Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-07-22
FROM CALIFORNIA.

file away in the Ellis secretoire, and her
parents have consented to let us give it
to our readers.-ED.]
CLovERDALE, Cal, July 10, 1885.
Friday morning when awoke they
told me Omaha was three hundred miles
away, and we were winding close along
the banks of the Platte river Nebraska
is a vast plain, and that river winds
through 1t like a silver THREAD. The
country was so beautiful and the morn
ing air so refreshing, that We braved car
smoke and tan and rode on the car steps.
l simply wish knew the number of miles
we rode this way! This much do know
that when the scenery was poor we
rode this way to rest ourselves, and when
it was grand we rode here that we might
get a better view. I had seen plains at
home, and it was only during the glory
of the morning that enjoyed Nebraska
and its winding river. But near evening
/ forgot any weary hours of the day
when the cry was raised in the car !:
'Snow-cappcd mountains in the dis
lance" had waited so long to see a
mountain (years before l started) and
there in the cool Of u perfect sunset to
look miles and miles away and see some
huge monster shining and differing
against the sky, to be told that that was
mountain. and that we were nearing
the region where they would never dis
appear, seemed too much, and senti-
mental as felt at the time, and dou5ly
SO as feel now, the tears came to my
eyes. Why was this SO? I did not do it
for effect, for when I knew what was
ahead went by myself. Was it because
it was so grand or was it because l knew
these mountains to he a barrier over
which could never look to my home un-
til they were passed again? Be that as
it may dried my eyes, for had l cried at
every mountain have seen since then,
should be second Pacific Ocean, and
that would never do. You never saw a
snow capped mountain, did you? Well,
give u white cloud dark foundation and
you have what the distant snow capped
| mountain was and is to me. When one
gets close enough to them, like every
thing earthly, they lose the heaven that
they seemed. and become terribly ma
| terial.
1t was just evening when we reached
Cheyenne, and for the first time in nv life
struck city that exactly suited me-.
Nothing that ever saw compared with
the part we could see. Clean and beauti-
full, with great stores whose equal never
saw but in Chicago, and such beauty and
comfort in every corner. I never heard
word Of praise for the place, but if I
had the choice of home [ would take
this city. We had nice long stay here,
and l wish it had lasted year.
About 10 o'clock we came to Sherman,
little place with huge monument to
its hero, and remarkable for the fact that
this is the highest point over which trains
pass IN the west, 5000 and some feet
| above the sea level. The dry atmosphere
was readily noticed by the girls with
bangs" In fact my hair got such a
dryness that it has been unmanageable
| ever since.
The next morning we found rivers flow
ing aoest, and our watches one hour be-
| hind. All this time we were in the
mountains, and vet is it not strange that
| one passes over them almost without be-
ing aware of the fact7
Wyoming territory was grand, but I
will not describe it to you for have not
time, and when remember Echo Cannon
simply cannot describe it. I must see
you; must roll my eyes, and throw my
arms, and lay you on the fiat of your back
to make you understand anything about
it. Do not fear my forgetting it. There
are some things we can never forget, and
though have not scratch in my note
book about it. will remember it forever
Don't talk to me of Europe! If it has
anything grander than Americas western
scenes, God could never have made it,
| and there is evidence enough of Satanic
power in the heaving and tumbling of our
| own mountains to suit me.
1t was sunset again when we reached
Ogden, and pulling out from this, an
other queen-city, we rounded Salt Lake.
From the grandeur and volcanic action
of Echo Cannon, we came to scene
which breathed peace and beauty. O.,
can you not see with me!-distant noun
tain ranges, just before you, at whose
feet water bright and expansive dances
aud ripples in contentment. The sea
birds fly over it in large numbers, now
high up in the air and now touching the
water with their wings. The near shore
of the lake is white and one needs not to
be told that this is salt. Over the noun
tains the sun more large and red than I
ever saw it before. looks upon US from
the mountain brow, looks for moment
only and then sinks away. The halo
that surrounds it pauses but moment
and that too disappears. Welook above
and the stars shine, we look below and
the lake ripples and plays, but soon its
ripples are lost in the darkness. We
move on as quickly as if one of earth's
most lovely scenes was to reappear the
next day. But when we look back in the
morning the lake is gone and under our
eyes is sage brush and sand.
If you wish to know what I saw all
through Nevada, imagine sage brush and
sand. and when you have imagined this
as long and as far as you can, add double
the amount you first saw. Make the
sage brush 90 to seed and spring up fifty
thousand times (good crops each time)
and make the whole male population of
the globe haul sand for two hundred and
ifty-nine years, then multiply this by six
and you will begin to understand what is
-, Nv %1,o 20 <~o 1,r,,eh and co~l of< ho