New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-18
A FLORIDA ROOSTER.
THE CHEERFUL sERENADE.


emma room and We moved, knowing that
tbcv wonld not Perhaps our decision was
made more firm by the fnct that
orr landlady's doses of caloncl had entirety I'M
fitted her for the discharge OF her duties and that
Mary. tho black girl who Was deputed to take her
Mace was so prone to attend picnic5 that she was
rarely anywhere save at picnic. ana Wheh sue
WAS not at ono she was exhausted from having
been at one quite recently thai her work was Only
half done.
so We bav, moved. When We ask for room,
orr first anxiety is always to know If 1T he quiet
Az rhis place where we new dwell suspected some
.rorbIo ahead for the woman came to tho door
holding a ycar-old baby on her mp, and followed
Inv tvo more children large enough to walk and
not much larger.
The spaciOns sunny apartment was 20 tempting
that we triod to believe the woman when she as
snred rs tina. "her children nevermaie any noise.
For that one brief moment these small people were
so occupied in staring aud dropping their jaws IN
the process that they cOuld rot be otherwise IMAM
quiet.
Here arc orr trunks and here are we II "a nearly
tro ,ycr;,s since we came On tie very fir & night
we made 4 fearful discovery I he peOpe who live
next uppr 20 NJ across very small yard. ana IN
house built with veranda' Whlcl even hrIo alo
cxaggera,ed We. andss. these people Keep oho
crower rooster Is the name mere. lie - roliary'
he - small. he - IN 'lancholy lie IS OF nc common
hc fore NIGHT fail as he paced back ana iOrtJ among
the shrubbery OF MS home did not dreamof what
he was capable. Now ! know thar yon cannot
Ildge of the power If voice nv the SIZE oi
know about thIs voice for have listened 70 nun
through the dark hours Of each night ne rises
every ho1r. He mounts upon fence directly
he crows. 30 not know when he taxes
the rest which must be necessary lor
rOckcrils rs foT all created beings But know ve.y
veil VIXEN do not take rest. and that IS M the
time A lia aud listen % thls sound through the
night watches / Think q. Cary ana I"rgiFN MN
much that / have IN ncriO deemed ulptrdpAHol'
did NOT know un'il came TO Florida mat roo'i'rS
crow every hour Of tbe darkness. lhi5 ed one II -
on The fence punctual To the uoment. lie seems 10
hc the leader oi large company o. peIioIm'r- IN
all the Yards within radius oi qidrteru i mile.
4 hcf stagt IN one By one after him. sd some aI"
go dii2toIy that they have ONLY performed their
gu AT tuc aud OF the hour; and then II /, time Tor
TIC leader 20 gin aCain II l. very rarely. lud e l.
lrff ont. ~ - sneak. and nnoccupeh ny thls
student chorus. l. there is ever such a space.
whel here might be- .e" moments OIL Silence,
the baby Ia tie room below u seH,'
. TIC Opprrfuritr aud cue, furious Y. \ teV yards
away tbcre are some mud gum q he's, and At
a,ou, mldui ia; these add their melody 10 tue con-
For tine fr,l three or four nights We said thlre
/ W.. probably something unusual gong on IA mo
fowl word. an cleo ion or som ih.ug Of that sor'.
7 and th-f whom II was over ih@V you'd o',iE crow
/ m midnight and morning, and we should b" com
B1f now If Il m the second week. and until last
night. thcrc has been no ameioraiion of0jr cond'-
lion
/ Yesterday when ! sqt gazing into orr neigh
/ hor's ward missed the rel Grower; II was with =
tuinuitI1us feeling Of doubt and JOY That l"dn~I
far from tie window aud peHiet ahnit ans, "irif'
w. hc was not there; Ia, handful -. IN lay on
the ground qwalttrg his coming now rrm"m-
bercd that II had bccu there SINCE the morning:
could It be possible but no. NJ o"GsrS con-
not have eaten HIM. lie MAI APP
. poarcd 10 be- a pct rooster. darling being which
sol4ced and comforled the family. sun. Where
: W. ne las. night If m bah been living | was
/ sufe we -honld rot have cnOveI that abltcncnt
/ OF torment which We had then cxuerienced With
. ont thcir leader the uclghboriug fows were ike
/ an orchestra which doe, not know when 10 begin,
not seclng tho conductors baton. -. IN cir
Confusion III were silent NJ tunes, AMI flr % long
that the baby could not fill all the nsrvais With
| out danger Of self-destructlon consequently we
/ mad sn2tchts Of sleep.
II were to write an exhaustive lie cripton Of
. Fernandina should not dwell much on tho
beach magnificent a, II is, or the climate. enjoy
able ~ II mu-t be when You have NOT been 40 long
,rnr we'd of sleep n not 10 be able to enjoy any,
I thug. should dwell upon the strange worship
/ paid to roo tcIs. The most miserable howell
Is not so miserable bn. that 1t has
Ils TWO or three s;ruiung cockeTlls Inc nlcst
mansion is not so fine but that there are within Its
/ lovely grounds the sam- beloved blpe1s. Hens are
/ not popular; they cannot crow; they cannot make
I people frantic from slccYlessncss hey serve hero
a wdell advertised and popular rooster scoop lt
lSpoSsbc that. If We stay here long enonsh'w may
learn wherefore and whence comes taS love of the
vocal creature. Bat We cannot stay here save at the
risk OF our sanity The minds Of the fernandlans
/ must be constituted pecuiiarlv. tor doubtless
to their ears through the might hours make pleas
/ ant addition to their rcpoSe.
have OF lato been incllned 10 believe that we
were running against PROVIDENCE In co nng -
fcru2ndina ~ ALL for II was only by persistent 81
tort that found out how to come alter reacning
I Jacksonville.
At thar station wa inquired where We should co
to take the train for icrnandlna Tho agent turned
/ his thumb back ovor ms shoulder and SAIL:
"What You want IS the eler-cn: up there round
the corner"
This direction not seeming sufficiently definite 70
f ~ We asked agoIn, aud received the snnb that we
undoubtedly deserved for no, knowing By intuition
F that W. needed 20 20 by the eft loren, and where
that place was. Tn, agent looked at M angrly;
: repeated that u was MP there ard round the cor
/ ncr. aud added that any one would tell ms.
We felt so dazed and bewildered that We knew i
was useless 10 try To order orr troubles removed
/ until we had gone mp Oh the street. aud made moro
We stepped into II drug store and asked how
il WAS customary 10 get IA fcrnandna iot
those who did not have thr opportunity 10 70
IN private Yacht. The clerk did not pause IN con-
cocting glass of soda water. ~ he glanced at u.s.
and told us chat what we wanted WAS lac 'Hcr-'h.
yes" said my frIcad, "wo have learned thar
we want the eif-r-en hut we don't yet know how
we can got 1t. Can you tell uti
But at that moment II girl with very uuiy Bang
anl a very Large hustle came into the SHOP ana
wanted some peri imerv, aud tho clerk wa imme-
da'cly too much engaged TO attend to us auy
more.
So We went ont on the street again, and met a
policeman, whom We stopped We did not say
ANYTHING about Ferlandna this time; wc simply
asked If he could tell us where the eilor-cn w0A
"Oh. yes; 20 right that way and turn 10 tho
right; You'll SEQ IT,"
a." Bat how shall be know IN efcr-cn when we SEQ
III " asked my friend.
The policeman stared. then grinned, and III
formed us that we could not help knowiugIt.
We folio we'd he direction and soon came upon 4
brick building which was n railroad station. We
found on purchasing our tickets that they were
labelled T. Il. and NJ" which. AZ we said chil-
dren. stands for" Florida Railway and Navlga-
ton and which, colloquially and Overwhelmingly il
ca led ''efer-cn here.
We went back to the other station and boldly
bado man take our baggage to the clicr-cn.
lie obevcd alertly ho had no need to have any
thing cxpnired.
In duo time wc reached Fcrnandina over the
eier-en and we arc now n Glib rs any one IN tho
Kan In la 10, MIA AZ