The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-03-14
THE RETURN VISIT.

THE RETURN VISIT.
How Mr.. Meadowland Kept Sum.
mer Boardera
have received the following letter
from Mr.. Elijah IL Meadowland, who
last season carried on q summer board
ing-house in quiet way. This letter.
as some one has said, explains itself:
Mr. 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. It will
make me feel first-rate il can help you
any, and ! will tell you what l learned
about the business while running my
house. which might say right here
have just entirely refitted for next sea-
son. having painted the front door aud
moved the hen-coop.
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" y. X" stood for me. you un-
derstand While / was waiting for
people to begin corresponding with -.
K" my wife's cousin happened to find
out where her dear old friend was liv-
ing. and came up from the city on q
visit, bringing her husband and her
i've children with her, cause she
reckoned they would enjoy the COW IA
cilities, and 50 forth. We was glad to
SEQ 'em and give EN- the front rooms,
and was revivinq old memories and
milking the cow three times day SO
tho children would have enough. when
along comes an uncle Of mine. and
brings his wife and three children. and
Ill Of them was tickled to death to
learn that We had q COW; and they set
tied down in the back rooms. Before
the public began to correspond to
amount to any thing with y.
x two second cousins Of my
wife's aunt, and man who brought
along family tree with 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
tha: they was fond Of milk. About q
weok after / had q letter from one
man. and he came up to see me. told
him that If he could figure 1t out that
he was any relation, he might just as
well stay all summer and it wouldn't
cost him 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; 80 we set up bed for him in
the garnet 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, as the house was full. The
second cousin Of my wife's aunt CON-
planned some because the boarder took
up SO much room. and heard 'em
saying that If it wasn't for him they
could have their father and mother
como and make pleasant little family
party. But we oil 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 20
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 Eve children that had come
first and popularized the movement, as
! may say, give US very urgent invi-
tation to come down and see them this
winter. ] remarked to Matilda that it
wouldn't be no bad plan.
just after the hollerdays we begun
to rig up for the trip aud get the six
children ready. / thought, to make
the thing just right, we ought to have
= few others along, SO sent up to my
uncle's and got him and his wife and
two children to go with US. His wife had
> distant cousin that had seven chill
dren and husband that worked in a
saw-mill; and the oldest girl was
growed up and was married and had q
baby. They all agreed to the trip
soon as mentioned it to them, and
fixed them up family tree. When
we got to the depot in New York we
judged we hadn't better 60 all at once,
% / and my family started ahead, and
my uncle's folks were to start in fif-
teen minutes, and the saw-mill cousin
crowd in half an hour
We found the place by the help OF q
policeman who went ahead, and when
we knocked on the door and they let
US in. they 'peared some surprised,
but said they was glad to see us. We
sat down around on the chairs and
some Of our children went out in the
hall and began to fight with their chill
dren and pound them up pretty bad,
and was pleasant and told them
hoped they had COW and said
s'posed they didn't have no boarders
up in the attic, cause we wanted
plenty Of room. Pretty soon Uncle
John and his folks dropped in, and
after 3 few minutes the rest of the
procession; and the town children
being all cleaned out the new ones be-
gun fighting with ours
''Quite . pleasant little family re-