The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-01-14
Florida Robinson Crusoeu.

MARezlne.t
We made trip to Pine Island, which lies
wedge-like parallel with the outer key.
Here we found the cocos-nut aud lemon
trees, the branches laden down with mag
nifcent fruit Here we came scross certain
dimin utive Robinson Cru=o er'ab excited
our sympethies. On fhi- suG, with sad
looking and dilsri 'a',. father, lived four
children. You e. cached the place through
shadows barely Davigable with light
dIsUght bost at high tide. a rsmshsckle
structure on rotten piles was the landing.
This settlement was twenty miles from any
where. The house, the size Of small stable,
looked as If built years before, and was open
to all the winds OF heaven. AS the winds,
however, are never cold here, that perhaps
was not important but from April, as the
very food-gates Of heaven are open, that
family must have beeS drowned out for
months. Sometime be fore, go We learned.
while the father was absent, the mother
died, and these poor bsirns with their own
hands dug q grave and buried their mother.
How that family managed to exc out an ex-
lister &c God only knows. Shells of the go
pher, the land tortoise, were strsWn around,
suggestive of miserable food, Fish,
though, might have been plenty. Two or m
dogs, lean and lenk, skunk around the house.
The master of these surroundings told US the
dogs were only In good condition when alli-
gators were plentiful The house contained
scarcely anything. There was q grimy table,
and few boxes serving as chairs We saw
not q cup or saucer; there were no beds. Il
tame crane, that did not seem to heed our
presence, Topped around. That bird was q
convincing proof that those little girls had
bestowed their love on something, and this
wss their pet.
Fancy lad Of twelve having for q toy g
squirmiDg alligator some three feet longl
Not very lovable companion, nor one to
be on intimate terms with. Bat il was the
only thing the boy could find. Evidently
1t was something not to be fooled with, for
the gators Jaws were bound with q bit Of
rag. At our request this ligature was
loOsed, when this ugly brute at once made
for the boot of one of the party, and fast
ened his teeth in 1t, and would not let 20
until his mouth was forced open. The chill
dren could read little, and strange to say,
the Vicar of Wakefield had been their horn.
book. Ii was the only bound volume the
father possessed. There were though ss sd-
ditions 10 the library, few tsttered nun.
bers OF ohildren's magazines OF years long
gone past. There was O slate, ana st once
the artistic young fellow stacked his gun,
dropped his Abruzzi manner, aud drew for
the children pretty and funny pictures, until
that poor miserable house echoed again with
laughter and cries of delight. The lad in
stead of marbles played With the ugly fangs
of the gator, and was himself the slayer of
sauiisns. To judge from miserable fire.
arm We saw, belonging to the father, should
think the risk the boy ran was greater than
that of the alligator, Then the misanthro.
pist OF the party, who often wondered why
people ever wrote hooks or magazine stories
and wss always amazed why people read
them, made up his mind that that library
on Pine leland should be increased, and il
the mall facilities have not quite gone wrong,
it Is supposs5le that before this these chill
dren have q supply Of Juvenile literature
come.