The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1904-01-22
THE MISSISSIPPI
, BUBBLE
Author of t'The Story Of the Cowboy"
"The Girl at the Hallway House, - Etc.
Copyright, 1902, by Emerson Hough.)
CHAPTER L
THE RETURNED TRAVELLER.

Gentlemen, this is America!"
The speaker cast upon the cloth
covered table singular object, whose
like none of those present had ever
seen. They gathered about and bent
over it curiously.
"This is that America" the speaker
repeated. Here you have it, bar
barrie. wonderful. abounding!"
With sudden gesture he swept his
hand among the gold coin that lay on
the gaming table. He thrust into the
: mouth of the object before him a
handful of louis dor and English
sovereigns. There is your America, -
said he. at runs over with gold. No
man may tell its richness. Its beauty
you cannot imagine"
Faith" said Sir Arthur Pembroke,
bending over the table with glass in
eye, eff the sladies of that land have
feet for this sort of shoon, methinks
we might well emigrate. Take you
the money of it. For me, would see
: the dame could wear such shoe as
this"
Bah! Pembroke" said Castleton,
pushing up the shade above his eyes
child's SHOE
mot So" said the first speaker. 81
give you my word tits the moccasin OF
my sweetheart, princess in her own
right, who waits my coming on the
Ottawa. And so far from the shoe
being too small, say as a gentleman
that she not only wore it SO, but in
addition used somewhat of grass there
in in place of hose"
The earnestness of his speech in no
wise prevented the peal of laughter
that followed.
There you have it, Pembroke, -
cried Castleton. would you move to
a land where princesses use hay for
hosiery"
'"Tis curious DONE" said Pembroke,
musingly, none the less"
"And done by her own hand" said
the owner of the shoe, with certain
proprietary pride.
Again the laughter broke out. "Do
your princesses engage in shoemak-
ing?" asked a third gamester as he
pushed into the ring. ''Sure it must
be rare land. Prithee, what doth the
king in handicraft? Doth he take to
saddlery, or, perhaps. smithing?'
Have done thy jests, Wilson" cried
Pembroke. ''Mayhap there is some
what to be learned here of this new
world and of our dear cousins, the
French. Go on, tell us, Monsieur du
Mesne-as I think you call yourself,
sir?-tell us more of your new coun-
try Of ice and snow, of princesses and
little shoes"
Tell We more-and If did, would We
believe it? What if tell We of great
rivers far to the west of the Ottawa;
OF races as strange to my princess
people as we are to them; of streams
whose sands run in gold, where dia-
monds and sapphires are to be picked
up as ye like? If told We, would We
believer
The martial hearts and adventurous
souls of the circle about him began to
show in the heightened color and
closer crowding Of the young men to
the table. Silence fell upon-the group.
"Ye know nothing, in this old rot
ten world, of what there is yet to be
found in America. cried Du Mesne.
For myself, l have been no farther
than the great falls of the Ontonea-
erea-a mere trifie Of cataract, gem
tlemen,. into which yeN might pitch your
tallest English cathedral and sink II
beyond its pinnacle with ease Yet
have spoke with the, holy fathers who
have journeyed far to the westward
even to the vast Messasebe. which Is
well known to run into the China sea
upon some far-off coast not yet well
charted. 1 have also read the story Of
Sagean, who was far to the west OF
that mighty river. Did not the latter