Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-11-23

aud at midnight boarded the through
train for Portland ticket, Sj7 from Chi
cago.
When the morning broke we were on
the vast prtiries Of North Dakota. There
we're no longer any trees cut dried grass
and slubblc, with more or less cattle and
horses pasturing upon it.. There is oc-
casiondlly a humble habitation or IL small
village. with one or two largish towns
like Bismarck, the capital, with 1000 in
hablants.
The Red River of the North, navigable
as far as Fargo, divides North Dakota
from Minnesota. This river flows north.
emptying INTO Lake Winnipeg. Further
west the Missouri strikes clear up
through North Dakota to the British
possessions. 1t is II curious fact that one
of these rivers goes north aud the other
south. The Missouri where we crossed
it is of intensely foroidding aspect, mud
dy, crooked and without much volume.
Our next novelty is the bad lands,
where for many miles we pass through
a most extraordinary condition of nature.
chopped up like sea in a storm, only its
waves are immovable buttes.
We entered Montana and passed
through Billings in the night, but with
morning came views of its wonderful
mountains and valleys. The night came
down again as we were passing through
them, but when the next morning came
we had entered Washington, whose val
leys as we saw them do not at all equal
those of Montana. There was here, how
ever. in crossing the Cascade range. Il
wonderful view of trees. mountains and
deep mountain dells on the western slope.
Nearly all evergreens, fir, pine, spruce.
cedar aud larch, close packed together, of
every conceivable size, they swarm along
the mountains, down and up them to
the tops and into their deepest dels ;
- millions and millions of them ON their
way to Alaska. And so after we leave
= the range to cross the valley to the
ocean. trees large and small greet us at
| every side-magniicent forests with
/ great lumber trees and elegant lumber,
i too, about as thick as you could pack
them, or, in the gardens, fruit trees Of
every kind, equally thrifty with their
/ great neighbors. as though, too. they had
J. caught the clouds of heaven and drank
: from them the dew of the freshest if not
v eternal life. So, too, the grasses and the
vegetables look, where there are any
' grasses or vegetables, for, comparatively
= only few acres of this vast country is
o cleared or will be for many ears tc
G come, SO long it.takes to clear il; and
indeed. the people parta>e of the same
Z character, full grown and healthy. having
: quite IA resemblance to the English.
But if lWashingtonloutranks all in tho
ii bloom of health. she has nothing half st
II beautiful As the great valleys. hemmed il
= on every side by vast ranges of mountains
e we saw in Montana. TWAS here that ",
1t came through the Rocky Mountains
II These. as seen on the Northern Pacii,
u rail- Dad and largely on the Central anC
'e Union Pacific are not handsome. The
i Utah vale is impressive, but it has n'
trees or green thing except as plantet
" and raised by irrigation. All the view i
Il too rugged to be handsome. but here il
t. Montana there are thousands of ever
green trees scattered over the Landscape
y and some of the mountains are clOsel,
It. wooded with them. The grass, nov
I'll faded. we are told is fresh and green il
1t its bloom and flied with flowers. Blu
Il perhaps above aud beyond all this i
It the infinite charm of great distance. TIL
i country and mountains are on such
III vast as well as beautiful extent. At on
y point think the range of mour tain
IL that bounded the vision must have bee
III 100 miles away. thrown out at this grea
III distance of hy natures skilled am
I'll bounteous hand. Above all this vas
ef landscape the heavens were furnishe
III with silvery clouds, those fading souvC
10 Mrs of the sky.
IL At every point where have seen tn
- Rocky Mountains hitherto. except pei
l. haps in Utah, in their uncouthneSS an
= barrenness they have suggested The pOss
y Bile appearance of he'll, but here, it
As stead. the suggestion was Of heaven.
~ Spokane we came into at night. 1t
quite large city and was brilliantly j
n Illuminated by electric lights.
Sc Tacoma we saw only from the cars
tn 1t is built, like Portland. CD rising groun
rt that faces the east Being entirely new
II. it is very crude. We got iusta glimpse {
Az its harbor on Puget Sound AT the north.
~, Yesterday | had "A call from Samu'
~ Swift, born at Mddlebury in 1871. Tai
p erect aud vigorous, lac showed me aroun
it the city. 1t was curious to see with hO'
ot much feeling he spoke of Vermont an
Nermonters, whom he said he liked
meet, and he expressed a strong desire {
nd visit again the old home, that he had NJ
nd seen since 1916, when, he said, they wei