The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-09-11
MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF COL
ORADO.
BY MRS. A. C. CRUCE.
In Four Letters.-FIrst Letter.

w
the title Colorado" l am fully |
aware of how much it means to
those who have had the pleasure of
a visit to that delightful state of
mountain and plain. 1t is a sub
iect so full of subjects that al
most despair to give even a few
hints of a very few of them. There
are but few words in the language
capable of describing them partly.
There are none to describe them
wholly. So no one need be sur
prised if l use the same words
more than once, more than twice.
! My first impressions of Colorado
were in the early morning, when
the sun was just beginning to rise
and the dew was still on the grass.
saw Immediately we had left
Kansas with its broad prairies and
fields of swelling grain, for the
country began to be broken and
the foothills looked barren - no
vegetation of any kind on them;
and far in the distance, at least
100 miles from Colorado Springs,
Pixies Peak was pointed out to us,
looking like a delicately traced
cloud against the blue azure of the
sky. l looked at the mountains
with keen interest and something
of wonder. The scene was such
pleasant change from the fat and
monotonous though beautiful prai-
ries of the Indian Territory.
We arrived at Colorado Springs
about s O'Clock in the morning and
with the thought of ArdmOre, hot
and dusty, as we had left it thirty
six hours before, it looked like a
bit of fairy land, with its beautiful
streets and lovely green parks full
of happy children in gay bonnets
and bright colOred dresses chasing
each other like butterflies. People
were everywhere, driving fine
horses and riding bicycles, all on
pleasure bent" After pinching
ourselves to see if we were still in
the land of the living and eating a
substantial lunch, we, with a party
of friends (who had preceded us
about three weeks, and were quite
willing to point out all the sights
to us) started for Manitou on the
electric cars. After riding about
half an hour and paying three
fares each we arrived at the pa
vilion at the iron springs, at the
foot of Pixies Peak. | looked
around at the crowds of people
surging to and fro, now going tC
the well to drink, keeping a boy
more than busy dipping and hand
ing water; now stopping by the
popcorn stand to buy the freshest
and sweetest popcorn anybody evel
+ ate; now lingering near the candy
booth to watch the candy girl a.
. she pulls the long, yellow loops o.
, mOlasses candy, shimmering in th'
| light and growing more golden ant
seductive every minute, like linl
, sweetness long drawn out" NJ
one goes away without buying
, SOME of this delicious old-fashion
\ ed candy. Verify, it's a Mecca
= drawing many hard-earned nickel
: thither. And now, having fillet
up on iron water, popcorn ant
I candy, and the inner man bein.
full and therefore satisfied with it
4 self and the world at large, we fin,
Q time to sit down in the cool shad
q of the place and listen to the swee
r strains of music from the first elias
e band, which is always there. Go
t ing to the soda spring, we fin,
t much the same thing; laughin
+ faces and beautiful gowns; tn
o summer girl and the washed out
e dude; the gray-haired man wit
his knee breeches and the gray
g haired grandmother with her ''kne
S skirts, " riding the omnipresent bi