The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-02-04
in THE LAND o. COTTON.
Mrs. Allen Tells of Pleasant jour
ney in the South.

| s
Pine Bluff, North Carolina, Jan. rs,
1904. Editor Herald Thinking you
would like to hear of some of my go
ings and doings, and possibly some Of
my dear friends and the many read
ers of the Herald would be interest
ed, since / bid adieu to many dear
friends in dear Oskaloosa on the
morning of the 30th of June last, in
the delightful company Of the Rev.
Mcknight and family, also Or. Rod
gers and family and last but not least
that good and most estimable lady,
Miss Barton, the nurse. My tripl
was made most pleasant Except for
| the excessive healthy the above men
| toned persons from whom received
every attention possible; in fact,
| they seemed to vie with each other
which should be the most attentive
and helpful. We spent the first night
in Chicago, the next on the train and
| the third at the Grand Central Hotel
| in New York City. On the morning
of the Sd of July parted with these
/ delightful friends in New York and
| took the train for New Milford Conn,
reaching my daughter, Minnie C.Bots-
| ford's home in time for dinner. My
granddaughter Lena was in waiting
for me at the station and my long,
! journey was at an end. Here rest
ed for six weeks, at which time / was
| called to my brother-in-law's, G. P.
Aliens, in Woodbury., Conn, whose
wife was very Ill; near unto death as
her friends thought. Thanks to our
Heavenly Father, she is much i'm
proved at present. At the end of
four weeks myself was taken quite
i'll, so much SO my friends became
alarmed and sent for my daughter,
who made haste to come to my bed
side. She was with me six weeks,
watching over me and ministering to
my wants as none but an only daugh-
ter can. At last she took me to the
very identical spot where was born,
where my only brother is living here
she left ME when l was able to care
for myself. l stayed there until the
last of November, my native air act
ing as a tonic, my friends said. l
felt better every day as | went in and
out and breathed the pure, fresh air
of those Bethlehem mills of my native
land. While there / was reminded of
so many many things of my child
hood; some very sad. When / beheld
the great changes that had taken
place in the immediate nsighborhood,
houses standing vacant, the inmates
all gone, all have crossed the river,
it could not be otherwise than to
arouse feelings. of sadness, = Bal, .sap
narurg was the same; the dear old
4 rocks and hills were unchanged; one
rock in particular looked very famil-
lar as I passed it; scenes of my girl
hood were brought to mind. Sixty
years and over have passed, but I was
reminded of the many times when as
| school children on our way home we
would stop, set our dinner pals down
and play meeting; we would sing and
preach. The. very same steps which
led to the top of the rock as though
they had been cut for said purpose.
Then, too, the whortetberry bushes
just the same by the side of the road
and in the fields. But the dear old
Chestnut trees were gone; been cut
down. l was also reminded of the
many times / would arise before any
one was up in the house, get myself
a bite to eat and start off alone with
basket on my arm for nuts before
light so as to be the first on the
ground. Those were days of long
ago. Then I went to the church of my
childhood, "Congregationalist;" it.,
too is changed ,--all made over, with
stained glass windows and other
changes, SO that it was not homelike
at all. l saw only four or five famil-
lar faces. also visited the graves
of my ancestors as far back as grand
father, / spent with my brother his
8Sth birthday, in company with his
children and some of his grandchil-
dTen and neignbors. We mad very
pleasant time. He is a wonderfully
preserved man for his age.
Well, / felt as the weather was get
ting quite cold l must bid adieu to
the home of my childhood and get in
to winter quarters, so / returned to
my daughters and after the holidays,
on the morning of the 5th of January,
with the Thermometer 16 below zero
and good sleighing, she closed her
house and we started for Pine Bluff,
North Carolina, (where all my friends
will find me for the PRESENT. The
trip to this place was uneventful on
our part. We were one hour late in
getting into New York, which necessi-
tated us to take a carriage across the
| city in order to reach the boat Mon
roe" in time, "Old Dominion Line"
The Monroe" is a lovely, nice new
| boat and when once inside We knew
nothing Of the cold 1t is 500 feet
long with three decks; carpeted all
over steam heat and electric lights,
and we were more comfortable than
at home. in spite of the anxiety Of the
home friends; although the outlook
was rather dubious, the boat was en-