The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-10-31
Rev, George B. Shoemaker'S Letter.
Iowa FALLS, Iowa,
October %, 1901.

EDITOR NEWS nave JuSo
been eating some Concord grapes,
and. by a very natural chain of
reflection, 1 thought of myself
as a boy under the old grape ar
Dor by the woodshed in my IA
theirs yard in old McConnells-
burg. l fancy that the grape L
lust ate, tasted much sweeter, be-
cause, by memory, I had boy s
appetite. / wonder, will any
thing taste as good to me as 1t
did when l was a boy? Ihe
grapes l ate some moments ago.
we're not a product OF Iowa,
though we do raise them here.
These were shipped here from
Westfield, N. Y, and were of the
Concord variety. For a seven
pound basket, (basket included
[ paid twenty two cents. Ihls,
with us, is very moderate price
for grapes.
Mrs. Shoemaker and took a
ride yesterday afternoon. We
went up along the bank OF the
Iowa River about two miles, and
came around by Sloan Spring,
home. This spring is a famous
one in this community. At one
time there was a large Sanitarium
near it, and many patients were
cared for. Since the buildings
burned down, no one has rebuilt
them, and l Judge by that, the
venture was not financial sue
cess. The water of the spring Is
heavily charged with iron and
other minerals of medicinal
character. Not long ago, in oul
Sunday school, we had the lesson
of the blind man who washed n
the pool of Sloan. When / ask
ed "Where did Jesus tell the
blind man to go and wash?" one
little fellow, to the amusement OF
the entire adult school, sang out,
"Siloam Spring" While on our
drive yesterday we gathered
branches from the oak trees with
such beautifully colored leaves.
1t is quite bluffy along the river,
and as we looked at the hills,
whose trees were covered with
their colored garments of the fall
season, we thought of, and talked
about, the mountains ground
about" our old home. By this
time l think they must be beauti-
full. If | shall be permitted to
visit the land of my childhood
again, | think it will be in the fall
of the year. This is a beautiful
day. Pretty warm during the
middle of the day when the ther'
mometer reached eighty-six de
grees, but cooling now as the day
declines. The fall in Iowa is, TO,
me, the most delightful part Of
the year-especially October and
the first half of Novem Der. Mag
nifcent days, without a cloud OF
breath of air, and just comfort
ably cool. Road dry, hard, ano
level as a floor, over which yor
can drive for miles and not strike
stone. The fields of corn are
ripening and all nature striving
to reach maturity before the
cold of winter-well it is just be
yond all my power of description
Since the invention of the corr
harvester, we see field after fielC
of corn cut up in the shock, some
thing which was not thought o
twent-four years ago when came
to this state. | am delighted f
see the corn thus harvested.
We are having some cases o
scarlet fever, among the smalle,
children. There were so man,
new cases last week that tn
school board closed the lowe
grade of the school for q few days
No others have been noted since
and the schoo are all open now
The cases are all light, but tn
houses where they are, are he'll
in strict quarantine, and we hop
no more will occur.
The Upper Iowa Conference, I
which ] belong, held very pleas
ant session at Vinton, and by tn
appointment of the bishop. wit