KANSAS. 
CHAPTER I. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Far away amid childhood’s sunny vales, pleasant memories 
bring back to me a quiet New England village not far from the 
noble Connecticut’s sparkling waters. Situated upon an eleva¬ 
tion, commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country 
in all directions, the Mt. Holyoke range upon the north-west, and 
Wilbraham mountains on the south, and being finely diversified 
with hill and dale, as an inland town its beauty of location can 
scarcely be equalled. The taste of its inhabitants was visible in 
the broad, finely shaded streets, and the long, wide common, where 
the whispering breezes toyed and laughed among the trees. Upon 
the eastern side of this beautiful green were the churches and 
town-hall, the lower rooms of which, for many years, had been 
used for school rooms ; and here, especially, memories of bygone 
days cluster, — memories of teachers and school friends long since 
passed away, others still living, few of whom I shall ever meet 
again. But most vividly of all comes before me the bright- 
colored map, in green, red and yellow, upon which I daily learned 
my lessons, as to our whereabouts, and that of mankind generally, 
upon the face of the old earth. Very many were my speculations 
as to the appearance of one part of the country, laid down upon 
the map as the Great American Desert. There was mystery to 
me in its semi-circular lines in fine letters, “ Great American 
Desert, inhabited only by savages and wild beasts,” and much 
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