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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1899)
THE COURIER. -i i ON OUR NEIGHBOR'S DOORSTEP, f Flora Bui.look. THKOUOII THK HKAKT OK tHV. 1II.A0K HIM.H. I'm sitting on a stick of wo.d With a lantern lit my knees, Near enough a good camp fire So my nose won't freeze; With the grub-box for my table And tin cups a setting round; While the other folks are spreading hay And bedclothes on the ground. "Sunbonnots and blankets' was tho bugle call for Monday morning early at tho M-bar K ranch, for wo wero to start on a little camping trip through tho Hills to Deadwnod. Right hero lot mo warn you if you should over sot out on a similar journey not to forget the ap proved head gear nor tho bed clothes, take twico as many blaokots as you think you will need. Not that care on your part will do much good; you are bound to froezo o' nights, blankets or no blankets, and though you wear your shaker to the very limit of possibility you will reach homo again with a dobo that is a eourco of torture and much greasing to yourself and of unending amusement to your friends they talk about saving coal oil, and so on, until you aro forced to retort withOyrando do Bergorac "Be it known UDto you that I am proud, proud of such an append age'' Consequences complexional are us tho snap of the fingers if you have been fortunate enough to go overland through tho HUIb; for that is tho only way to soo and enjoy them in all their glory. Fivo grown and still growing people for tenderfeet gain weight at the rate of a pound a day with a tent, a good Bized grub box, valisoa, blankets, shawls, and whatever et ceteras we happened to think of before setting out, make a good heavy load for two horses to pull up and down the hills and canyons. If horBOs could talk, I am afraid our two big grays would havo used drayman's anguage eomo times. For Hill roads are usually made as they have to bo, not with much of a .sense for comfort. As a rule there is only one road possible, and that a very bad one. A five days' trip gives you more jolting than you have ever thought your constitution would put up with, and you gain con siderable respect for your physical make up befoieyou are on level terra firma again. And as for horses and wagon, wo thought we escaped well with only one piece of ugly acting and a broken wagon tongue. Our way led us through Beaver valley with the great mount Fisgah, from whose sides come the springs that fur nish water for Newcastle and Cambria, to the west, and tho Limestone range well known to every Hill man, on the east. A tou mile drive up grado brought ub out on Canyon Springs prairie, one of those high level places stretching out for many miles. Hero we found re minders of Nebraska, for grain grows without irrigation, though tho glory of the corn fields is wanting. A cow boy told me with some gravity that tho reason they do not have to irrigate up here ib because tho dew is bo heavy that it breaks tho grass down a statement I am bettor proparod to boliovo after four nights in camp among tho Hills. This fertile land huB been taken up for many years though it is twenty-live or thirty miles from Newcastle. It is pleasant to see real trees not pines again. It was hero wo begun our triumphal march among the flowers. "It was roBes, roseB alt tho way" that we saw, but so much of the land is under cultivation in tome fashion hero that the flowers aro not unmolested in thoir boauty. Yet you can count at least two dozen differ ont kinds of flowers while your wheels turn around twico along tho road and you becomo prepared for the wonderful and inexpressibly beautiful muzo of purple, gold, whito and blue thut in Bomo placeB mukos a never to bo for gotton picturo for you. I havo seen imprcEBioniBt puintings which wero oven Eubdued likenesses of the glory of tho moadowB wo threaded our way through that "sunny summer day." Just at this season you can find nourly all the flowers of tho yoar in bloom eomowhoro, ttB thoahitudo suite them. Tho early wild roses, pink, corisso, and puro whito aro hero, with tho purplo mint llowors and thistles, tho bluo hurobellB und wild pous, tho yellow brownoyod Susans, goldon rod and sunflowers brown-faced, with intelligence enough to look always Eunward, yollow-faced, ofton with their backB to tho sun, tho daisies, white and yellow and heliotrope, whito flowers of many varieties, but more dolicato than all, tho lovely butterfly lily or grass flowor, as some call it, lift ing up its white petals in the Btnniest places or in grassy corners all over the mountain sides. Every onco in a while a now flowor gainB tho aacendaucy and tho landecnpo turns from purplo to yellow or whito always a soft blazo of color set off against tho cool green of tho pines, or of the etill more beautiful bluo tingd spruces. Oh, you go clean daft over tho wild flowers that spread out before you or molt away behind in a purplo haze. You may wish that you wero a botanist and could name every flowor and had your pressing book along. Yot tho picturo that tho mil lions of flowers make is as nameless us boauty itsolf, and as little to bo repeated as Rosenthal music; and bb lor a pressed posy as eorno ono has said of translated verse, it is liko a boiled strawberry. No, leave your Gray and your Bessey at home if you go overland through the Hills in midsummer, and lay no vandal hands on all this sweet flower garden. To me this wealth of color wbb a surprise. They tell eo much more of the bills and pines, the red rocks and tho white. But the flowers are one of tho chief glorieB of tho Hills. I think, ono misses very much it he stick to tho cushioned coach and wear good clothes and veils. Some of ub will novor be happy in heaven unless there 1b a Black Hills meadow there. Cold Springs canyon is a pretty grassy place, which wo wero very glad to reach for a two o'clock dinner after a lopg ride without finding water. Here wo found a little Bpring and soon a brook, then Bgain a log fence closing in one of those long bay farniB which follow the brooks in these narrow can yons. Here, too, we came out of tho pine country into valleyB where the beautiful blue spruce grows. Such flno Christmas trees of all sizes, looking as if they had been trimmed by a careful gardener. We noticed with wonder that they grow on but one side of tho winding canyon. After another ride of several miles wu entered another canyon, whose name wo did not then know, and found a wee little rill juBt big enough, it al most Beomed, to till our tin cup. A boy driving cows was a welcome and rather a curious sight, for wo knew there must be an inhabited house near by. Not so very noar though, as we learned, for we rode through tho canyon for a long way beforo wo eaw the log bcuso and barn. Then, with a strango souso of tho convenience of things, our old Fanny shied, nearly dumped us into the crook and broke tho wagon tongue. When you go camping take a mascot along, or include in your parysomo one who has a geniuB for being lucky. Then you can break the wagon tongue when you aro in sight of a house after you havo travelled twenty miles without seeing a smoking chimney or being barked at by a dog, you can pitch your tent with tho portontiouB growl of mountain thunder in your earn, and tho cloud will pass off to tho othor side, you can go through a country whoro hail has ruined (ho crops and roturn homo to find thut it has rninod half tho timo whilo you wero gono and to enjoy vory soon unothor torriflc storm you can do all this if luck is with you. A big stovo und good flrowood is Bomothiny of n couvonience, too, on tho luHt night of July, if it is frosty, and clothes hung up to dry freezo stiff bb bourds. This tho good pooplo of the ranch furnished us, as well as sugur for our coffoo, which was ono of tho ot cotoras wo loft out. A log houso sol down at tho foot of high green hills and Bhut ir, with just a squaro of sky above is tho picturo wo huvo of our first camping pluco. Tho good mother told us, umong other things, that in Soptombor, perhapB, thero would bo a school oponod in a now houso wo had passed up tho canyon, and that the children, nearly all of them big boys and girls, would at laBt havo a chunco to learn something. They raiso hay and balo it to sell at Lead, which they call seventeen miles away. Tho way to computo distance in tho Hills, howovor, is to multiply tho figures given by two, and allow aUo, in ques tions of timo, for tho bad roadB. Lead City is a long, long way from tho Mer out hay ranch. It is tho most atrocious road, juBt now at least, though I hope it is not always so full of ruts and mud boles. And yet this is ono of tho places you should not miss if you go ovorland through theso Hills. For all tho way down this wild canyon, among tho grout tall bprucos, a lovely splashing stream keeps you cheerful company, fighting its way down, down to tho crossing whoro you ford it and leave it to go on its way as the Spearfish river For tho littlo rill wb quenched our thirst at is only tho beginning of tho most considerable stream of tho Hills, and this canyon of the execrablo wagon road is called the Big Spearfleh canyon. Wo travelled less thau a mile in the dewy coolness of tho morning beforo tho littlo brook, which, after tho custom of mountain streams, sinks under ground for some distance, came up again much reinforced and spread out in tho valley vory beautifully, inviting Kodak pictures. I suppose few of the Bight teers who havo exploited the wonders of what thoy call tho Spearfish canyon have ever visited this end of the canyon. It is perhaps just aB well that the place is not made a boulevard, for there are few placeB to pass teams in the awful roads. Yet this valley is really prettier than the world famous one, where no wagon road at all leads; there are good camping places, plenty offish, I suppose, and they say that if you are vory quiet you can often catch a glimpse of tho red deer. Even hero, though, tho everlasting attempt to utilize the water is in evidence. Away up on steep cliffs above you will eee, if you look closely, sections of old wooden fluming. Hnw it over was placed thoro you can hardly imagine, and it seems that Eom9 lives must have been lost in tho uttempt, but there it is old and unused, suggestive of othor wrecks and monuments of foolishly ex pended capital seen near or in every city of tho land, I suppose Perhaps tho river objected to chauging its voca tion ot simply being beautiful and sparkling for the sordid ono ot turning a mill wheel or irrigating potato fields. The Spearfleh is a wide clear stream whon wn ford it, and leaving it behind, find our way through a logging camp, and enter Ico box canyon. Spear-fish is down, Ice-box is up and it is jolt, jolt all the way. Whon you havo climbed to tho crest of tho hill you aro in the land of everlasting holes in tho hills, and can soo tho emoko ot tho Home stake mines und mills of Lead thinly in tho distanco. You know as you go on your way that thoro is moro or less of tho glittering stuff that drives men mad in many a pit co of rock that you crunch beneath your wagon wheels. M bar-K Ranch, Boavor Canon, Nowcastlo, Wyo. Pittsburg, Pa., August 0, 1809. Tho following lottor from Willie King contains hia impressions of Pittsburg. The Bconory down tho Alleghony river is grand. From about twonty to thirty miles of Pittsburg tho river is llnod with ono continuous row of factories. And ovorhoad it is all cloudy. I woko ubout 7 this morning und it lookod liko day bronk, so I rollod ovor. Ah usuul whon I thought it wbb about 7:.1() I got up and it wub Di.'IO. Tho sun does not got around till about that timo hero and then thoy say it is a cloarday. I wont through tho groat picklo factory and was moro than pleased to see tho uniformed girlB, all neat and clean. Tho dining room looking as clean bb ourB. Tho girls' lockers and bath room, and part of tho hospital. Tboy had several patients so I could not go in. Tho best of all wub tboir stable and rigs. They havo several autos. And tho horses are kept on the second fbor, very cool, scroen doors, just as neat as a houso. Their hay is fed by machinery,' so much so ofton. They have patent horBo clnanors and turkish bath rooms for them, just tho same as for men, except lounges. You should see tho results, great big fat, sleek, gentle horsas. Box stalls for those "under the weather." Took the best line around the city and also one to Homestead on tho Monon gahela. Went through the glassworks and big steel works. I have seen it all. This city baa impressed me tremen dously. It is all buildings und streets, no land or grads. I have seen the original tenement houses where the children do not boo the sun until they are old enough to run away from home. All play on the streets. Havo soon several automobiles used bb fire wagons, trucks and carriages. The whito and blaclc population are equal. Well, must ring off. W. H. Kino. As Castleton entered the Witberby bouse it took but a moment to see that some calamity had befal'en. Only one week before he had stood in the quiet, well ordered drawing room, and said good bye to Mrs. Witherby as she waited for the carriage to take her to the train for her summer's outing. And now the scene of indescribable con fusion that met his gaze on every aide indicated but too surely that all was not as it should bo. In the midst of it he discerned the figure of a wild-eyed and apparently half -crazy man, who ran up and down stairs, ever and anon, omercing from some room with his arms full of movables, threw them on the floor and muttered curses. Castleton went up to him and grasped him firmly by the arm. "My friend," be said to him, gently, as he took in the pcene of disorder in all its completeness, "you are not well. You must come with me. What are you trying to do, anyway?" Witherby's piooccupiod face took on a shade of indignation as he shook him self off, and replied, sternly: "Leave me alone. I am all right. I am only trying to find some of my things, that my dear, dear wire packed so carefully away before ahe left home." Town Topics. Mr. Bryan waa listed by tho assessor aa a poor man, but he waa not obliged to put a cash value on hi political prospects at hia own estimate Record. Subscribe for Tiir Coukivr f J a year