The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-12-07
Correspondence VIRGINIAN.l
SOUTHERN KANSAS, Nov. s 1888


EST RAILROADs-MoU
Correspondence VIRGINIAN.l
SOUTHERN KANSAS. Nov. 5, 1882.
Those people who, from reading of the vas
prairie lands of Kansas. have imbibed the lde,
that this is a flat, ironed out country, like mucI
of Illinois and Indiana, will be greatly sur
prised on coming here. There are parts O
! Northern Illinois which resemble Kansas; so
too, does the northwestern portion of Indiana
notably that part in the vicinity of La Porte
But there are no Jersey flats here; no places
whele one can travel day after day with the
same broad stretch Of leYel country, unbroken
by elevation or timber line; nothing of that
irritating monotony which would drive a
woman reared in the mountainous countries
into desperate home-sickness. The poet who
sang of the pioneers wife, picturing her stand
ing in the low doorway of his log cabin, shad-
ing Ter eyes with her hand as she looked out
OF home-sick, hungry eyes across 1.-THE endless
stretch of sun Drowned grass, to where, like a
dim, shadowy line, the heavens seemed to
touch the earth" did not find his inspiration
| in Kansas.
He may have found the hone SICK woman. +
| have seen some of them myself; for however
tickle The sex may be, they do not transplant
soreadily as do men. .Tbeyscannot shake off
the old ties of kindred and friends and assoeia-
tions as quickly, and they have less TO help
| them to do so.
Ing nn'o -. ini'''oas -. 'f'lli9
pesloe '.e ~ ~ '"I on1s III oiu
vermont or those, III VI sli.ia' Mnere me
corn mas ~ n'u on ~ n;a ~ se's i.s
| charming diversity to the landscape without
| increasing the labolS of those who till the
| soil
was unaoeto CON my Jump " aulnl anon up
TO place where IL wouIu enaoie me 70 appre-
clate the oeauties Oh oroao' unprohen west,
ern pralrle' 40 no, me W see 700 hlucn all
at one look. IKE the pressure OF antlcipa-
tion-something mpossiole TO nave II the
whole feast, from soup 10 tooth-picKs' is spread
befare you at once, nave !eit the gray mars
IN my head turning Drown WIN pressure When,
after a soJourn Id prairie Guy, nave iound
| myself Whlrllng down between Inc lovely
Kentucky hills where the famous Short
Line" finds lis way 30 am happlly dlsap-
| pointed in the topography OF the county here,
| because, when expected dreary ieVel nnd
the trolling pralries, which, IN places, remind
me OF the ocean as nave seen Il When ashed
into fury by tremendous storm. IEere are
the same gracefui lines as the laad rises ike
the swell OF great wave; the salne curves De-
tween the swells, only they sweep out into
crest of one swell there is always the longing
to go on to the next, Just to see what lies be-
yond," said a woman to me the other day, and
we went on to the next and the next, only to
find that, like the panoramic views which
gradually unfold before ones eyes, each sum-
NIT, gained gave US another lovely picture
The sky and the clouds are Ike New Eng
land-so like that catch myself trying to find
the darkly wooded SIDES OF the dear OLD Green
Mountains. new England SKY IN Septem-
Der is as if amethysts and emeralds and tur-
quOise had been melted together, giving that
color which is not the blue we know SO well,
neither the beWllderlng purple haze, but
color altogether Understandable and beautiful
beyond the power OF words to paint. just
such a sky have seen mere IN southern Kan
sas, fecked here and there with changeful,
fleeing Clouds which might nave born OF the
sea foam, SO milky were They.
At some points the country is broken, the
hlile aeSuliinS - - U'oS
ceS whore moat Witch can feed countless MN
hers 10 "a he tattennd
Wberaver I INV. bcen tI.ere EXISTS what is |
known 90 an onnds wi icg,,,ra NV flat shane
W. hills nsnallv crowniuo other hills These |
e,nonndS soon frnm a distance resemble i'm
mense Grain stacks. SO uniform are thew in
sbane and thev furnish landmarks. for the Guild |
ance Of travellers who do not know which of |
the numerous roads 10 follow. They have
neither tree hush nor shrub upon them: moth |
inc onlv the native Grass and now and then
clnmn of wild supfiowers. la some instances
I have seen trees growing at their feet and I |
know now that in such places there was a |
stream of water, Tor the trees in Kansas hug
close to the streams, and every water course |
can be definitely traced as far as it can be |
seen by the trees growing along the banks
casionally the walnut
This feature adds much to the beauty of the
landscape. The many. streams go winding
about on their ZigZng WAYS sometimes almost |
surrounding some little town, the broad belt |
of green through which is often seen the |
swiftly flowing stream giving to the place the !
appearance of standing in the midst of large |
park In towns where shade trees have been |
put out extensively the effect is wonderfully |
picturesque
HOW pEop1.E LIVE
% ol:en r mas 'ie wal VI poveI1y gone ioItn
nun sn!s p.aeo' was quile i n tne
iianiioe0 VII c ~ "n'on 1oI ~ oi'on' An7io
orc eolie i 1.rl SUI ''ns "noio 'liey
conilienoeu me neie ou' iai iiioie nave nioveu
lnto Gonliof'aD 1 anu III llaiy INSTANCES, ere
sant .ohiesc Neai.y ovoly lalnl nous9 - III
Iho hlus' VI SMUT 'ieee, WI pedcn anu apps
1880 49, - ~ ' $1,000! Ao'--N'
Vi 1 prospeiley.
the i,laJol'y vi NahSSs iaiLuers are SeGtlng
out Vi .lie pohuase VI een., WHICH, III oeate
Mhere 1ue iegai ia'e VI ln'eles. ~ WE'VE per
cene' per annull' anu "hGle' ny ohe aw Vi
supply anu uenianu' nlen nave oeen apie 70
eAacC iioll ni.eeu w Swe1'y -iour per cenC. Is
tn III very much 70 ne ueslreo.
mere are lnen here-l We seen "a a rev OF mem
~" ~ VIII hG T,, NC oul VI ueot. !Iey woulan
anywhere. 51ey are always waiting lor some
one W ule anu leave tnelh money W see tneh
even WIN the Woridand owing 10 mlsunder-
stanoing Oh the par Oh ffoVidehce tne thlng
ooesn happen I've olIen l., tnougnt il aavlce
were noe 50 cneap'l "oulu IKE 10 suggest Inas
they uevo'e Ile enersy .hey ekpeho III cursihg
tne country inc pohliclahs lno ralirotos anu
thelr luck, 10 tenulng strictly 10 aoor tnaI mas
market Vaiue' anu tney might DC spared Ghe
uoleiuI WORK ni peihg forever taKlng some
ones measure lor coma
sonms tn ba disnosition IN tho mort of tho
queen bees and workers to freeze them out"
SO 70 SPEAK. ruolic OPINION does not encour'
age loleness' nor does IL add 10 the grlevous-
ness OF poverty oy lro"hing upon the unfor-
tunate livery man mas chance TO make the
most OF nlmseii anu his opportunities, ana TO