The Alamogordo news. (Alamogordo, N.M.) 1899-1912, 1900-07-26

high bridge jumping idiots who are seek
Ing cheap notOriety; there is standing
reward of Mexican "free silver dollar
or an American cigarette for man who
will plunge from the Pecos bridge into
the water below. My folly never did
turn in the high bridge line, although
have made some pretty desperate
leaps.
But. after few minutes the click-a-
te-clich, click-a-te-click, resumes its fas-
cinating charms, and we speed on up,
higher and higher, until We are 5,Os2
feet, or nearly mile above Galveston.
Here we see the gallOpIng chaparal, the
long hungry jack rabbit, the sacred
burro, the keen scentlng antelope, and
the heet-footed deer land other deer,
all wild, in the region where their fore
fathers and grand-uncles rOamed
through all the unknown countless ages
of the past. Wild-yes, all the world
seems wild from this standpoint Not a
living creature nor single object seems
to have fallen in with the van OF civili-
cation. The cactus, in all its hundreds
of varieties, the sotOl the sage, the
mesquite, and even the frogs have
horns, thorns and daggers-deliant
weapons of defense.
Possibly the reader is thinking about
our night. Well, as for myself, there
was no lnight - darkness prevailed
at intervals, but you see paid six dol
lars for long ride and good time. and
tried to get my moneys worth every
mile-I could sleep at home for nothing.
1t was eat, drink (water and have a
good time, for no man knoweth when he
shall be precipitated from high
bridge.
At last Ell Paso loomed up in the dim
subsequent, and the oil maid "schOol-
marm," the pretty widow sight-seer, the
charming damsel, and all the other pop
ulation began to curry the desert sands
from their countenances and shuttle
their feet about to see where they were
located-a dustier delegation has never
been resurrected. When the train stop
ped there was general scramble for
lodgings, but the hunt was short, the
grand little Sunset City was onto her
job, and had home for everybody. We
scattered like the four winds; and we,
most of us, found bath, and then be-
gan the stroll We always knew where
to find each other-there was one place
that attracted everybody; that was the
superbly decorated plaza when the Mex
lean band was in operation. There we
gathered by hundreds and thousands,
from everywhere and nowhere; all ages,
sexes, sizes, colors, shades, types, nat
ionalitieS and classes | was there,
too. 1t was there that we ruder crea-
lures met the charming, delicate, blush.
ing damsels; It was there that all hearts
were light and gay; it was there that
the old man tripped along like school
boy while his wrinkled and time-to
ing better two. thirds gaily chirped like
the first bird of spring-all trouble was
fOrgotten; business was at home in
charge of the hired man; the cooks were
at home the queens of mansions-whO
under the broad canopy of heaven could
not be happy? We had good health, six
bits and return ticket-talk about
contentment, we felt Il as much as we
looked it. Our worst drawback was our
ever increasing appetite, just as our
purse grew hOllow-cheeked and despair
ed. but that's nothing when you are
meeting more folks and folk every
hour.
FL Paso was not of necessity the end
of the tourists journey, nearly all the
important points in Mexico, Arizona,
California and New Mexico had secured
excursion rates and were straining ev-
cry nerve to get part of the crowd to
make them visit. The most success.
full point was Cloudcroft, N. NJ, a vii
lage 1l6 miles northeast from El Paso.
Everywhere you went you would see
Cloudcroft' badges and hear talk about
the wonderful little city above the
clouds. Cloudcroft was the fad--and !
am in with fads-because they are new
aud usually new things are the result OF
progress and energy. kept hearing SC
much about the town that went down
to "Cloudcr0ft headquarters" and had
an interview with the chief mogul Of
the Cloudcroft scheme. lie was hust.
ling, wide-awake mover, and promised
me trip worth $25 for 50. Well, as
understood 1t ! was making $22 by TAX
ing in this excursion so went over Il
, his barrel of ice water and quencheC
my thirst-and counted my three silvel
American "hog faces" over few time
and then decided to swap them for I
! ticket-everybody else was rubbing an'
pushing to get tickets before they wer,
all gone, and was pretty badly worries
for fear the genial gentleman might rul
/ the price TO full value. But got IN,
5 transportation before the 800 limit wa
( reached and oarly Wednesday morning
, was at the station. Not long was tn
0 time to wait, and we pulled out over tn
$ FL Paso & Northeastern railway passing
Q right BY Fort Bliss, and then the cours
4 kwas northward across the Tularosa val