Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-03-28
THE RETURN VISIT.

THE RETURN VISIT.
How Mr.. Meadowland Kept Sum-
mer Boarders.
Ihave received the following letter
from Mr.. Elijah H Meadowland, who
last season carried on a summer board
ing-house in quiet way. This letter,
as some one has said, explains itself:
My DEAR SIR: Your letter, in which
you say you are going to write book
on Summer Board and Other Nox-
ious Institutions" and want some facts
about the business, is received. 1t will
make me feel first-rate IT can help you
any, and will tell you what learned
about the business while running my
house. which l might say right here l
have just entirely refitted for next sea-
son. having painted the front door and
moved the hen-coop.
l opened my house the first of last
June, putting small notices in the New
York papers that quiet country board
with COW on the premises and fresh air
and marked absence of muskeeters
could be had by addressing u. X, this
Office" 81. x" stood for me. you un-
derstand. While was waiting for
people to begin corresponding with u.
X" my wife's cousin happened to find
out where her dear old friend Was iv-
ing. and came up from the city on
visit, bringing her husband and her
FIVE children with her, cause she
reckoned they would enjoy the COW ia
cilities, and SO forth. We was glad to
see 'em and give EN- the front rooms,
and was reviving old memories and
milking the COW three times day so
the children would have enough, when
along comes an uncle of mine, and
brings his wife and three children. and
all of them was tickled to death to
learn that we had COW; and they set
tied down in the back rooms. Before
the public began to correspond to
amount to any thing with -.
X" two second cousins of my
wife's aunt, and q man who brought
along a family tree with a black frame
around it under his arm, to prove to
me that he was cousin of q nephew of
mine, dropped in and took the small,
scattering rooms around here and
there, and most of them mentioned
that they was fond of milk. About a
week after had q letter from one
man. and he came up to see me. told
him that if he could figure it out that
he was any relation. he might just as
we'll stay all summer and it wouldn't
cost him a cent; but he said he guessed
he couldn't do it. told him thought
probably my nephew's cousin could
get him up q tree in little while, but
he said no. he expected to pay for his
board; so we set up bed for him in
the garrett Sometimes he talked about
going back to town. but the others
wasn't heard making any such re-
marks. had several other chances
to take cash boarders, who couldn't
trace no relationship. but had to turn
them away. rs the house was full. The
second cousin of my wife's aunt COM
planned some because the boarder took
up so much room, and l heard 'em
saying that il it wasn't for him they
could have their father and mother
come and make q pleasant little family
party. But we all got rid of him along
in the middle of the summer because
the lightning struck him one night as
he was sleeping up in his room close
to the lightning-rod. and tore his bed
stead all to pieces and the next morn
ing he said he guessed he would go
back to the city.
The summer passed middling soon
after all. as the young ones they
had brought with them got into so
much mischief that it made it very
lively for me. About the LIST of Octo-
Der they began to drop of, and by the
middle the family reunion was over.
My wife's cousin. the one with q hus-
band and five children that had come
first and popularized the movement. as
I may say, give US 3 very urgent invi-
tation to come down and see them this
winter. remarked to Matilda that ii
wouldn't be no bad plan.
just after the hollerdays we begun
to rig up for the trip and get the six
children ready. I thought, to make
the thing just right, we ought to have
. few others along. 60 1 sent up to my
uncle's and got him and his wife aud
two children to 20 with US. His wife had
distant cousin that had seven chill
dren and husband that worked in q
saw-mill; and the Oldest girl wa
groweG up and MAS married and had .
baby. They ell agreed TO the triI
soon as I mentioned It to them. and
axed them up . family tree Whe1