Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-12
OUT IkTHE GREAT WEST
Newspaper Men Having a
Fine Time on Their Trip.
DANCE : WITH II COWBOYS
liz
AGRICULTURAL KANSAS A DE-
LIGHT TO THE EASTERN EYE
Farmers All Prosperous and Ccntented,
Climate Delightful and People the
Acme Of Hospitality.

| Acme Of Hospitality.
| Special From STAFF Correspondent.
HUGO. Col. September s.-After pulling
out Of Hays City, Kan, at noon today the
correspondents special train loped along
like jack rabbit over the prairies for the
remainder of the afternoon. 1t was an in
] teresting trip in many respects for the
| members of the Washington party and the
| days proceedings wound up at midnight
| to the accompaniment of six-shooters and
! cowboy yells. The special train consisted
of two modern seepers. baggage car and
| the private car of the superintendent OF the
division. A number of Union Pacific off,
| Gals were aboard to see that everything
went well for the visitors.
The country west of Hays City Is under
| a high state of cultivation. and the great
golden wheat stacks were visible on every
| hand, while herds of fat cattle ranged the
plains. Quaint little western towns. blister
| ing in the white glare Of the September
sun, dotted the prairie at sparse intervals.
| There would be the inevitable public square,
deep in dust and fenced IN by rows or
hitching racks. Facing the square were the
| little one story buildings with shed roof
| over the sidewalk Lines Of wagons loaded
with wheat were seen at every place and
| occasionally q cowboy careerfng around the
square would make his pony buck and bang
| away with his six-shOoter a salute to the
passing train.
Prairie Dog Towns.
Along the railroad there seemed to be an
endless chain Of prairie dog villages. These
quaint little animals invariably stood upon
their hind legs with their front paws in an
attitude of duplication and faced the train
| until it was abreast Of them, when, with
saucy firt of their tails, they would dive
| headlong into their dens and doubtless re-
late to Mr.. Owl and Mr.. Rattlesnake. their
room mates, what they had seen.
| A pathetic sight was the lonely little ranch
| houses all along the route. There would be
| q small frame house of two or three rooms,
a stable. and perhaps small barn and
well with a wind mill. Not tree nor a
piece of shrubbery in sight. but only the
never-ending expanse Of prairie dotted with
wheat stacks, and the lines of glistening
| steel rails merging in the distance In one
| of these lonely homesteads quite near the
| railway tracks woman stood. There was
| something pitiful in her attitude Of resigna-
ton and melancholy as she watched the
train speed on toward civilization.
Yet one might waste good deal Of SYM
| pathy upon such, cases as this, for the
| chances are that her man will clean up
| S. 900 or So 600 on. his wheat crop this year,
and perhaps instead Of envying the people
| in the train she was only wondering
whether sheeshouid have cabbage or pota-
toes for the field hands supper that night
| Sometimes where there would be little
| hamlet on thezplafns close to hand would be
seen small graveyard. Without fencing.
amid weeds stood the white slabs which
marked the resting place of those who had
succumbed to the hard lines Of their life.
Samples Of Crops.
At little station called Oakley the train
stopped for half AN hour to enable the cor
respondents TO meet up" with the citizens
and the farmers on the ranches who had
driven in from miles around They brought
with them samples of their crops to show
what western Kansas is doing. Corn stalks
ten feet high, bundles of wheat which would
thresh sixtyfour pounds to the bushel,
beets as big a baby's head, fruits and
: garden produce were exhibited. The news
paper correspondents with owl-like gravity
| examined these things and asked wise ques-
| tons about farming.
While we were standing on the platform
| an old man leaning painfully on his stick
| hobbled up and inquired If the New York
Tribune correspondent was along Mr.
Fearn was introduced to him. and the old
| fellow took both Of his hands and shook
| them cordially.
why" he said. II am powerful glad to
see you. l have been taking the Tribune
for nigh onto twenty-four year. and I tell
you 1t is almost Bible IN these parts"
| The Oakley farmers produced samples of
the new kind Of wheat which the Agricul-
tural Department is Introducing in the
| west. 1t Is used to make macaroni, and the
Kansas farmers eagerly seizing 1t as it
brings $1.25 per bushel and yields more
than the ordinary wheat.
AT Cheyenne Wells the train stopped for
some time. This used to be a camping place
on the western trail in the old DAYS and
| in the early times of the Union Pacific
construction was an important point. 1t
| is lonely and desolate spot now however
| typical Of many of the towns which have
| fallen into decay since the railroad moved
the centers of business further west. A
double of houses facing gully washed
street. overgrown with weeds, all in the
| swept by the remorseless prairie winds
| which blow and blow, and never cease to
blow. Beyond a railway round house and
| the little red depot.
A Cowboy Supper.
Just at sunset the train pulled up at
Huga, where cowboy supper and dance
had been provided. The event had been
widely advertised. and the little station
was thronged with the biggest crowd it has
seen in a long time. AS the train stopped
! a dozen cowboys. mounted on their bucking
bronchos dashed around the square. firing
their revolvers In the air and greeting the
visitors with a volley of hospItable yells
Close beside the track a camp fire was
built and savory odors emanating from
| the sundry pots and pans indicated that
| there was something doing.
France up to the grub wagon. gents"
cried a stentorian voice as the boys tum-
bled out. Each fellow grab OF his pan
and rustic his own grub" We all
"pranced" to the grub wagon and each
was provided With tin pan. knife and
fork, spoon and tin cup. The chief cook
was gents called "Dutchy." and he was
engaged in frying some most appetizing
beefsteaks. Each visitor seized his fork
and spearin3 dnto the pot yanked out a
T-bone steak shig enough to throw a rail-
road train Off the track. The piece of meat
included both, the tenderloin and sirloin,
and was delicious, There were boiled DO
! tatoes in another pot, immense kettle
of beans-not thefanaemic. attenuated bean
of the Boston3variety. but great, big navy
beans, by their size kind of typical of this
husky countEu biscuits were baking in a
| skillet, the lid ofSwhich was covered with
glowing embers, and a ten-gallon can of
| coffee shed fragrance on the air