Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-05
(BY w. H. CALDWELL.)
Home again, home again,
From the Kaw river shore;
And oh, it made our hearts rejoice
To meet our friends once more"

To meet our friends once more"
The significance OF the words of the
above stanza can never be appreciated
by one who has not had the expert
ence of the sentiment. Home! What
emotions that word stirs up in the
heart. My wife and can more fully
understand and appreciate the COM
fort and affection that that one word
of four letters contains. We've been
back home, and you dear people never
asked If we were rich, or If we were
poor, but opened your arms and well
coined us home. No caste, no social
dividing line; the doors Of every one
were musically swinging wide open to
us. For three days anyhow, OttumWa
was wealthy and lavish in the glamour
of olden days. We could not have
been more welcomed had we been dec
Grated with tiaras and ornaments.
You people just remembered Billy and
his wife Adella, and in your whole
souIed welcome turned the tide OF
events back third of century, and
for few hours we lived again the
halcyon days of youth in the smiles
and endearing tones of those who SO
heartily and unaffectedly greeted us
and whom we knew so many years
ago. It was no time for sorrowful re-
trospection. and yet in the exuberance
of the hours there would creep In
twinges of sadness, the chief Of which
was when failed to recall the name
of many who so heartily greeted me
by soulful handshake and smile,
although their faces were familiar;
then there was the absence of many,
oh, so many of the old timers whom |
remembered SO we'll who have passed
away forever.
It was agreeably disappointing
when in the early morning ride IN
Mr.. McGavics auto, driven by his
daughter across the river and to visit
nv old soldier comrade, Josiah Myers,
to see such thriving town built upon
the grounds that was such flourish
Inc patch Of sandburs when had last
seen It. The old swimming and bass
ASKING hole" is obliterated by the
pretty park upon its borders; street
car line runs away out upon ground
that I remembered only as farm land
and business and residence houses are
planted where the luscious watermel
ons throve and the wild grapes clus-
tered in the old trees-none of which
are there now, but In their stead are
monuments Of business enterprise. 1t
was all new and as if we were visit
ing city entirely unknown. Then,
when your honorable mayor, my old
soldier comrade Sam H. Harper, took
us laundering away out past the spot
where once stood the country school
house in which Sam got his early for
ensic training, and where we city
chaps usually got trouncing when
we went over to clean out" the
country jokes Inat old school
house has vanished and in it's stead
there looms up splendid edifce |
known as the, Jefferson school. 1t Is
a transformation that speaks loudly
of your enterprise but leaves a void
in our memory. Surely old things are
passing away and nearly all has be-
come new. Then, when, with viii
Daum, Ben Eoulton and your capable
and companionable reporter, Mr.. Can
ny, we took the long but pleasant
drive pretty much all over the city
It was revelation. There were very
few places that I recognized. A pang !