Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-09-25

to give you a detailed account of the
delightful visit | lately made, over the
plains to California, would take up too
much of the space of your valued
paper, and again too many of the little
incidents that tended to make the trip
pleasant have passed from mind, for
me now to try to give you an extended
account of what l enjoyed. But Mr..
Editor, [ will endeavor to state the
main incidents of my trip, and give
you my opinion of California and her
many excellencies in as few words as
possible; tits a prolific theme. AS you
will doubtless remember, about the 1st
of May last it was the writer's great
privilege to visit the capital city of the
Old Dominion, '.Richmond on the
James river" whittier 1 went in the
discharge of my duties as an humble
delegate of the General Conference of
the Southern Methodist church. In
reaching that beautiful city, L had to
pass over the entire length of our own
great state from west to east, over por-
tons of Illinois, Kentucky, West Vir-
ginia, up the Kanawha river, across
the Alleghanies and down the valley OF
old Virginia, occupying two days and
two nights in making the journey. At
ter enjoying three weeks of the hospi-
tallty of the most hOspitable people on
the continent and mixing and mingling
with friends and brethren dear from
all parts of our beloved land, and say
ing farewell, a long farewell, to many
whom l shall greet again no more in
this world, | started for the west again,
and stopping for a few weeks to hold a
special term of court aud say goodbye
to wife, children and friends in dear
old Lexington, l continued my west
ward course, accompanied by a charm
ing young travelling companion, over
valleys and hills, mountains and prairies,
until the dashing, roaring pillows OF
the wide Pacific ocean said to us,
"Thus far shall you come and no
further"
We left Lexington on the morning of
the 22d of June last, and a few minutes
after 10 O'Clock that morning we were
seated in a "magniticent Pullman Sleep
err" pulled by al engine over the Kan
sas Branch of the Union Pacific bound
tor Denver City. The day was bright
and beautiful, we were fresh and joy
GUS, full of the glad antlcipations of
meeting loved ones we had never seen,
and OF passing through scenes that had
been described to us a charming. The
first day OF our trip was spent in pass
ing through the rich grain fields of
Kansas; L was impressed with the ex-
tent of the wheat fields of Kansas,
which were then being harvested. |
had 10 idea of the vastness of the grain
fields of our sister state. All day long
we were running in sight of the busy
farmer, gathering in his rich harvest.
sometimes cutting and binding it in
bundles as he went, and sometimes
clipping off the heads of grain and
piling them up in great ricks ready for
the thresher. In one field | saw fOuI
OF these headers at work, and in divers
other fields l saw more than one self.
binder busy at work rolling of the
bundles for the shock. Many of these
vast fields were unimclosed, and the
railroad passed along through them
like a blac k stripe. As | looked upon
these broad wheat fields | said with
thanktulness, surely there can be no
famine in the land where there is Sc
much seed tor the sower, and to make
bread for the eater.
Mr.. Editor here confess to you tina
as l whirled along at the rate of thru,
miles per hour across the wide fertile
prairies of Kansas, covered with fin,
farms, and dotted by fourishing town:
and cities, felt my state pride gradual
ly giving way and a national pride tax.
ing it's lace. | inwardly blessed my
Maker for so great and so good a coun.
try as ours, divided up into harmonious
sections by state lines, inhabited by {
Christian people, speaking one languag,
and w%orshiping at one common altar
"Unity in diversity diversity in unity
Wednesday morning at about Z O'Clock
after nearly "a hours ride over a well
managed and a good railroad, we reach
ed Denver City, situated 620 miles on
from Kansas City, and on an elevation
of 5000 feet above sea level. Here we
changed cars, and railroads too, an,
here III rest in my narrative, with the
hope of resuming it again, by telling
yOu something of this city of tn,
plains that seemingly never grows Old
Yours, &c, X.