C^ampbell C^ousins C^{orrespondence}

Another year has rolled around and our cousins' letters are due. Mine was all ready to copy when Cousin Roswell Young wrote suggesting that "because of household duties, etc.", we might be reluctant about writing. I'm some busy getting noon luncheon for eight school teachers, from the school across the street, but in our town everybody works, even Father. I don't want to miss getting my letter in, for I really believe outsiders enjoy our books as much as we. I have several friends who have asked when the next one is due.

Last summer was a very pleasant one for us. A number of cousins stopped at our house, among them Cousins George and Anna Buck and their boys, Em Buck and Ed and Em Congdon.

We took a trip the week of July fourth. Went to Nelson, and stayed over night, then took the Susquehanna Trail¹ at Lawrenceville at six A.M. Met all the men going to work through Tioga and Mansfield, and reached Blossburg, to fill up with gas before going over the mountain, just as the gas station opened. I enjoyed the ride through the woods. The mountain laurel was beautiful. Passed through Williamsport and ate noon lunch at Harrisburg. Went through the capitol of Pennsylvania. Spent the afternoon on the battlefield of Gettysburg. Reached Washington, D.C. about seven-thirty P.M. Stayed two nights with friends. Called on Cousin Jennie Bosard and the girls².

My best impression of the Capitol was the lights on the dome at night from the Congressional Library. We saw about everything described in Cousin Edith Selph's letter of last year, except the cherry trees in bloom. Mt. Vernon was very interesting to me. Cousin Em Buck and I ought to take these historical trips together so we could read all the inscriptions³, for her son and my husband never have time to stop long enough.

We spent the "Ever Glorious"⁴ at Ocean City with friends. Junior did enjoy the sand and water so much, and I could just sit and look at the ocean and be happy. Returned via the Lackawanna Trail⁵ from Philadelphia to Binghamton.

In August we entertained the Wells from Washington State. Some of the cousins will remember Nellie Parker⁶, Aunt Carrie Blackwell's niece⁷. She has been dead fifteen years, but her daughter, Evelyn⁸ (who lives in Portland, Oregon) with her father⁹, his wife¹⁰ and son¹¹ motored across just three thousand one miles from Vancouver, Washington, to Mamma's in Nelson.

In October, we went to Nelson and brought Mama home with us on Sunday. And on Wednesday, October fifteenth, we "set sail" at five o'clock in the morning for Stroudsburg and the Cousins' Dinner. It was one of those perfect fall days, with gorgeous foliage that I love. Reached Marshalls Falls at nine A.M. Found Cousin Charlie Congdon's home full of guests, and more arriving. I shall never forget the wonderful view of the falls and the autumn coloring of the trees all around his place. Had such a good visit with relatives we hadn't seen for years.

On our way home that night, between Scranton and Nicholson at about seven P.M. we ran into a big meeting of the Klu Klux Klan in full regalia¹² - a rather spooky sight on a dark night in a strange country. And the joke was on Ed. He told his boss that about ten years ago he joined the clan, and wanted to go to a meeting in Stroudsburg on Wednesday. Of course, he meant the Campbell clan.

After leaving Mama at Cousin Charlie's I didn't hear from her in two weeks. I began to get alarmed, for lots of things might happen to her in the city. But they say she was able to make the subways or elevated as quickly as any of them, and she had a perfectly wonderful time, thanks to Cousin Will Selph and his wife.

If there are any two cousins who deserve the two nice trips each has had lately, it is my mother and Cousin Ann Owlett. I haven't heard if Cousin Ann attended the Inaugural Ball, but she wrote me she couldn't come home before it. I was in Elmira a few weeks ago and Treva said, "Ford Owlett is in the hospital." So we went down to see him, thinking, because his mother was in Washington, he might be lonesome. And say -- his room was so full of flowers and folks we just couldn't get in the door. There were people from all up the Cowanesque Valley, and some from Elmira. Ford said the doctor said that he could get up in a chair that day, but there hadn't been a chance. I really believe he was enjoying his operation.

In November we had a smallpox scare right in our school. Of course everybody was vaccinated. Endicott Johnson Medical did wholesale vaccination free¹³ - as many as five thousand a day. But there were no deaths, and only a very few bad cases.

We've had lots of snow this winter, and it nearly all came while Ed was away on trips. Junior and I did a lot of exercising on a corner lot¹⁴ with the snow shovels.

People are still wearing shoes, so Ed is buying more leather all the time. Ed is a baseball enthusiast - always takes in the game while in the city. Drove to New York one day last summer to see Ty Cobb play. Guess that was the time he and the Prince of Wales were there together.

Junior is progressing very nicely in school, but he'd like to find some kind of a job where you don't have numbers (arithmetic).

Jack and Treva drove up from Elmira last Sunday in a new Willys-Knight sedan.

We hope to drive toward Boston for our vacation trip this summer, so all cousins living that way, watch out!

Anxiously awaiting the new edition of the Campbell Cousins Correspondence, I am