New-York tribune., 1886-03-07
A CRACKER FAMILY.
DEATH IN LIFE IN FLORIDA

families" In this town, Tor instance, save LOT the
| outward surroundings and certain laxness ana
aversion to coming up to tme," which is perhaps.
owing to the climate, one might well be in q new
settlemont in the West. It is not like the North
it is too new The houses all have hollow sound 1;
If one but shuts door the whole structure. though
| il may look solid, reverberatcs in a way to make
| ono lump The houses are large, and have more
comfortable appearance than they really possess I;
| they were not built for weather az cold as this
winter las brought We have burned a great many
| fat pine knots to cOunteract the Northern blast
which would find an entrance. Fortunately in this
country no one need suffer for want of this resnous
wood.
1t is n country settled by immigrants and these
parts of the State have never been inhabited TO any
extent by the real Southerner 1t is in the more
northern counties that society exists. by that
word mean the natives who ARE gently born, and
who once held slaves. fancy it is rather hard for
us ncrlopers to get a icothod within the circle
of that genial and warm-hcarted people whose
! manners are as dignfcd as they simple. have
often wondered what the inhabitants of those wide
yerandaed old houses think OF the scities' that
! are springng up on tho sands here. When they
canter lcisurely into of these ambitious villages
| do they lnwardy despise the struggles we are all
making
A white-haired erect old gentleman from Talla-
hassee has been stopping tor time at hotel close
by u.s. He is Colonel S. lou would know he
was Colonel at least just to look at his shoulders.
and he rides as only Southern gentleman can ride
He owns an estate few miles south oil the FLORIDA
| capital an estate which been in the s
! family for generations. Now they are greatly
| impoverished. and they have not the least idea how
to attempt to retrieve their fallen fortunes heard
sharp. thrifty Rhode Island man talking about
! the Colonel the other day. He said: Anybody
with any gumpton could make fortune in few
yeals on theS-- estate by just doing 50 and So aud
| taking advantage of being 50 near Tallahassee
The Yankee expatiated quito freely on the subject
| and made it perfectly plain that Colonel s. had
only to bestir himself little TO be rich man again.
" But what can you expect' He'd think twas
beneath him. They never did do such thing, and
they are never going to. either"
| II may have been weak minded, bnt | was con-
scous of a kind OF respect for the stately old gen
tleman whose brain could not conceive tho idea of
! disturbing all the traditions Of generations by
! innovations which would have been far worse for
! hm to bear than tho poverty that had come upon
| him.
ais il a cracker that yOu want to see = asked
resident in response to remark we hal made.
"There are very few of that kind of animal about
now. I've been here ten years and lived In three
different towns and nave known only two
| families They don't thrive | reckon they will
! have TO die out. Tobacco cannot really preserve
life if all you nave to assist it Is pork and dirt
There's LOyel oil In the pines few miles out.
where family have lived ever since I've been here
! If they arc not crackers. they Just as good.
| We will drive out and them. They came here
from Alabama; at least that's what they say.
When you see them you'll think it's doubtful if
/ they know where they did come FROM
! The next day We climbed into n "coycred
wagon and the Stout sorrel horse began to walk
| ont through the sand in n southc1sterly direction
| toward the 70. ling pine land. horse cannot trot
here II Is cruel to ask it Of him. II pair or moro
/ are hitcLcd together they may move out OF a f OF
| race Tho nue sand seems 10 suck round the
wheels and pull tlon bac&. II you are gong i've
! miles you must allow the time ior the trip that 1t
| would require to walk tho distance ana return
! Thus A drive though IL may be extremely pleasant
is not likely TO be very exciting. The horse which
| i'm, been hero any length of time knows very well
| that he il not expected 10 trOt and E.N WIoio
| aspect is one Of poddng patience; Bnt u you ara
/ mounted on him you arc privileged TO hnd out 10 IA
] degree what Is ~ MN.
| and many branches CutSing OF between the trees
! our guide. however, appeared to know HeT way
werr TO take all day for the excursion. We had or
/ lunch aud the horses dinner Nc should be ont OF
doors All these hOArs. Since we came mere we nave
/ esteemed every moment lost that was passed
beneath a roof. TO idle away the time under TINS
blue sky Is the only really immoylng method OF
]
! home; we cannot always he whcro the air comes
| blowing direct from Elysum.
There Is no hurry we ;eel IN no special haNte 70
sec cracker family but when we do arrive
within sight Of thcr dwelling We are conscious OF
On stone of ground n few ines have been cut
down and in the clearing there stands log house.
II i, not picturesque log bouse IN the least II ~
! soualid ana has that air which immediately sug
rcsts that il IA swarming with vcrmln. There are
| great many large chiuks between the logs, and
! these show that the inhabitants can hardly avoid
! having fresh air, and IT Is pIOOaOiY tuo only
! thoroughly wholesome thing they DO nave lheIc
ia chimney ut one end, outside tho house, ana IL
| appcars to bc made of logs with nm attempt at
"avrr.no with plaster. | should think that at any
time these LOGS might Ignite and set the house on
fire The roof has never been shinglcd, and Is made
of unmatched rough boards placed a. near together
| as NAV bo Whore the intersticcs are very large.
palmetto leaves have been laid on and on the top OF
| these sand has been hcapcd to keep the leaves IN
place Tho roof is not a very steep one; STU. the
| general tendency OF tho leaves ana san" Is hatut-
hs looked at that roof, though am woman
! ana ought not to kno " how to drive nail felt 4
! stronq desire TO tako a hammer few boards and
! nails mount there and make things ttiHe less
sbiftless" How could man live there day alter
day and never repair that house so that existence
mi ght be more Dcarablef .e.;...
answered There was slow shutting souhu IN e Ine
| sand a short distance away. ana We saw u hHnre
! coming from shed at the ught. Ills shcd was
| mostly of lath aud through n hole made by broken
| lnths pale depressed-looklng mule had stuck MS
| head and was gazing sOlemuly at us. he man,
! tall and lank without hat, wearing dlapidated
! red shirt and dingY short trousers, at length
reached the carriage. His yellow face showed no
! interest his sunken mouth did not essay to smile
| ia leaned heavily on the wheel and surveyed us
ont of bieared and faded eyes. After moment be
rolled something about between his jaws, and then
said H0wdyT
as your wife at homc ~ asked our friend brlsky.
Donno" lIo turned toward tho house never
letting 20 his hold on tho wheel 80 Clndy
Cindy!" he called. ~ ,
The sound caused a noise within, but nothing
oppeared at either open door or the hole where a
window shOrld hayo been. While waited one
of our number who appeared to think some one
ought 10 break the silence, asked
"IIoy are your crops getting onr Inc man
slowly shook his dirt-colOred head Amt got
none he said. " ,,;; ,,