Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-08-19

through straw. My companion NUT
tiers something about the sound OF cat
scratching on window pane. Well, she
has finished and we begin again. We
are Just passing on our left (the east a
long. low brick building; this is the
government magazine. Away off in the
southwest, Just showing over the blue
Virginia hills, is the steeple of Fairfax
court house But looking back we are
well repaid for our place in the rear Of
the boat. The setting sun is throwing
his last rays on the dome of the new
library building, which glitters like
FURNISHED gold, close beside it in all its
marble beauty, rises the dome OF the
capitol. Grand and stately, with over
towering strength, as it were, rises the
monument. We are silent on gazing on
this beautiful needle-like column, which
seems to rebuke the glittering dome far
below. In the west the clouds have
taken on rich gold color, which
changes into orange, green, brown and
blue as we gaze overhead. A hundred
colors flash in the soft summer sky, and
as look on the beautiful scene above
ga thousand fantasies
Begin to throng into my memory,
OF calling shapes, and reckoning
shadows"
I am rudely brought to earth again by
my companion asking If we are going to
stop at Alexandria. We do stop few
moments at the foot of old King street,
a few blocks up of which, can be seen
the hotel where the Ellsworth tragedy
occurred. On the hill to the right of
King street stands Christ church, the
church where George Washington wor-
SHIPPED. There are many things of in
terest in this old city of Alexandria.
Apropos to the subject, l will say that
on one of the city squares stands one OF
the finest monuments | have ever seen,
more properly speaking it is statue,
and there is nothing in Washington, to
my mind, that can be compared with it.
1t represents confederate cavalry SOL
der standing with folded arms and bare
head bowed upon his breast. Beside his
feet lies his old felt hat, battered and
worn. But it is the expression. of the
face that defes description. Agony, sor-
row, sadness, WEAKNESS, forlOrnness and
one of the most beautiful faces l ever
saw. Only one little word-"Forsaken"
explains it.
In few minutes we have left Alexan-
dria behind. The sun has gone down !;
away up the river the Washington
lights begin to twinkle, and faint are
the lines of the monument. About
twelve miles down we pass old Fort
Washington. The old ivy covered walls
and frowning port holes look quite pict-
uresque in the gathering dusk. Six
miles further on we run by Mt Vernon,
situated high on the hill amid beauti-
full park On the Maryland side of the
river the boat stops and lands nearly all
of the passengers at Marshal hall. Some
stay on and 60 as far as Indian Head.
Here are the proving grounds of Uncle
Sam, where all the big guns are tried.
Reaching the head the boat turns and
comes back. But we got off at the hall.
We shot in the shooting gallery; we
bowled in the ten pin alley; we rode
the flying horses; ate ice cream, drank
lemonade; watched the dancers, listen
er's Lane" through base balls at wooden
babies who seemed to have a natural
aptitude for lodging, or may be we could
not throw straight; we swung in the
swings; rowed on the river and, finally,
about 10 o'clock, we went on board the
steamer and solemnly declared we had a
good time. The summer girl remarked
that she would like to come down every
night, to which remark my companion
softly murmured: "Gee whiz."
Going back, every crowd of young peo-
pie, and old people, for that matter,
tries to outsing the other. They travel
in little parties on these excursion trips.
We are sitting on the rear deck again.
Over head glittering myriads of tiny
worlds; high in the east the bright
moon hangs like globe of molten sill
yer. The wake of the steamer CLEANS
like gold. On the right soft haze
hangs over the "blue Virginia hills"
on the left the tall trees grow on the
Maryland bank, SENDER and quiet. A
soft hush seems to be over all, broken
only by the soft murmur of voices and
the throb of the engine, or perhaps now
and then by the distant barking of some
watch dog trying to ebay the moon"
Suddenly from the fore part of the deck
rises sweet strains of the "Swanee
River" 1t is echoed by "Massa's in
the Cole, Cole Ground" Softly from
the cabin comes "When You and I were
Young Maggie" and SO the rivalry goes
on. Beautiful are some of these old
songs, when sung as they are, on the
river such night as this Well, all
things have an end. Eleven o'clock
finds us in the city again. We make a
rush for the already crowded cars, hang
on by our teeth and so go rushing to our
various homes The next morning we
get up with aching heads and bad tenn
pers and wonder if we made fools of our
selves last night. The next night some
body else is going through the catalogue
just as we did. Oh well, such is life.
MEMO.