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THE COURIER
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IN KANSAS.
I deem it no betrayal of coaideaceto
state that the Wesleyan quartet did
not have a large house in Corning , Kaa..
cor that after a week of poor houses, the
finances ran low. All organisations'
that travel have been embarassed at
times for want of lucre. And storms
and lack of good advertising are apt to
tike the wind out of the most carefully
constructed tail. v
Before we arrived in Corning, while
we were yet cramped in the bobsled, an
optimistic youth met- us m with a gan
thrown over his shoulder. He was
voluble in his predictions for a big
house. Had not the entertainment the
night before been one grand fizzle? Was
not the public waiting to blow in its hard
earned coin on the Wesleyaa quartet?
Well, I rather guess. And so our jaded
hopes were spurred to the highest pitch
and in our minds we were bowing before
an immense multitude of Corningites
and our treasurer was already lingering
the corpulent receipts. How sweet a
thing is imagination! Had it not been
for this adjunct to human experience we
never would have had that audience and
those fat receipts. For when we went
to the opera house a few people were
scattered about the room like corn stalks
in a shorn field. Behind the crude
scenery five despairing individuals met.
The treasurer, with his bubble of pros
perity pricked and the joyful anticipa
tions of the other four knosked higher
than a kite. With a mask of smiles and
simulated light hearts we gave our con
cert to the little sample of an audience
and went our way back to the hotel sad
and sodden as the hotel biscuits.
We hied ourselves to our loom and
counted the cash. As fate would have
it there was just enough money to get
four men on to the next date. I was the
fifth wheel in the coach so I bad to re
main behind in Corning while the sing'
era went on to earn enough money to
liberate me. I stormed and begged the
boys not to leave me. alone among
strangers, but there was no help for it
and I bad to eee them go away through
the night on an old freighttrain, while I
heaven help me bad to go back to
that hotel and go to bed.
My heart was heavy as lead and sleep
came at last, a welcome anaesthetic to
the horrors of being alone in a town the
size of a henyard, awaiting the fickle
favor of a Kansas audience to extricate
me.
The next morning I took up living
. again where I left off the night before.
I was subjected to the sly inspection of
. the natives, a penalty I suffered from be
ing advertised a Nebraska poet seem
. ingly a being queer, and one to be stared
. at as a species of one-ringed circus. I
read all the old newspapers, wrote some
letters and watched the little clock on
the show case. And speaking of the
show case reminds me of the primitive
honesty of the natives of Corning. The
landlord, who came from a farm in west
, era Kansas to operate the hostelry, was
always on the street talking politics. In
consequence the cigars in the showcase
lacked the presence of a salesman.
But this did not stop the rubes. Well
I should say not! Every user of the
weed in town seemed to be on to the
combination of the show case and money
drawer and whenever he wanted to
smoke he came in and took a cigar and
made his own change. It saved lets of
trouble on the part of the bewhiskered
landlord, whose principal desire seemed
to be to avoid as -much exertion an
possible and etill live and have his be
ing. In the evening I went forth in search.
of some entertainment. The only thing
going on was a revival in the Baptist
church. Now this church is not as
large as the propoeeJ Lincoln auditorium
and there was no lack of fuel, so the
place was so hot that one's mind flew
naturally to the place ths preacher em
phasised so tremendously. Everybody
was there. The sermon was a wild pis
for sinners on the brink of hell to climb
out and be saved. All over the church
there were little explosions of "amens"
and "O Lords!" and when the invitation
cams for the lost ones to seek ths altar
the interest was intense. Weeping wo
men put up wild prayers for reprobate
husbands. Strong men cried aloud for
salvation to come to their lost neighbors.
Every move' made was watched with the
greatest interest by the churchfull of
people. The confessions of poor erring
humanity were listened to with avidity.
It was a drama of the intensest human
interest, the plots being made of the
escapee of human souls from the jaws of
perdition.
Back to the smoks filled hotel office
sgain. One of the guests had asthma.
He could not go to bed. Ths landlord,
kindhearted in his slowness, bethought
him of a barber chair and he di-'ged it
from the lumber room and th J afflicted
man was soon in the green -rlush arms
fast asleep and snoiing only as a man
with asthma can snore. Later on the
landlord's daughter, a comely miss, big
and wholesome, tiptoed into the room
with a pillow which she placed near tbe
sleeping man, and out she went. With
the sweetness of the bashfully kind act
in my mind I sought the upper icy re
gions and locked myself in an ice chest
for the night.
Tie next morning I awaited a tele
gram from the quartet as a man sen
tenced to be banged awaits the news of
a pardon. The hours dragged them
selves slowly through the day, but no
yellow missive came to drive me into a
delirium of joy. Had I been forgotten?
Was I to remain forever alone in Kan
sas? Well, the telegram came after the
last train had gone. I could get away
from Corning by taking a freight at
midnight. I took it.
I think that when Kansas was made
eyery thing was used but a few scraps
and they were thrown together in a
hodgepodge ard they called it Corning.
The very birds will cot fly over the
place, they go around it It should be
blotted from the map. It should be
hammered into the earth and the hole
hammered in after it. It has been for
gotten by everyone and everything. A
man who would voluntarily go there and
live could enjoy life in the penitentiary.
The very name is synonymous with
ennui, with desolation and dreariness
The town is a wart on the warty state
of Kansas. If I bad an enemy whom 1
hated I would not like to banish him
forever to Corning. Bah! the very name
of Corning, Kansas, tires roe to death.
William Reed Duhrot,
With the Wesleyan Quartet.
HALF RATES FOR THE HOLIDAYS
VIA MISSOURI PACIFIC.
On December 21, 25t26, 31 and Janu
ary 1 and 2, the Missouri Paciffc will sell
t'ckets to all points within 200 miles
atone fare for the round trip, good untill
January 4th 1899. jj
Don't forget that the two trains each
way between Lincoln and Kansas City
run every dsy in the year.
Further information at the city ticket
ofHce, 1039 O st F. D. Corseix,
C. P. and T. A.
TIME IS MONFY.
When you are traveling, due con
sideration snould be given to the
amount of time spent in making your
journey.
The Union Pacific is the best line and
makes the fastest time by many hours
to Salt Lake City, Portland and Cali
fornia points.
For time tables, folders, illustrated
books, pamphlets descriptive of the ter
ritory traversed, call at City Office, 1044
O st. E. B. Slossox,
Gsn. Agent.
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-4
We save just put in a complete stock of Mrs. Gervaiee Graham's excellent
preparations, including her celebrated Hair Restorer, Cactic's Hair Gro'wer, Cu
cumber and Elder Flour Creatn.and various facial remedies. Vieit the DEM
ONSTRATION there this week. Free treatments and freo applications given,
also fre samples and booklet "How to Be Beautiful" Special exhibit of Mrs.
Graham's Hydro Vscu, the latest and most scientific Invention for treating the
face.
PALACE BEAUTIFUL
Near Oliver Theatre. (21 so 13th
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but when you buy or sell stoves or furniture see
I VAN ANDEL,THE SECOND HAND DEAIEEf
: 132 South Tenth St. Phone 581.
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IN THE PATH OF THE WOLF.
AU night long in my garret room
I tremble with cokl and fear,
For ifi the dingy hall outside
A soft footfall I hear;
The Hack, grim wolf of poverty,
sth fangs so sharp and white.
Has made hit lair beneath my stak
And bluets me day and sight.
hen the candle burns low he comes
And keeps my soul awake;
I hear Urn gnaw at my batten door,
And ita frail hinges shake.
I quake with dread in my poor bed,
Since he may wis at last,
And glut hfc hunger once for all
The wolf that gnaws so fast.
And when the dawn comes creeping in,
The while to work I go.
He follows me a step behind;
I cannot shun him so.
And then I hear the tempter near;
The wolf is on your track;
May I protect you from his fangs?"
I fly and look not back.
And when I earn my pittance small
Again I hear a voice;
The wolf k crouching at your side;
"k he year friend from choke?"
Great God! k labor then a lure
That fiends may snare their prey?
And round I turn and thank the wolf
That keeps such hounds at bay.
But, ohl the hunger and the cold,
And, ohl the grinding pain,
And, ohl the hitter; bitter tears
That fal like dreary rain;
To think the years are flying fast
And lives lake mine must he,
With never one glad burst of sun
To brighten poverty
For, ohl the stream is dark and deep,
And; oh! but lite is dear,
For all the thorns that pierce the moms"
And make the evenings drear. '"
I pray for strength to drive the wolf
From underneath my stak;
But should he stay, AfasMghty God,
Give me the strength to bear!
Feast, Croesus, at your golden hoard,
And drink your sparkling wise;
Touch not the garments of the poor,
Nor hear when they repine.
But wonder not when they do faint
And in the struggle fall,
Since Wants such a hungry wolf,
And oh! your crumbs so small!
Chicago Rrcord.
The latest thing out, that
new coke for the furnace
at Greogory's, cheap and
clean, I044Ostreet. Phone
3-93.
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