The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-10-12
Her Guide
Book Vacation. .
BY Barbara Boyd

She was little, old lady of a small
country town, and she was laughing.
ly telling of her summer vacation.
Jim, that Is my SON." there was
a note of pride in her voice, sent
me some money and told me to take
trip. | was quite flustered at first
] always had wanted to take a trip.
Nearly everybody here goes to the
mountains or seashore or somewhere
and then they talk about 1t the rest
of the year. And the thought that
now | was really going sort of upset
me bit. 1t was nice feeling you
know; but my mind sort Of Topped
about like a hen with its head OFF,
| for | did not know where to go.
Wasn't there some place you had
always wanted to go?" was asked.
Watkins Glen, and the way she talk
ed about It just made my mouth wa.
ter to see It. And most of the folks
here have been to Niagara; and I've
thought a lot what that great water.
fall must look like. But somehow
or other, | thought would like to
go to some place nobody here mad
been to. thought would like to
tell them about a place they knew
nothing about. So, sent for one
of those guide books the railroad puts
out"
She laughed, laugh of such gen.
uine, hearty enjoyment, her nearer
smiled from sympathy.
81 got regular volume" she went
on, full of the most beautiful pic
lures and the most wonderful de-
scriptions of places. Every place in
1t was the most beautiful on earth.
Some had mountains. Some nad wa
terfalls. Some had great beautiful
stretches of beach. Some had rivers
with quaint towns along tae banks.
And there were towering pine trees
and woods and flowers Each place
| read about / would think, That Is
where | will go'-until | read about
the next one. And then that seem
ed tho place. And by the time that
| was through the book It was abso.
iutely impossible for me to decide
one, ! would be thinking how beau
tiful the others were, and wondering
II ! would not have enjoyed going to
some of them more. And then got
to thinking how beautiful the world
Is everywhere-according to guide
books-and I guess It Is true any.
way; and that II the guide book man
wrote up this town, 1t would probab-
ly be one OF the most wonderful on
earth. And then | commenced to
look at It as II 1t was written up and
had come here for my vacation.
Maybe you will not believe me! But
began to see beauty about places
my eyes had been absolutely blind
to. That river We have Is as pref
ty, guess as any in the country. At
any rate 1t Is pretty enough for me.
And we have got some gardens here
that cant be beat. Flowers are
flowers, no matter where they grow {.
And for quaintness, you cannot equal
some OF these villages. And then,
began to think of packing trunk,
and travelling in the heat, and per-
haps getting on the wrong train, and
not having things cooked the way
like them. and maybe not being able
to sleep in strange beds; and | de-
cided to take my vacation right here
at home. l took Jim's money and
subscribed for some magazines about
things, and bought some books on
California and Alaska and places
where | never could go. And ] have
an idea that I'll have a lot bigger
vacation than good many people
who go to the seashore or Niagara
Or Watkins Glen. And for one thing
this town is made over for me. The
beauty l have found here will al
ways stay here. | am Just down
right enjoying my vacation" She
laughed again, her hearty, genuine
laugh; and rose and brought her
visitors some of the books that she
had bought.
It's rather an unusual way to take
vacation, isn't it But undoubted
~ she is getting quite as much en-
joyment out OF 1t, as some OF us who
are more strenuous. At any rate
she has solved the vacation problem
and sac is no longer enyious OF those
who go and come back with lots to
tell. And that certainly is great
gain.