Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-07-20

the blackboard" and looking to the
northwest to see how the cloud was
making it. While engaged in this d.
version, someone happened to look
upward. He gazed for a minute and
then said, ''Great God. the air is full
of bugs. Just lookI' We all looked,
and sure enough, it was as he had
said. The air was full of ''bugS," and
what was more, we could see them TO
the northwest till they seemed to
| form a connection with the cloud we
had been hoping meant rain. The
clouds came closer. The glaring sun
began to look haZy. Men specialized
as to what this thing meant. Soon
! the cloud was at hand. Someone saw
graSshopper fall Next there were
three or four; then fifty, then hum
bred, then five hundred, thousands,
milliOnS-buncheS of them; then it
rained grasshOpperS. The sun was
/ black, the air was full of them. and
on the ground was Wriggling, crawl
! ing, Sickening mass of red-legged
pests. They did not remain still very
long after lighting. They crawled
over each other. They devoured the
grass as a consuming fire. They
mounted trees and cut the leaves with
a SwiftneSS that was inCfeditable.
! They covered the houses, in fact, they
were SO numerous, and so ravenOus.
that there was nothing and no place
! secure from them. If men were dis
/ heartened before, what think you was
their frame of mind now? Many OF
them had small patches Of corn, the
gardens in draws and other places,
which by dint of hard work they had
managed to carry along With some
prospects of return for their labor,
but now this last hope was gone. The
coming of the weekly mail which al
ways had an attraction for those out
on the border, lost its charm for this
day at least.
1t seemed like all hope was gone.
Along in the afternoon, the blackboard
came down the Hill south of town,
and when the driver came up in front
of the office, he had, in addition to
his regular load of sacks and miScel-
laneOuS freight. a buShel O1 so of hop
pers, which he said had been trying
to eat their way into the sacks to see
if there were any greenbacks in the
registered packages. After the mail
was out we all started for home. In
the corn fields were countless mill
ions of the pests. The wheat shocks
were all covered with them and they
kept up their devastating work, until
everything that would yield to a hop
per'S tooth had been consumed. You
fellows, who complained so much
about the recent weather, what do
you think about the condition of those
who were here in those days? The
country new; no railroads within a
hundred miles, and in many cases
P,,, frNr 81 l.,
state except they walked. No en-
ployment within possible three or
fouR hundred miles, and utter and
completed devastation of everything
that man Or beast could SubSiSt upon.
Of course, people had to leave. In
many instances an excellent claim
would be traded for a pony, worth
perhaps 81. 800, but what was the odds?
To stay meant to Starye, and the pony
would take them away. BY fall, prob
ably twO-thirdS of the population had
sought locations in Iowa and Missouri.
But during their stay there the hop
pers had lost their terrors, and by the
first Of March the greater part of
them could be seen perched upon the
front end of a covered wagon, with a
row of little tOw-heads sticking out
along the sides between the top Of
the box and the wagon coyer-just
like everybody else does. They sought
out their old claims, cleaned up the
dugout, supplied the well with new
rope and went living again. The man
tore up the rich soil with his plow
and the good little wife put in some
garden and put the old hen on set
ting of eggs.
Old Dame Nature smiled upon her
Kansas boys and girls. Gentle show
ers came, and the glorious carpet OF
green covered all the hills and valleys.
Dandelions cleaned like golden spots
on the emerald sward, and the mimosa
filled the air with its fragrant odor.
The sunflower nodded pleasantly as
the happy lark sang its song from the
branches Waving fields Of golden
grain showed where heavens blessings
had SO bountifully descended. while
walls of corn" were to be seen OH
every hand.
Kansas, like truth, may be crushed
to earth, 2 but She will rise again, and
fortunate is he who remains to be in
it the rising.-[Squire Timterson in
Republic City News.
SfOneM0re.