The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-19
BY THE LATE GRANT JONES

ter start for Wichita, and go prepared
! to buy that farm, for 1 feel sure that it
is just what we want.
| On the evening of the second day fol-
lowing. which was the tenth of June. he
| arrived at Wichita. and hired horse
for early the next morning. He was up
before it was light, and even after he
had aroused the liveryman and his horse
was saddled it was not yet quite day
light. The occasional opening of a win
| dow-shutter, however. and the dim light
in some bedroom or kitchen were evil
! dence that Wichita was beginning 10
awake. He rode slowly out the quet
street to where the houses were lew.
then he gave the horse the reins and he
turned into the country road on gal
lon.
From his great lair on the prairie, the
sun was just distinguishing to bid Kan
| sas good morning-to bid her stretch and
grow.
Sunny Kansas" he exclaimed, Sin all
the sisterhood of states, surely you are
the favored daughter Of the sum-
And so he gailoped on between the
fields and saw them gladden. and quick
birds arise and nature awake. The thou
sand discordant notes of the city were
forgotten and he felt only the transport
that comes from the waving fields, from
the bloom, the fragrance-tbe music Of
earth and sky.
In every direction lay cultivated farms,
all bordered with the gold of sunfiowers-
AS he drew near the Arkansas river
the Landscape shone like some vast con-
stellation of little suns. He brought his
horse to a halt and gazed in very Won
der.
what a picturer he exclaimed. What
glorious. golden, picture"'
And no wonder that he rhapsodized.
He was but echoing the praise that ev-
cry soul has offered up that ever looked
out upon a field of Kansas sun1owers.
Such a scene as spread before him is
found no where else in all the world.
He seemed to be adrife in a veritable
ocean of gold. To inhale was to take in
thousands Of ecstatic thrills, and to ex-
hale was to give forth thanks. And he
loved Kansas from that moment and
longed for a time when he might live
under the blessing of its sunshine and
surrounded by the glory of its sunhow-
ers.
! That very name a deed TO 160 acres of
land was recorded in his name in Wich-
tia.
In less than month the family had
bid farewell to the garden, the fiat and
the city-they were ntheir way to Kan
sas.
The farm was all that they had dream
ed. and even more. 1t was indeed an
ideal place 10 make home. The river.
the trees. tn eorchard that would soon
be old enough to bear, the flowers, the
well and even the little house-all added
to their rapture.
The father and mother undertook a
complete renovation of the place, and
their work was pleasant. Such neces-
sary farm implements, as pillow. harrow
and wagon were purchased at low fig
ures of the former owner. They also
bought of him a COW, some chickens and
ducks and a team Of horses. This out
lay took nearly all of their long-saved
earnings There were twenty-five acres
of corn already laid by on the farm. and
its owner on leaving il, arranged with
the purchaser to gather the crop for
fourth interest.
1 nthe fall when the corn was gather
ed. it was found to yield over eighty
bushels TO the acre OF his fourth the
father soved a part for winter feed. and
from the sale of the rest nearly 500 was
realized. Then the winter wheat was
sowed. and winter house was made for
> the garden fowls and the winter wood
was cut and piled away.
Thus the autumn passed and the first
frost came. The cottonwoods turned into
banks Of yellow. The sunfiowers dropped
their heads and the meadow lost its gold.
The song-birds arose from the fields and
trooped away over the prairie to another
home. The wild geese came In rnyriads
and settled along the river. ard the air
was full of clamorings.
And oh. the rapture Of the children,
They saw and were a part Of everything.
All the countless changing attitudes OF
nature blended In their little lives. Each
day brought new joys; and so the winter
came. with its Christmas time and its
snow. and its glad hour saround the FIRE
and so it passed.
Again the sun grew warm and the
landscape turned to green. Again the
flowers came These We're the harvest
Of the children. and they gathered their
arms full Of dandelions ard daisies and
brought them to their mother for her
smile.
The summer time came on. The sun
flower placed his sentinels. AMI spread
its yellow hests across the land The
thrush sought shade within the hedge
and the sand-hnl pIums grew red along
the river The corn stood tail and threw
It's steamers 10 the sun, the wheat was
ran kand tangled in the field the days
were big with promise.
Now the harvest. The hum Of the
thresher was mingled with the song Of
the meadow-lark The children looked
out upon the field with new wonder and
delight and ran over the stuhble hard
in i.and as joyous as The butterfly. and
as free. They made their rounds about
the ward chased the big rooster into the
fence corner. played hide-and-seek among
lie trees. and when tired al last wen.
10 their swing under the cottoawo9d-
From thu l1itchen the mother heard
err laughter and watched them a. their
play. Among the s,inhowers they had
cleared a path that led round and round
until II came back 70 the very verge Of
the ward. bat this they diG not know
They tancled that no one could eTer
find the long road that led 70 tneiT plaT-
house in the flowers Here, sec'Ire with
in walls OF green ard god. they planned
I a-hor.ssrS wonderful things