The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1914-09-29
TALE OF A MODERN
RIP VAN WINKLE
(Bv y. r. HARROUN.)
The Dream.

The Dream.
! thought ] returned to my boyhood
home, after an absence of a quar-
ter century. I was met at a strange
station by ilver-haired lady of sub.
stantial proportions, who said she was
my cousin. The last time | saw her
she was slip of a girl, weighing not
more than 30 pounds, with coal black
hair. | thought we passed through
tho town subject to the mild stares
of the people, none of whom / knew.
Arriving at the old home where / was
born, | met my mother, grown old
but still wonderfully active.
Sitting ont on the porch elderly
men and women passing by stopped to
shake hands, telling me their names
They were the boys and girls I at
tended school with. Since those days
they had married and raised families
and in most instances their children
were now doing for themselves.
Looking about me ! saw that the
vacant lots of long ago now contain
ed houses. and for blocks the streets
were lined with maple trees the
thickness of my body in size where
formerly there was not even sap
ling standing.
Going down to the business center
OF the town | thought that but three
or four buildings remained that I
recognized, all the balance having
been erected since my time. / was
greeted by an old man whom I had
known since my earliest recollection.
lnquiring for the middle-aged men Of
my boyhod, 7 found that, with three
or four exceptions, all had been taken
across the river. - And | thought
that the next day, in company with
my mother, | went ''across the riv-
er, - to the beautiful city of the
dead and there found all the miss
ing.
And my dream took me on my return
to the west. As ! sat in the ear a
trainman passed through and noticing
me said, Winnemucca is the next
station. I rubbed my eyes and
looked out the window. T saw the old
familiar desert. and it looked good.
Was it really dreaml 1t must
have been, for | still remember the
old town as it looked in the days of
my youth, and my boybood friends as
they were in the long ago, when they
were young, full of hope and ambi-
tion with the world before them.
| left Winnemucca in the early
morning of September II, on visit
to my native town in Wisconsin, af-
ter an absence of nearly twenty-five
years. Up to 1902. however, ! had
received occasional visits from my
own people at my Minnesota home
The weather was delightful up to
the time we left Denver, at O'Clock
in the evening of the 18th. When ]
awoke Sunday morning. | felt de
cided change, the atmosphere in the
car being oppressive and sticky. =
soon found cut that it was raining
and we We're travelling through west
ern Kansas, at an elevation of only
few hundred feet. The country
looked good, the land in sight being
covered with fully matured corn
which was being cut. About the
middle of the afternoon we reached
Lincoln, Nebraska, the home of Sec
retary Bryan. As the train stopped
for a few moments, | walked out tc
the street aud was surprised to find
| lr their place were several fine car
riages, drawn by horses. Tn cities
further east | found that the vehicles
at the stations We're comprised Of
both autos and cabs, in the ratio OF
about three to one.
At about. clock Sunday even
ing the train crossed the Missouri riv-
er at Omaha, and 7 was once more in
the land of formality, articiality
hypocrisy, superciIiousness, million
aires and beggars, copper cents and
paper money At 7:30 o'clock Mon
day morning the train rolled into the
mammoth station of the Rock Island
railroad in
The Modern Babylon.
/ As / looked about Chicago, I was
reminded of story related by the
late p Fl. Kelly, Wholesale grocer and
Democratic political "boss" of Min
nesota during both of Cleveland =
administrations. An elderly Irishman
from up-eountry came to his store
about once year to buy groceries and
inpariably called at the private office
of Mr.. Kelly for a chat. The conver-
sation would drift to the old country
and to the visitors proposed trip
back to the s'ould sod.'i and il was
agreed that the itinerary must include
a few days in London. In the latter
place the visitor, whom we viii des-
ignate as Michael, showed the liveli-
est interest, and from Mr.. Kelly Sc
cured long list of the places of in
terst he must visit. Finally, after a
quarter of century of waiting.
Michael made the trip, and upon his
return called upon Mr.. Kelly at the