The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1888-05-26

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scarcely SO high and the valleys
many of which were submerged
from recent rains have more the
appearance of land in the Arkan.
sas river bottom.
1t was here as we'll rs later OIL
up about TT Worth and Dallas
that we struck genuine Texas mud
said in wet weather to be twenty
feet deep, 1t is black and tough,
and once having established itself
upon a mans boots, stays there
until twisted off with a monkey
wrench in the hands of the unfort.
innate boot-black who is sure to
ask quarter for the job later.
A little dry spell of some eight
cen months had just been declared
off two weeks previous, and the
rain had been busy ever since try
ing to make up for lost time.
The weather in Texas is no I'M
certain affair; it always does what
it starts to do in way which
makes the average tenderfoot from
Arkansaw whistle until his teeth
ache. If it is to be n dry spell,
ten or fit ;een months either way
makes little difference; if rain
seems to be the order, all the fell
lows in the hollows gather together
their families, put out the fire, and
strike for the highest knoll, where
you may see them several weeks
later-monarchs of the half-acre
OF dry land which they are able to
survey without glasses. When
the weather clerk takes a notion
that the people need warm spell
such of them as are able hunt the
shade imme 1iately; and if cold
spell is needed next there is a
tumble in the temperature that
makes the poor eastern-bred there
mometer crack the bulb in its eff
forts to present less surface to the
atmosphere. Yes, Texas weather,
i;ise % oav of the hardy and hos
pltable sons of that state, does
nothing by halves.
Notwithstanding the wonderful
advantages in the country and
large area yet unoccupied Texas is
full of towns. We pass them
every hour; with fine buildings
and seemingly prosperous bust
ness-men. On every hand can be
sighted big Court Houses and big
lighthouses, and to these
structures alone perhaps much
of the wonderful growth of this
vast country is due.
At Palestine, the next point
where our train stops long enough
for us to stretch ourselves, there
seems to be none of that antique
air which its name would justify
modern streets split up the centre
with bob-tailed street cars, and
the usual small depot with an in
teresting ten.cent lunch counter
was all we were able to see. A
guide-boo which we pick up here
says that this (Anderson) county
is well-watered, and after the de-
scription we have just given who
can doubt it?
We are now about $50 miles
from Houston and not over ten
hours behind, so the journey hence
gives our engineer an excellent OPP
portunity to try the speed of his
machine as well as the efficacy of
his cow-catcher. Next to their
long horns, the most prominent
feature of the Texas cattle is their
persistent effort to Craze on the
railroad track.
AS we pass Oh through Elkhart
Grapeland and Crockett, and cross
the Trinity river at the town OF
that name we find ourselves upon
the grand plains of southeastern
Texas. Those who have journeyed
ON the plains, as most of our read
ers probably have, know some
thing of the sights which met our
eyes during the rest of the after
noon, A dead level of waving
grass with the warm coloring OF
beautiful wild flowers and dotted
here and there by herds of cattle, -
stretching as far as our eyes could
reach in every direction and at