The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-05-10
THE RETURN VLSIE
How Mr.. Meedowlard Kept Sum-
mer Boarder5.

/ have received the following letter
from Mr.. Elijah IL AIeadowland, 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 a book
on Summer Board and Other Nox-
ious Institutions" and want some facts
about the business, Is received. II wiR
make me- feel fir5t-rato If can help you
any. and l viii tell you what l learned
about the business while running my
house, which 1 might say right here l
have just entirely reftted 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
ard marked absence OF muskeeters
could be had by addressing u. X, this
Office" y. y" stood for me, you un-
dcrstand. While I was waiting for
people 10 begin corresponding with -
"" my wifc's cousin happened to find
out here her dear old friend was liv-
ing, and came up from the city on a
visit, bringing her husband and her
FIVE children with her, cause she
recI1oned they would enjoy the COW IA
yycilitics, and so forth. We was glad to
Hsee 'em and give EN- the front rooms,
and was reviving old memories and
milking the COW three times a 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 :, j.
X" two second cousins of my
wife's aunt, and a man who brought
along a family tree with a black frame
around il under his arm, to prove to
| me that he was a cousin of a nephew of
mine, dropped in and took the small.
| scattering rooms around here and
| there, and mos. of them mentioned
| that they was fond of milk. About
week after | had a letter from one
man. and he came up TO see me. l told
him that if he could figure 1t out that
he was any relation, he might just as
well stay all summer and 1t wouldn' t
cost him a cent; but he said be guessed
he couldn't do it. l 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 oouldn't
trace no relationship, but had to turn
them away, "a the house was full. The
second cousin OF my wite's aunt com
plained some because the bOarder tOob
Up 50 much room, and | hoard 'eu
saving that If it wasn't for him they
could have their father and mother
come and make 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 "a
he was sleeping up in his room Close
to the lightning-rod, and tore his bed
stead all to pieces. and the next morn
| =
back to the city.
The summer passed middling soor
after all, as the young ones they
had brought with them got into 81
much mischief that it made it yer.
lively for me. About the 1st of Octo
Der they began to drop off, and by th'
middle the family reunion was over
NV vife's cousin, the one with hus
band and five children that had COM
first and popularized the movement, a
may say, give us a very urgent invi
tation TO come down and sec them thi
winter. l remarked TO Matilda that
wouldn't be no bad plan. ~.'-'--
Just after the hollerdays we begui
10 rig up for the trip and get the 81
children ready. / thought, to max
the thing just right, we ought to hav
a few Others along, so L sent up to m
uncle's and got him and his wife an
two children to go with us. His wife ha
q distant cousin that had seven chi
dren and Il husband that worked in
saw-mill; and the oldest girl wa
growed up and was married and hcd
baby. They all agreed to the tri
coon as l mentioned it to them, and
fixed them up a family tree Whe
we got to the depot in New York W
judged we hadn't better go all at once
so l and my family started ahead, an
my uncle's folks were to start in fl
teen minutes, and the saw-mill cousi
crowd in half an hour. ---,-.
We found the place by the help OF
policeman who went ahead, and whe