The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1916-08-24
A Vacation Trave|Ogue
"reminiscences of Vacation Trip
Thru the Middle West
By "Optimo''
CONTINUED from last week.

OOiOWs LILO 1O1 AO0 a AOAN- wv
upon which were laid the rails that
supported our train.
Blase indeed must be that traveller
who does not experience a thrill as
he looks at the frowning heights
of rock, towering hundreds of feet
upward, or views far below the
rushing stream whose mellow Ca
dence would be converted into a
funeral dirge if aught should 60
wrong with the hanging bridge
upon which his train is suspended
in midair.
In due time we arrived at Colo
RADIO Springs, a beautiful little city
of six or seven thousand perma-
nent inhabitants. which number is
increased by thousands during the
summer months.
Colorado Springs exudes wealth
at every pore. On her broad,
beautiful boulevards, between
rows of palatial homes, cars of the
highest price, fitted with every
luxury the ingenuity of inventive
geniuses can evolve, speed swiftly
along, their occupants clad in the
most expensive imported fabrics.
Her hotel desks and business
counters respond to the musical
rhythm of descending coins. There
is certain subtle contagion in the
atmosphere that infects one with a
more or less tran sient disease
which, for want of a more appro-
pirate name, we will call Spendi-
tis. And while we had heard
much of western hospitality and
kindliness, we had not before wit
messed such thoro demonstrations
of these attributes as it was our
privilege to witness and expert
ence at Colorado Springs, Manitou
and Pixies Peak.
A distressing feeling, indeed, is
the desire to do a certain thing
and yet be unable to do it. Herein
is the extreme kindliness of the
natives" made manifest, in this,
that they, realizing how extreme
must be the suffering of that per-
son afflicted with acute spenditis
and having nothing whereupon to
lavish his wealth (of whatever de-
gree), have provided places where
the ailing one may purchase var
led assortment of curios, memen-
tos, tokens, etc. Indeed, so whole
heartedly do they enter into a
united effort to restore the afflicted
one to a normal financial tempera-
ture, by relieving him quickly Of
his earned or unearned increment,
that they multiply by three the
price at which an article could be
purchased outside the spenditis
zone.
If one for a moment entertains
base suspicion that the venders
are actuated by selfish, mercenary
motives, one glance into their
frank, open countenances, one look
into their eyes, in whose honest"
depths you can read naught but
the most sincere desire for your
welfare. will disabuse your mind
of such uncharitable opinions.
And when, some days or weeks
later, you essay to disgorge your
baggage of its accumulation of
curios, etc.. you are made to real
ize more fully the kindness the
dealers evidenced in your behalf,
in this, that altho they furnished a
ready means for the alleviation of
your inordinate desire to spend.
they did not load you
down with things useful and
of value; things that you have to
use for a greater or lesser period
of time in order to get value re-
ceived. On the contrary. the
Heterogeneous assortment of speci-
mems, quartz, Indian n-made curios,