The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-10
WHERE KANSAS AND TEXAS TOUCH
Cheyenne, Roger Mills Co., o. T.,
Sent < 1900

Otherwise it is in Texas. The rid,
from TalOga, d county, is tangled il
among the hills in a most inexcusabl'
way. When the confused and tortuou.
road is ended, the traveller has passed
from Kansas to Texas.
The change is decisive. Cheyenne
is a snug little town among rugged
is a big square frame court house
which is, judged from Kansas stand
point, entirely too large for the town
1t is six times as big as the court house
wholly Democratic in politics. There
| are twenty Republicans in the county
in fact. Today when the meeting was
to be called, someone went to the court
house on the hill and rang the bell
which hangs in a cupola in the center.
This was entirely different from the
Kansas method The audience, which
was quite large, was composed Of men
who were opposed TO Flynn in political
tenets, but they recognized him as a
stranger and treated him with royal
respect. Many Democrats and Popu-
lists in this county pledged him their
support
Strange as it may seem the people of
Taloga, where we were Friday, and the
people of Cheyenne, where We are to-
day, know as little Of one another as
the residents Of Missouri know of the
denizens Of Dakota, Yet there is only
forty miles Of land between them when
measured on airline. The trouble is
that nothing is measured on an air.
line in this part of Oklahoma. The
man who put up the route between
Taloga and Cheyenne was suffering
with blind staggers and a deep feeling
of resentment against mankind. No
one knows this road; a few unknown
men have travelled it; some Of whom
have gone crazy and the others have
never dared TO try to get back to tell
about IL.
The men at Taloga differed as to the
road, distance and direction of Chey-
enne. Some said forty miles; others
sixty; others eighty-ive miles. And
then man who had driven it appear
ed and declared it had taken him two
days to come to Taloga.
On this account an early start from
Taloga was necessary. Immediately
after the meeting Friday, we started
out with a threatening sky which con-
jured up pleasant anticipations. We
had with us an out-rider to keep the
trail, and meant to push on as far to-
wards Cheyenne as possible. The wind
had risen as the sky blackened, and as
we crossed the wide Canadian river
the white sand resembled a heavy
snow-storm and swallowed the guide,
Bert" as he galloped on before us.
'KeS'' held a stiff rein and put the
team through at rapid gait. The sun
went down. The road before us dis
from sight and the form of
"Bert" had to- be followed mostly by
conjecture. We swung into the deep
canyons of the Canadian, among the
big trees, The guide hallooing ahead of
US. The Surrey lurched, jerked and
jolted along, plunging down into unex-
pected holes and lifting out of them
as quickly again. We kept driving and
twisting for long time. We came up
against the guide. He had lost the
trail. We stopped, while he galloped
away to find the track. Presently he
returned and led us around through the
woods to log cabin. There was no
plaster between the logs and / could
see several children gazing at & fiaring
tallow-dip through the big apertures in
the wall. Big raindrops began to fall.
We whirled around and followed the
guide out Presently We were in the
road again and out on the prairie. The |
ruts where the wagon-wheels had run |
were very deep and the center Of the
The heavens were still inky and the |
blue-stem grass in contrast with the |
buffalo grass made the latter look Ike
patches of moonlight, without the |
moon in sight.
We ratified on again into the timber. |
Again our guide held us up. We had |
not lost the trail this time. The trail /
was there, but where it again went into
The Canadian river, it plunged sheer,
and we must turn back We now ap-
Dreciated our guide and bis services.
All hands took hold of our vehicle and
carried it out Of the canyon. 1t was
necessary now to find where a new and
safe passage TO the river-bed from the
bluffs could be found. After wander
ng around and using special faculties,
which did not understand, the guide
cot US In the riyer-bed When we had
we had to again attempt an
,scape from the long draws which
each out from this stream. OF course
We were soon lost There was no track
anywhere so far as anyone could see.
investigated some myself and found q
'ow-path. The guide took this. in an
Ittempt to locate someone who could
ell us about the trail. In half an hour
lie returned with the desired informa-
ion The rain had passed away but
was still black. The guide found the
ocadon Of the trail and also the fact
hat the nearest neighbor was sixteen
niles away. We started in To make"
his honse. We had no Information as
O his name and reputation for hoSpi-
ality. We ratified on. After while
he guide turned back for Taloga.