The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-01-25
TRIP TO VIRGINIA.

EDITOR lNTELLIGENCER: - We ask
space for one more letter and with II
closes our "trip 10 Virginia. Six delight.
iu' weeks They were gone before we
realized It, but there were strong at
fractions draw ing us westward and we
said good bye to the old familiar haunts
and tho dear. tried friends Of oiht r
wears. One had passed away duril z
the visu; we had followed the remains
to the last resting place in a quiet conn.
try chuichyard. So II is, always, I'm
these ch"qnered lives of ours, tears chase
smiles, AID smiles. in their turn, chase
Tears
Back to Chattanooga in company
with lady, who was, all the way,
nervous over the certainty Of having 10
pass through long tunnel before she
could reach her destination. She seem
ed 10 have a presen;iIDent that some
thing dreadful was going to happen at
That point, aud asked the conductor
and porter TO be sure 10 tell her W he Il
about TO enter iha tunnel, but they,
wlllfnlly careless of their duty as rail-
road officials, Jailed 10 do so. Nigh,
tell, and presto! we were in Cbatta
nooga, the tunnel passed, and the ner-
vous lady safe at the end OF her Jour.
ney. Any one disposed TO get the most
out OF trip can find much 10 intel est
him between Bristol and Chattanooga, -,
a distance of three hundred miles. IT g
scenery Ia varied; in many places it is
surprisingly grand. Smoky Noun
TAIN" enveloped IN ils dreamy blue
haze. IL most Of The way ln sight
Knoxville Is a beautiful city OF tort,
thousand Inhabitants. II is adjacent to
the extensive marble fields, and q c
largest maj bic mill in the United State s
is located here. We raw excavations
where marble of fine quality is being
taken ont and grea, masses of that
valuable sIone proirnde from tho hilI
sides for many miles Of The way. IL
seems strange that marble can be so
expensive, and that il IL not used MOI @
for building purposes, but We were
told that The expense Of transportation
is so great that little profit is realized
from the quarries new IN operation.
The land in this section of Tennessee
is In high state of cultivation. Wheat
and grass seem 10 predominant. The
landscape Is dotted with pretty homes
and the towns are trim and fresh look
ing. Such beautiful symmetrical cedars
adorn the fence rows. They look as il
planted and trimmed. No attention is
paid to them, however; they merely
spring up and are lett undi sturbed
when out OF the way. They form com
pact pyramids OF the richest green, ten
or twelve feet in height.
We were bound for Memphis, bu,
night settled down and prevented fur.
ther observation. When morning dawn
ed the immense bales of cotton, piled
high npon the platform al every
station. said plainly, "You are In the
sweet sunny south" We soon ran into
Corin,h, Mississippi. 1t is q place Of
about six thousand Inhabitants, render
ed historic in the late war. Great
seams and scars remain where earth
works were thrown up. They dis
figure the landscape and call up sad
memories of those troobled times.
Many northern people are making
homes in this delightful climate. All in
lelligent southern gentleman was heard
to say, "The better element of them
vote the democratic state ticket, tor il
is here the negro against the white
man and rice rerSa." 1t seems that
they of the north have little In common
with their "brother IN black" when
they come in actual contact with him.
And northern ladies with their econu.
mical and tidy habits will not employ
them for even domestic service.
Southern gentlemen have lost little
of the old time gallantry tor which they
are justly renowned. One ID sure OF
polite attention when travelling through
the south. Aud the ladies-there il
nothing masculine about them. Their
beauty is OF a refined type which they
know how TO enhance by soft effects in
dress. They may not be 30 self.sus.
tanning, so able 10 cope with the stern
realities of lite as their western and
northern sisters, but they are-well--
charming is the word that tremblcs on
our pen point.
In travelling through northern Missls-
sippi it is common to see tracts of land
which have been exhausted by long
cultivation "throwu out" a. they call
II there. 1t is said that they can be.
and some OF them are being reclaimed
At last we reached Memphis-two
hours late. Alter tho usual prelim,.
naries of backing and switching we
lett upon sidetrack with the infor.
mation that an engine might arrive al
any moment to transfer us to the Oppo.
site side OF the Mississippi. Ii was a
gloomy prospect. Ten o'clock a. m,
no break fast, no hotel IN sight, out In
n wide railroad yard, II chilly rain
falling aud the lire III 'r car gone ont.
One lady declared e, should she die
from the cxpOsur. -ie would certainly
bring suit against the railroad com.
pauy. a ha-'y inventory revealed the
tact that the passengers were of sew
rral different natiOnaltiGs. One Nor
n""itu girl, with long, haxen hair,
I.rtv blue eyes and sea shell com
pieAlou, sat knitting, kuittiug patiently