Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-06-14

''lllI!lI' ieisnrelv alon9 the road smiled to himself as he came | upon a sudden turn where a tree had fallen l across the road, and, it being no ones business to remove the trunk, a sharp | detour had been made. At this point | the monotonous pines gave place to a stretch of beautiful t'high hammock" and he spied narrow winding path leading from the road into very thick part of the hammock. Into this leafy path he turned, idly wondering where it would lead. Many sharp turns it made, and, finally as it swept around Il high bunch of palmetto, he found him. stead, and face to face with a strange figure.
 A heavy beard proclaimed the figure to be that of man, but tho iron-gray hair was "roached' from the forehead in by gone schoolgirl fashion, and confined by a genuine round comb, from which it fell to the shoulders in loose ringlets. Small gold hoops were ill his ears, and huge bandanna was pinned about his throat with an immense old-fashioned brooch. The man wore loose, short trowsers, that reminded one forcibly of the divided skirt" so ardently urged upon feminin- ity by dress reformers, and shining brass spurs were attached to his boots.
 The native leisurely surveyed the horse man, and & twinkle revealed itself in his shrewd. brown eye, as he noted the strangers evident confusion. He had been flaming himself with his palmetto hat, but now he put it on aslant as he said, cordially:
 'sHowdy, Yank? I am glad to see ye Won't ye light and come in for a spell?"
 II would like a drink" the stranger re- piled; ''and yonder live oak looks invit ing My name is Rawson," he added, as he led his horse to the gate.
 "And I'm Abel Hammond; or, if ye will, Uncle Abel. Hyer, ed,"-to lad who approached-'you' tend to the gen. tlemans critter." linen, turning to lead the way to a large, live oak which had attracted the strangers attention, he con- tinued in the drawling tone peculiar to all the ''crackers," as the native whites of the Florida backwoods arc called, say ing:
 "Ye found it purity middllng hot, reckon; these yer piney woods ain't much for shade, and this white Floridy sands nigh about as hot's the snn, Onct it gets het up real good"
 Two tall, straight-bacl1ed, hide-bot- tom chairs stood under the tree, while hanging close to tho trunk, on a low limb, was a curious earthenware vessel with gourd swinging beside it.
 'Have 6 chair and a drink from the monkey" said Uncle Abel, proceeding to pour out 0 gourdful of beautiful clear water from small spout near the top of the vessel.
 His guest evidently appreciated the good qualities of the monkey, for he filled the shining gourd again, in4uiring as he
 "A Flureedian? Yeh. I'm genuwine cracker, born and raised in Floridy. Some of these yer consarned eejits, they kicks agin being called crackers, but if you'll show me why sFlureedian' Is such a mighty sight genteeler'n cracker, I'll show you a night-bloomin' jasmine that forgits to go to sleep in the day time."
 This poetic wager from such decid- edly prosaic source brought slightly surprised smile to the strangers lips, which Uncle Abel immediately noted.
 'Yer smiling, I sec Ye think it's curus that such an ole coon as me 'ud know anything bout flowers. But, law bless ye :! canltell just where yell find the big gest, bluest vi'let an the sweetest weeny white uns where the jasmine and haw- blooms grow thickest, jest when the sweetgum and maple commences to red, and where the wild grapes git ripe the quickest.
 "How'd come to know all this? We'll, I'll tell ye. Have you got little girl to yore place, with hair jest like sunshine, and eyes like the sky? Ye have! shake, stranger! I'm glad to see ye. But-then -yore little girl-aint-blind There beg yore pardon-but the suns so bright it kind O makes my eyes weaken. Reckon I'll change my seat"
 After the vigorous use of large ban danna, Uncle Abel tilted his broad brimmed hat slightly over his eyes and went on.
 "Yeh! my little Studies bright eyes, that look jlst like they could sec thro' the outside and look right at yer soul they can't never see nothing, cepting then she says she sees it in her head"
 Here he rose and helped himself to a liberal gourdful of the cool water, and his guest took the opportunity to inquire if his little daughter had always been blind.
 No, she warn't allus blind; 'twar done when she were only two year old; she Il be seven, come next August. Ye see, nigh about everybody had a bunch Of cattle ranging in the woods then, and every winter they'd set the woods afire and burn the dry grass, sos, come spring, the new grass ud be good grazing. That's where all the flowers is gone to. Folks come down from up country, and every last one on 'em says: 50 this is,
 ''The Land of Flowers" Huh, Il don't sec many As if flowers could bloom
 and have to fight fire every year! Why,
 it's as much as this yer tough old wire
 grass can do to stand the tires ''But I were going to tell ye about my little girls eyes, which twas all along of
 these yer same fires. Me and tho boys
 was gone to Tampa with load of man.
 darin and Tangerine oranges nice prime
 uns they was too), leaving brother sam
 to look after the Pullet and the Chicks. The Pullet's my old 'ooman. l called hel
 so when I fust commenced honeysucklln
 round her-and she'd think I were sick
 or mad if was to say 'Missoury Ann. .'Well, we hadn't been gone no time
 fore neighbor Kilgore, three mile away,
 sent his boy after sam to come and doc
 tor him up little, belng's ho were
 takened purity bad. There warn't nc doctor closter n forty mile, and as Sam had done 0 good deal in that line. he couldn't very well help from going
 though he did hato to leave the folks | alone.
 "But the Pullet's as Pincky a little | 'ooman as ever eat scuppernongs. She
 he'd Aminee (she was 1D. and Sed ihe l were purity nigh 1O), and then little Suuie +bo lnby Wol1 Sam ha didn't cO,nf