Journey through Texas, or, A saddle-trip on the southwestern frontier : with a statistical appendix Page: 43 of 552

                                
8    A JOURNEY THROUGH TEXAS.

There is a prevalent superstition in Cincinnati that the hinder-
most citizen will fall into the clutches of the devil. A wholesome
fear of this dire fate, secret or acknowledged with more or less
candor, actuates the whole population. A ceaseless energy per-
vades the city and gives its tone to everything. A profound
hurry is the marked characteristic of the place. I found it diffi-
cult to take any repose or calm refreshment, so magnetic is the
air.  "Now then, sir !" everything seems to say.  Men smoke
and drink like locomotives at a relay-house.  They seem to
sleep only like tops, with brains in steady whirl.  There is no
pause in the tumultuous life of the streets. The only quiet thing
I found was the residence of Mr. Longworth-a delicious bit of
rural verdure, lying not far from the heart of the town, like a
tender locket heaving on a blacksmith's breast.
What more need be said of Cincinnati ? Bricks, hurry, and a
muddy roar make up the whole impression. The atmosphere, at
the time of our visit, was of damp coal smoke, chilly and dirty,
almost like that of the same season in Birmingham. I was in-
terested in inquiries about its climate, and learned that extreme
variations of temperature were as common as upon the sea-board.
That during one long season it was exposed to a fierce sun and
a penetrating dust, and during another to piercing winds from the
northwest.  Snow falls abundantly, but seldom  survives its
day. On the whole, it was doubted if anxious lungs were better
here than in New York.  The environs, the purgatory of red
clay once passed, are agreeable enough, even at this season, to be
called charming-tasteful houses, standing on natural lawns
among natural park-groups of oak, with river views and glimpses.
The price of land for such places, within thirty or forty minutes'
drive of town, was, I was told, $1,000 per acre; and, of all eli-