Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-05-31
WILLIAM BIssELL, Editor.
A JAUNT TO AND FROM OLD
MEXICO.
Special Correspondence.

casiOnally broken by ledge OF sand
stone; the bed of dry river on our
right, with banks here and there blurred
by stunted cottonwoods; sombre sky
and melancholy moaning of the winds
were the depressing influences that
ushered us into a new state. But i'm
previous to sights or sounds of animate
or inanimate nature, that interchangeable
iron horse sped onward, carrying in
his mad fight, cargo of human
freight.
On the north bank of She Arkansas
river, situated upon gentle slope, and
with the stars and stripes streaming
over it, lay old Fort Lyon. A few
hundred men are stationed here, whose
business, we suppose, is to growl at the
approach of poor Lo, and bask in the
sunshine when said Lo retreats again to
his mountain wigwam. We stopped at
Las Animias few moments and took
little run over the town. Along adobe
warehouse stands in the center of the
public square, which, in the days of OK
en- and mule transportation, drove a
lively business as a general distributing
freight depot. Indeed, this town was
formerly the freighters paradise, and
regular cowboys elysium. Many
poor fellow has died here with his boots
on. At present a kind of lonesome
quietude seems to pervade the place.
sort of living upon past memories,
Kit Carson figured here in the border
times, and as we wandered around the
square, where the time worn and wealth
er beaten buildings stared at us through
the dusky light, and loose boards on
dilapidated structures tapped in the
ftful wind, we could almost imagine
that the ghosts of former times were
haunting the scenes of their old rever-
ries.
But, like time and tide, train waits
for no man, and again we sped onward
passing through La Junta, where the
road forks, one branch running to Pu-
eblo, and the other extending South
ward through New Mexico. We took
the latter course, and as the evening
was getting late the most of our party
took refuge in their sleeping berths. 1t
takes considerable nerve to ascend to an
upper berth of a sleeping car. In fact
one must be something of an acrobat,
he must, If he be of diminuitive stature,
spring with considerable alacrity from
the floor, hitch on to a horizontal bar,
give several kicks and squirms and fin
ally flip his form into an alcove about
the dimensions of an ordinary bath tub,
and then while his perch is jerking and
and tossing like a crows nest in a
breeze, he must disrobe himself of his
outer apparel, ron these essential col
laterals into miscellaneous bundle
and chuck them into wall rack about
the size of common pigeon hole.
This operation being performed, from
sheer exhaustion, if from nothing else
he is ready to sink into the arms of
Morpheus. The inventor of the Pull
man sleeper no doubt saw the advan-
tage to be gained by this physical CON
tOrtion, for they could guarantee rest at
least. But if the operation of going
to bed be wearisome, the exercise
of getting up is torture itself. While
the slumberer, in ambitious dreams, is
stalking Enthusiastically with Napoleon
at the head of a phalanx, preparing to
.squelch Wellington and Butcher with
his awful presence, hendish porter
shrieks, 'tFlve miles to next station and
twenty minutes for. breakfast" And
so by the awful suffering Of the moment
vision of glory is transformed into a
de facto Waterloo, for breakfast must
be had or the poor stomach 60 hunger
ing and thirsting--''a fter righteousness
Righteousness. and hunger being in
compatible Great dexterity and
Gtheness- alone can accomplish the feat
of dressins in time for the mornings
nsPast. Often have Iheard the smoth-
cred expletive (Which, on account of
the religions tendency of the HERALD
and my owh serHples, 1 cannot repeat,
issue from the lips of some unfortunate,
as his Uranium bounded and thumped
against the car roof while he was
squirmiRg and wgithing like a piekerel
just thrown from his nstiEe element, in
his almost superhuman efforts to wrig-
gle into 3 pair of pant&loons. This act
accomplished he would lower himself
by the yard beams, and with two grace
tul jumps, descend from his lofty PIN
nacle. Boots were frequently snapped
and 1t wVs no uncommon oceurranoe to
see some digaitary starting off with q
boot on one foot aud a shoe on the
other. ltwas almostpainfuI sometimes