The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-12-06

Gibson we saw the hrSC cOCtOn gin anu
packer, thanked on both sides with
bales of this southern product. AT tirst
we didn't guess what the stems were.
You know the cotton has all been
picked, but we caught glimpses OF lit
tie tufts of cotton clinging yet to the
plant and guessed the fact. Tit n
gradually our interest slackened as
field after field was passed. Again it
famed up as it caught sight of gigan-
tic bluffs, buttes and passed through
deep cuts of high rocks.
The shacks of the farmers, loaded
to the brim with children, dark ones
and light ones, were always with us,
however. Whenever we came across
a neat farm with painted buildings,
we guessed the man must have come
from Minnesota, Sugar cane and
cotton were their crops now.
Then Arkansas! Land of the slow
train and witty citizens. You've
heard the story of how the traveller
asked an Arkansas settler why he
didn't fix the hole in the roof of his
house? "Well, it isn't raining" the
settler said. "Why, don't you fix it
when it's not rainin ?" the traveller
asked. '"Well, when it don't rain, it
don't leak, ha, ha." was the caustic
reply. And then again, "Where does
this road go, my good man." Answer
"It don't go anywhere, it stays just
where it is, ha, ha"
The old woman in the Wooden
Shoe didn't have it on the Arkansas
head of a family. You should have
seen them fill every opening of their
house (?) as the train drew up or
passed. Sometimes they watched
and sometimes they scurried
away in fright. One incident wor-
ried us. Out of building at one town
flew a young lady of about 20 or so,
down on her knees she went, hands
in the air, holding this po-
sition until we had passed. We are
as yet undecided as to whether she
was praying for successful termina-
ton of the war we were about to pre-
pare ourselves for, or whether she was
praying to possess one of the khaki
clad soldiers.
The edge of the Ozark mountains
was crossed, at least some one said
they were the Ozarks. Anyway, they
were the highest hills we ever saw
and everyone became very much in
terested. Usually there was a pre-
valence of streams among the hills.
The growl, taunt and roar of cannon
were far away from these boys minds
as wonders, to them at least, appeared
on the landscape and everyone was
wrapt in attention as long as day.
light lasted. AS we slid along the
broad Arkansas river the sun went
down, leaving high hill on the OPP
posite shore, silhouetted against the
Redeemed sky-and night fall.
Before we finish we want to say
that not all this country is bad. We
ran across some rafting good western
towns; men with broad hats and
spurred boots. Not infrequently at de-
pots and on the front porches of resi-
dences, we were greeted with cone
star" flag; proud parents were greet
ing US with these banners which pro-
claimed that they had representative
in the army. We also understand that
there are many more better farms
than those we saw, but the ones we
described, perhaps, are typical.
A note of interest: The average
negro picks around 1875 pounds of
cotton a day. Some one told US the
champion picker of this neck of the
woods could pick 800 pounds, with the
aid Of stakeholder. 1t sounds in
creditable to us, and being as how we
have been in Missouri, we will have
to be shown.