The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-24

1 d
that the lady was stenographing it. It
was a surprise TO me 10 learn that an
ordinary business house could afford a
stenographer, for in my time stenog-
rapher was luxury that few could in
dulge in, as they commanded high pay
and were employed almost exclusively as
newspaper OF court reporters. When the
| gentleman was through the lady turned
| to an instrument and commenced thuTnp-
! ing on il like my sisters used 10 90 on the
piano. Ny guide explained that the in
strument she was using was typewriter
and that the lady was printing the letter
| she had stenographed a feg moments be-
fore; that all the large establishments
nowadays conducted their correspondence
| in that way rs well as the making Of
| bills.
Ny guide next suggested that We go
| to one of the Touring mills. His sugges-
ton struck me very favorably, for l had
| been so often to our neighborhood mil
! that 1 felt that 1 was now surely getting
back TO something that knew something
about I could easily picture in my mind
| the swiftly revolving stones and the
| cheese-box like covering Of the stones
| But on entering the mill how quickly my
| hope Of finding an industry familiar 10
my eye was dashed to the ground, for
not a stone did I see; but instead was
lot OF boxed up roller affairs that remind
| ed me more of fan mills than grinding
mills.
Ny guide now suggested that We go 10
the country and see how the harvesting
was progressing. That suggestion went
to the spot with me, for. having been
farmer when on earth felt sure I would
he at home when I got out into the farm
ing district a vision OF my old farming
days at once sprang up before me. and
1 eagerly took up with this suggestion.
Ny heart fairly bounded with JOY AT the
prospect of seeing four or FIVE strong
armed farmer boys swinging their scythes
with such clock-like regularity that would
impress one that the whole was one ma
chine.
And then when they had cut through
to the opposite side Of the field and turned
up their scythes fr resharpening for their
return trip 1 fancied / could hear the
sweet music of four or five whetstones on
the same number Of scythes ringing over
the meadow of new mown hay.
But imagine my disappointment on
reaching the harvest field Of not seeing a
familiar sight Instead I saw the freshly
cut grass scattered all over the ground
instead of in ridges as / had expected TO
see il and not a mower in sight Pres
emily there appeared over a rise in the
field the head of a man, which was fol-
lowed by his body. seated in a su.ky
which cut swath six feet wide.
Ny guide next suggested that we visit
a farm where wheat cutting was going
on, and, as hope springs eternal in the
human breast, still had hope of seeing
the old familiar scene of several stalwart
farmers swinging cradles. cutting in and
laying off the ain with beautiful una
nimity, and they followed by double their
number of men and boys binding Up and
gathering TO gether into dozens the golden
sheaves. But, alas for human hopes, for
on reaching the field I couldn't see a IA
miliar thing, but instead 1 saw q single
man riding high in the air and driving
four horses and the sheaves Of wheat be-
ing dumped off in piles of-well. l didn't
count them.
Now" says my guide. Eve will go TO
farm where threshing Is going on still
feeling anxious to see some. scene on
earth familiar to my eyes in life. I con
I turned over in my mind which of the
three manners of threshing III vogue in
my lifetime I should see whether tramp
ing out on barn floor by horses, beat
ing out by fail. or the latest improved
manner of doing that kind Of work with
a two-horse tread power and over shot
cylinder thresher TO which was attached
a long table-like affair called shaker,
nj had eli civ ;,,ct. hirr- :
a perforated bottom This shaker had
play Of some six or eight inches endwise
This caused the grain and chat TO sift
down through it, where it was left FOR
the farmer and his boys to amuse them
selves with by running it through hand
fan mill several times to separate the
grain from the chat But again I was
disappointed In Teasing my eyes on any
familiar scene, and instead the first thing
that attracted my notice was large vol
ume of black smoke from steam engine.
which furnished the power to run a nam
moth combination Of wood and iron which
my guide said was a separator. This gor-
mandiser, which 1 thought would be a
more appropriate name for it, took in
sheaves as fast as four men could throw
them down to 1t from the stacks. which.
dAbOi lAdN0ilhS d very N4ttbll uo4S route
through the machine. ihe next thing I
saw OF the sheaves. was the wheat pour
ing out through a spout into wagon COX
ready for the market and the straw climb
ing up TO the top OF a high stack
Finding 1t useless TO go farther into the
country TO see familiar scenes I Tetraced
my steps to the city, reaching it a little
after dusk at the corner Of two streets
near the business center. 1 saw large
canvas supported by two posts. and I
went close 70 Il TO sec what IT meant.
when. to my great surprise. the whole I.
IRE department bore down on me At a
frightful rate % speed. when, TO save my .
life from being trampled under foot by
the ponderous horses. I jumped aside iast
in front OF another one oG those two
wheeled machines. But. luckily. this one
das ridden by a woman instead OF an In
dian, and she dismounted IN time TO save
me
Ny guide told me that what ] sax was
not the Wichita .re department. bar that
Il was reproduction Of FIRE in some
other city by an Instrument called vita
scope. another OF The great Edison,s in
ventions.
With this 7 concluded had seen
enough for one day
VISITING SPIRIT.
ATCHISoN GLOBE SIGHTS.
Somehow. a Eat woman IN q sailor Ia.
always makes people laugh.