SOUTHWARD BOUND. 15 



him. He sees new worlds unconquered ; he dreams 

 of conquering them ; and with this dream new seeds 

 of resolve, of ambition, of manfulness, are sown with- 

 in his soul. It may be months aye, years before 

 these seeds begin to germinate, but they are there, 

 and the proper environments and opportunities will 

 sometime cause them to make their presence known. 

 I sit for an hour or more on the rear end of the 

 observation car drinking in the beauty of this valley 

 of the Tennessee. As we proceed southward the 

 signs of spring become more numerous. After pass- 

 ing Dayton, the music of the frogs 7 full chorus comes 

 to my ear for the first time this season, and there- 

 after, wherever the train stops in the vicinity of 

 water, it is the prevailing sound. As the last rays of 

 the day's sunlight glisten and sparkle in reflection 

 from the crests of the cliffs of Lookout Mountain, 

 the train enters Chattanooga. 'Tis a city famous in 

 the annals of war once ravaged and desolated by 

 contending armies, now thriving and populous its 

 35,000 citizens enjoying that peace, plenty and pros- 

 perity which has come as the aftermath to the long 

 struggle of two score years ago. From the car win- 

 doAV the city appears to be scattered over much space, 

 and the houses old and begrimed with smoke, but, 

 as in most other cities, the railway probably passes 

 through the least pleasing portion. As we leave its 

 environs the curtain of darkness lowers and the ob- 

 servations of the day are at an end. 



