Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-04
WESTERN LETTEIs.

Amer living in Kansas more than nine years.
have this spring Just arved at just conception Of
what is meant by the word prairie. In the eastern
part of the State tho landscape is SO taken up with
hedge-rows orchards shade trees and the long lines
Of forests skiring the streams that one cannot see
but few square miles Of prairie at most; but here
It is different. The eye reaches miles In every d.
rection and can take In landscape Of perhaps two
or three hundreds OF square miles, and at no point
is the surface broken by tres. Ererywhere 10 the
smooth level surface Of the prairie covered with
short curling buffalo grass and Of dull brownish
green, except where 1t has besn burned of. No mat
ter where one may be, he GEMS to be in hollow
which is perfectly round In shape andwhich rises
until 1t meets the.aky st the horizon line.
Here and there scattered around from half mile
to three and four miles apart beseen claim sham
ties; some of them Of boards, some cod, some built
half In the ground some wholly 60, while some are
entirely above ground, zach with a sod stable or
hen house near, and each with scantllng two to
which lie attached one end Of the clothes line; the
other end being fRatensd to the Of the house
aud from which the weeks or months washing hangs
aappiugin me sehtie zsphyrs Of western Kansas.
One feature Of the landscape strikes the tender
foot'' with wonder.vE: BY each house, generally
little to one side and in the rear, stand from two
to six bzrrelsa They sre mot meant to catch rain
water In forthe houses have no cave troughs. As
to their real use Twill cay nothing only remark in
passing that Il is from ono hnndred and eighty to
three hundred feet to water here and In some places
itissx mites, net Ia vertical but in horizontal
direction. N RE.stNts f
Another pecnliar phenomsnsn Of western Kansas
is the mirage ''some times badger hole looks
like fenue post, 1t stands up 80 far ont Of the
ground, J" was told when came here. Twas 40
customed to make slight allowance for Kansas
enthusiasm and did so in that instance; but have
concluded that that was nearer right than 7 had
thought 1t possible for real genuine Kansan to be;
for II not strictly correct IL near to being
so that it can be we'll taken for truth.
The mirage begins 10 affect the appsarsnoo of the
landscape between eight and nine O'Clock fnthe
morning, and the effects last until four ana i've in
the evening; the greatest deception being In the
hottest part OF the day. I uss the term deceptiop
adyisedly, for the change in the appearance Of
things is wonderful, and will deceive the most wary
| newcomer.
Houses ordinarily invisible from being below the
horizon, are lifted high in the air. Cattle on the
prairie look like camsls At one place man viii be
seen apparently wading in the water knee deep at
another the houses and outbuildngs seem to be
suffering from an inundation, for the water reaches
to the windows. ~ .
Instead of lsvel prairie one lakes, bays and
inletB studded with beautiful green islands, covered
With groves of trees, intersperscd with gardens Of
flowers and fields Of waving grain. Sometimes the
ground will seem to be covered with water to The
depth of bnt 3 few inches, giving the appearance
Of low swampy land, on account Of the tuft of
prairie grass which seem to reach above the sur
face.
One of the most peculiar Of these phenomena is
the lifting high into the air Of large portions OF
land 30 that one can see directly under them. 1t
gives one queer feeling when he Is unaccustOmed
to the wonders of the "wild and woody west " tosee
his neighbors premises apparently hoatingin the
air with nothing to hold them up; and If he chance
to see hts own claim In like unstable condition. 1t
gives him new ideasof the uncertainty Of invest
ments in real estateout west and, too, he no longer
wonders that the houaassof his ineighbors are all
staked down, but goes home and stakes his also,
latter he has been here twoor three months he
finds out the rsal reason for that.)
After all TINT the mirage furnishes an agreeable
variety to the landscape and does no particular
harm, SO u Is very good thing and should be en-
conraGeds ss.H
As am speaking Of nAtaral phenomsna, will
state that IL does rain In western Kansas, ut leastI
thought 1t dida week or two sgo, when saw the
whole surface of the ground as far as the eye could
reach. covered with water to the depth OF two or
four inches on the average. It was no mirage,
either for 1t too late in the evening for that
and then ithad beenraining for "a hour. E'
lam glad TO say that have at last found the
"Kansas wind" 90 much heard Of In the east, but
which heretofore have searched for in vain n y
here in all its glory, bnt whether wilt stay long
OF mot is matter Of conjecture. foneisr to be-
ieve what he hears, 1t used TO inhabit the eastern
part Of the Smte then Il surely was to be found in
middle Kansas, but failed to hnd 1t In either Of
those portions, and so, II lad not come out here
last spring should have always believed the Kansas
winds to be among the myths. But 1t must not be
supposed that the wina blowa all the time even out
here. Sometimes for week at : time there d very
little, and again 1t will blow very hard for several
days. not going down even In tine night. For in-
stance, one week south wind sprang up at sum.
down Wednesday evening; by morning IL was
around to the north, and oil day Thursday 1t blew
perfect hurricane, sinking near morning; then II