The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-01-27
RY RAIL.
..Frvn, Lands OF SNOW to Lands Of sun,
with u Glance ut Cairo. Memphis 1ach-
eoH and yicksburg.


] had been luxurating for nearly TWO
yseks in Ottawa, the longest at any one
time that had been of the rail in nearly
ten yelts. But a, last the time came when
had to go, and leave the country OF foxes
and fox hunters for the greaser ana the
mockinc bird. As the train passen
through Rutland, scanned the bluffs IN
the vicinity OF Sam PARIS, expecting to see
the "psck" and sam with the young fox
hunter out for an airing, (N but they were
not to be seen. SO | settled down in a
seat and began to ponder over the long
tourney was about TO undertake AT q
rough estimate nearly ten thousand miles
of travel before would again reach the
prair,e state. But wha, Is ten thousand
miles in this age Of the nineteenth cen
fury, when steam and electricity have made
a thousand miles as but step? Ana
when the Keely motor is In running ORDER
who knows but ten thousand miles VIII be
considered even less. When that time
comes. what boom the spirit OF progress
will have. Then 1t will be common
thing Tor the ChIcagoans to say, 81 have
IA engagement in Frisco tomorrow l
think will take that evening train which
will get me there for breakfast" Or IN
cur day we may hear the New Yorker
say, "Buslness of importance calls me to
Chicago; l will take the late train and
breakfast in that city by the lake" And
then should the voice Of The people de-
nand change in the adminis'ration--as
indicated by the last elcction-a few drops
Of water IN this new motor, change OF
engineers, and presto the whole govern
meet train goes spinning of INTO some
other section of the country and we have
new administration in less than no time.
But all these things crowd uppernost IN
10y thoughts while journeying from the
lands OF snow to lands OF sum- or to meet
'lovcliest summer robed IN green" as
some writers say of the south, when visit
ing it for the first time. But first impress
SONS are like first love, apt to be delu-
sIye. And yet, sometimes We are mistaken
IN this. | once heard mature and ex-
pefienced belle say that she had learned
more from her first dtdsre da coar than
nom any OF her numerous subsequent ex-
periences. So in the same way a tourists
first impressions Of a new country may be
worth more on account of their freshness
than the observations OF those IN whom
familiarity has bred indifference. Almost
any traveller feels more competent to write
sp country In book after days sojourn
than after a longer stay. But these are
only fleeing impres slons iolted down for
the benefit OF the readers Of the FREE
TRADER while the writer il enjoying the
luxury of u Pullman palace car. And now
VIC reach the city at the end OF the bridge
ST. Louis. II is not the sunny south,
NOR even chip from Its ragged edge, and
ST we arc TO Judge from feeling and APP
pearance, the whole business must DO
turned round and We are journeying to-
wards the north pole. Cold Whew! 1t
seems like Greenland's icy mountains,
with hail, rain and snow, and the ther
llometer way below the goose egg point.
Bat we thank our stars that our stay IN st.
Louis is Of short duration, and 1t may be
we'll TO state that 1t could not have been any
too short IN that dead town. Taking the
evening train on the Cairo short line We
reached Egypt" now called Cairo. In time
for breakfast, where We found the natives all
shook up. shall never forget my first
visit TO Cairo. II was along in spring
time, and the evee had given way and
flooded the town. II looked like a city on
s..l.s or RATS. AS the train drew towards
the station, l could see families pcrched
ON the roofs of their houses and going
grmly out upon the ocean like scene be-
lore them. In another place man WAS
padding 4 raft from his house 70 the
barn with food for his stock u. another
point the cows and hogs stood on knobs
high and dry, while of IN an opposite d..
rectiOn families were preparing TO vacate
their homes on a raft But this time il
was the reverse. The weather was colder
than "St Agnes Eve" and even a sheet Of
the beautiful had shrouded the landscape,
The natives always seem TO be in trouble,
and this time they were "all shook up" to
use the expression Of a denizen Of the
town. They experienced five second
shock of earthquake some time during the
night, the effects of which took away their
appetite for breakfast.
We left Cairo, crossed lne OHIO, and |
landed over IN Old Kentucky. 1t was
damp and cold; a mist was falling from
leaden sky in the fields lean cows Rugged i
the shelter Of barns and fences, and at the
station lean Kentuckians shivered, with |
their hands in their pockets. The few Wis |
IDLE geese that we saw stood on one leg |
and warmed the other, as only goose
can. But what strong resemblance BE
tween these anscrine mOnspods and the
human bipeds who stand motiOnless look !