criminal
apprehensive of pursuing officers-it
is often hard to tell which, the two
are so much alike. But he 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 destina
ton:
I'm not going any here-that is,
on the car. Pm waiting for a Young
woman. She's to be here this morn :.
ing, and I'm mighty afraid she's got
left at St. Louis. She had to change
cars there, coming from Macoupon
county, Illinois. One trains 10 from
ST Louis, you know-the one you
came on-and she wasn't on that =
There's another one due at 1920
though. | reckon she'll be on that {;
but / don't feel easy about it at all ,
He went to the door and looked
eagerly out along the railroad track
eastward, and then returning, he
added:
sWe're 10 be married to- night that
is the truth of it; and we've fifteen
miles to ride in the country after she
comes. 1t would be too bad if we
didn't get there in time, with the Ii
cense bought, and the preacher ali
ready, and the folks waiting and no
tioning about us. 1t would take us
down so, you know Is it much
trouble for woman to change cars
by herself at ST. Louis p
Not much, | assured him. No
doubt her ticket was over the road,
and she'll be here, all right, when the
train gets in
Yes, he replied, in dubious tone,
'it she didn't get left, or if there has
not been an accident on the way. It's
foolish, suppose, but do you know
| can't help being shaky about it !?
And the nearer the time comes for
the tram, the shaker | feel; | do,
really. Things are uncertain, you
know, specially railroads. and he
tried to laugh, but it was hollow
mockery.
CHANGING towards the man Markley,
saw that he had spread out before
him various documents, full of queer
parallel lines and plentifully sprinkled
with figures, from which he was in
terpreting to my friend, 'Mr. Wa.
bash, as he had named him, the mar
velous growth of Kansas growth
which nobody would credit he re
marked, 'were it not for the records,
which have here in black and white.
The population OF Kansas he
went on to say, grew from 100000
in 1860 to over 360,0o0 in 1870, a
gain of nearly 240 per cent. in ten
years, against an average increase of
less than p per cent in the whole
country; and more than four.ftth OF
it came during the latter FIVE of these
ten years 1t doesn't seem possible,
does it And now in 1878, the pop
nlation is certainly $50, 900 at least.
More than doubled, yon see, since
1 1870
He paused minute, 10 an exultant
way; aud then, adjusting his docu-
ments, resumed
There are now over ) 900 900 acres
of cultivated land in the State. More
than 100000 Of it was raw prairie
eight years ago; and 10 1850 less
than 100000 acres had been broken.
And then, you must remember, the