The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1884-03-13

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Witnessing Aordi Graz, and thea
make no account Of Il In bis paper
upon bis return. II Goald b. Just e.
sinful for the same person to gel
water-bound In the land OF Arkansas,
(sds pronounced satO, Il you plessel
and even say nothing about thdt.
Hence, the editor Of this paper is im-
PEELED to speak q few words Though
his pen be most reluctant) absut the
State Of ArkansdtV which he recently
tarried in, under protest, on his way
10 witness the great festival Of fat
Tuesday, which Is celebrated las you
observe by the papers-not by any
testimony the writer is able to Offer
with Pomp and ceremony by the peo-
pie who abide In New Orleans.
he went by the new route opened
from Kansas City 10 Memphis, which,
by the way, IL one Of the best con.
structed, equipped and ofiicered road
in the great West. It must become
the greatest shipping route for Kan
sas snd Missouri products which are
bound for the sea-board.
Leaving Kansas City at night, the
traveller from Kansas at early morn
ing, finds that he Is no longer accom-
panied on either hand by the wide ex-
panse Of prairie with which ne has 50
long been familiar. He Is passing
through q country where hills pre-
dominate and valleys are but feeble
limitations Of those Of our Prairie
State. Each hill = covered with .
scrubiIy forest and the farmer who
tills the soil In the valley, does so to 8
great extent among stumps and stones
he has left the country where lsrge
white houses and brown barns set OF
80 pleasantly a wide expanse Of land.
scape he is In country IEhere the
few houses that can be seen are CON
stFucted Of logs, with wide stone
chimneys at each end, and q large
hall-like opening dividing the one
story structure ct the centre. In this
house the stove Is unknown but
there is the old-fasbioned ample fire
place, with its crane, kettle and dutch
oven, serving to heat and cook by day
and q substitute for lamP-light by
night. The traveller Is now in q c0un-
try where visions Of rail-fences are
constantly before him, and which to
him az he be an old soldier are terri
bly, suggestive Of that most unique,
pointed and comfortable command
during the war, which was "Battal-
Ion, raiis ?" He Is In q country where
roads, II they exist at all, have q dlsa-
greeable habit Of losing themselves
entirely, or blending into q trail or
COW path-having about as much GER
tainty Of leading somewhere as the
average citizen who travels them has
knowledge Of anything or anybody
for Of all places IN the world 1t is In
Southern Missouri and Arkansas that
you can gain the least knowledge Of
what you want 10 know from the
inhabitants. Along the line Of this
new route to Memphis, new towns
have sprung up. None are populous,
but all aspire to be called cities.
There is about them the neWness and
unfinished appearance which IL 30
Characteristic Of city Of the wilder
ness, and which Il so very unpleas-
ant and uncomfortable for the vision
Hemlock, Spruce Cyprus Is the lum-
Der Foundations are Ia the far fu-
ture. No paint, no architecture
siding not even Planed and Inside
partitions with as many openings Rs q
picket fence In these new houses,
the stove has come into use for warm
ing purposes, though Il does not Ill
the bill for such purposes. Il Is the
box-stove, such as we used In the
country school houses several years
ago-a stove designed to warm a room
Of the dimensions Of q closet but &C
tuRlly serving In the double capacity
Officiating 3 house and all outdoors be-
sides. He is In q country where q
ragged, unkempt, ignorant appearing
populAtion-lOOking like the relics Of
a seml-barbarOus people fast dlsap-
pearing before the strokes Of cIvillza-
the depot platforms and |
stare and wonder at the cars a. they |
whiz rapidly by. They look as If |
they were about to ask BE them /
keers, stranger" when the question
dies from their lips amid the thunders
and noise Of the railroad train-the
noisy and laundering representative
of the laundering and noisy age, which
these people are just beginning TO |
hear about. The traveller finds IS the
day goes by that he is in q land Of
rock-bottOm, clear running streams,
and hears that there Is an abundance
Df fish In them, as well rs Of game In
The woods surrounding. Here also he
inds now and then an immigrant
With q misunderstanding his new
larm Of the stones which cover Its
Iurface, that he may find place TO
put in his plOugh-share Now the
rain is dashing by the clear, blue
waters offspring river, which runs
ts course along over q series Of fine
'ascades. Here he sees the poorly
lePt cattle who are never fed by their
'wners, making their living;by broEs-
n the clear waters for the moss which
8 found In abundance in the stream,
nd II must have considerable nutri-
ious quality about It. He is in the
midst OF scenery, too, which has been
lkened unto that Of the Alleghsneys.
The water Of spring river is 80
emPting on that sunny day to the
'assengers that they feel like getting
ut and having = swimming match.
pring river has for its source, MAN
10th spring''-said 10 be the second
argsst spring In the world. II is 20
set deep, and $50 feet On diameter.
is lS5 yards from the Missouri and
arkansas line. The Spring river /,
ountry is becoming 8 great resort for
DoTtsmen-espeeially, ilshermen, as
be most delicious trout l. found IN {
be waters Of this river.
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