The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-11
PEOPLE SHE SAW
Wichita Woman's Experience
in the South.
SHE WAS ANNOYED SOME
For Her Travelling Companions
Were Not All Satisfied.

mid winter into what, by contrast, seems
midsummer. The prairies of Kansas On
a gloomy winter day give no hint Of her
glorious possibilities of color when spring
flowers are in bloom. In December the
landscape is all in ocher and lumber tihts'
as If natures palette contained no other
colors. A dead monotony of color. an ap-
narentlv unending expanse Of livid plain,
trees where the scant water courses flow.
Overhead leaden clouds dipping down 10
meet the dull tints Of the landscape. Silent
all. for the birds are still, and man Is sell
dom visible. So the train speeds on through
a winter world all lonely
Toward the eastern part Of the state
vivid shafts of fame shooting up into the
darkening skies tell where the natural sas
fields are lola, in this part of the country,
is apparently thriving town, but 1t must
be admitted that many of the small towns
have an appearance of being worn out,
as a man on the train expressed 1t, and
much in need of paint.
Passing the gas fields, all is again dark
ness and silence, and so through the long
night
In the morning, st. Louisi Plenty of
life here and bust,e. The station is filed
with shivering crowds. hurrying here and
there in the chilly air. No sunlight. or if
the sun shines its beams do not penetrate
the thick masses of smoke from the city's
numerous chimneys. What abnormal lungs
must those be which breathe such polluted
airi
We leave ST. Louis on the Louisville and
Nashville for Nashville The train is
crowded with soldiers who have been home
on a furlough and are now returning to
join the army at different points in the
south. From their conversation. one
judges that the various companies are not
heartily in sympathy with each other One
volubule youth who has exceeded his fur
iough by eighteen days and seems in fear
and doubt as to the amount of milling"
he may be called upon to do in conse-
quence when he gets back 10 camp, is en-
tertaining a comrade acros sthe aisle with
an account of his experience in the hos
pital, and the two give army statistics, as
reported TO the country at large, a going
over calculated to shake ones serene faith
in such figures. Two other soldiers in the
meanwhile indulge in soto vOce comments
on these opinions in a manner highly sar-
castle and incredulous. and presently when
an officer appears. remark: Now. maybe
they'll shut up" But apparently he is not
their officer, for they neither salute, nor
shut up" After awhile the vo,uble young
soldier walks down the aisle. catches the
officers eye. salutes. and being accosted
by him, enters into conversation, telling
his fears on the subject of that unextended
furlough. and evidently getting some COM
fort, for when the officers goes out ne
says: That's fine fellow, ont afraid
of a man. if he does happen to be a prl-
vate."
There are soldiers everywhere, in num-
bers bewildering to the feminine mind I'M
accustomed to the "milingtary" in such
profusion. Gradually, however, one be-
comes used to dining vis-a-vis with an Of
ficer. another on the right, and still an
other to the left, with corporals. sergeants
and such kite cattle" on all hands.
Illinois and Indiana are one great snow
field. Snow hangs on all the trees. or drifts
slowly down from their branches like dead
leaves. But the leaves are gone and the
trees are brown and bare undr their white
covering.
We eros sthe Ohio at Henderson Ky.
and are in the land of chivalry. suave
speech and no RS whatever Here is the
first sign of a growing warmth. for the
trees have not all lost their autumn dress.
but show beautiful colors, shading from
rich russell to pale orange The darkey
and the mule. too. are in evidence and the
atmosphere begins to be permeated with
that musty odor. as of something left out
over night. which is the result. 1 suppose
of so much dampness and which is dis
tinctive of the south in winter
Nashville is reached at p. m. the second
day out. From there we leave over the
Nashville, Chattanooga and ST. Louis for
Atlanta. passing through the beautiful
mountain region of Tennessee and north
ern Georgia in the night.
At Atlanta the sleeping-car conductor
personally conducts" the ladies' OF his
train TO the parlor coach of the Georgia
Central, bound for Savannah. expressing
much regret that his train. being late. will
prevent them from getting breakfast in
Atlanta The ladies are likewise regretful
but it does not seem 10 occur to any of
them that the situation can be ameliorated
in any degree. One OF these ladies' was
the wife OF an army officer. going 10 Join
her husband at Savannah She was a tall
dignified and imposing blonde. One OF the
women with whom one unconsciousIv as
socistes the idea OF extreme self-re.iarce-
But ordering a cup OF coffee unassisted
was beyond her. What queer people there
do be'' in this world. you and I of course.
excepted.
-g--.
City, who called attention 70 each two
story house we passed. and expressed sur
prise beyond measure a. seeing such in
the south. She referred 70 our late war as
the war between Spain and the north. evi-
IDENTIFY not being the woman who kissed
Lieutenant Hobson. She had Just come
from Asheville. y. g. for which she had
the contempt Of true Gothamite. There
was absolutely nothing there 10 see. unless
one cared for mountains" with AT accen;
OF contempt on the word The mountain
roads were dreadful Il wonder Why Ma
ture does not see to IL that mountain roads
are paved with ssphalt9 TO BE- sure. the
grounds cs Bntm0re were worth driving
over" But on the whole she gave one The
impression that Central park vas worth
the entire range % the Blue Ridge noun
tains. with Bltmore thrown in she N4s
doing" the south at the rate % a city IL
three days. and each city was gagged az
cocdins 10 the merit OF is hes; hotel On
the subject OF hotels she waxed eloquent
The bigger the better. In fact she was
pronounced type OF the American giobe
tro;ter. with an appetite unappreciab.s for
cities.
Al even more malignant type o. woman
appeared. too. on this ;rsin-the one who
moaopolzes the ladies dressing room. 20
ne aIscar,ftl-a of Fl in.he- Ho-nan L.