The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-02-15
FLORIDA CRACKERS.
Sturdy Fellows Who Do Not Easily Lose
Their Presence of Mind.

Sturdy Fellows Who Do Not Easily Lose
Their Presence of Mind.
81 took trip to Florida for my health
during my Christmas holiday" said a
lawyer in an uptown cafe the other
night as he sat slipping black coffee with
friend. 81 enjoyed the trip i'm
mensely. A queer country that-where
their principal stock in trade is climate
and the principal industry keeping
hotel. 1 did little exploring of my
own, outside the regular beaten paths
of the ordinary tourist, and l found the
native Cracker every bit as peculiar as
the State he lives in. At one of the
hotels one day met disguised North
erner, who had invested in some town
lots through glib agent and had come
down to find them.
"'What have you got that's fit to
eat" as said to the negro waiter.
"'Bacon, sah, said the waiter, an
hominy, an sweet potatoes, an coot
pie
"'Coot pie, what's that?' said the
stranger.
'''Coot pie, sab, don't know what coot
pie is, sab! Why it's pie made O. coots.
"'Of course Inknow that you dolt,
said the Northerner, but what are coots.
'Coots, sab, very fine game, sab,
sumpen like duck"
>'Had it wings?"
NJ Yes, sab
"'Could it fly?'
"'Yes, sah.'
"'Then don't give me any coot in
mine. Any thing that had wings and
could fly and didn't get out of this blasted
country / despise too much even to eat
"This gentleman, you will easily per-
ceive," continued the lawyer, had be-
come rather soured, the natural result
OF investing money in the sand lots Of a
paper town. The State really has many
natural advantages, which are being de-
veloped slowly perhaps, but surely. This
man, however, having been deceived,
could see nothing good in the country
or its people. I came up to jacksonville
on the train with him from the southern
part of the State, where we met, and de-
rived not little fun from his sardonic
humor. So did the others on the car.
SAT one station in tho woods the train
stopped long time and we began to
look around for diversion. Close by the
side of the track, opposite the station
house, was patch of corn-two or three
acres-an exceedingly thin and sickly
looking crop, the soil being little better
than sand. A tall, gaunt boy of about
sixteen years, dressed from head to foot
in red jeans, was lazily hoeing and weed
ing between the rows.
Look at that wretched CROP said
the Northerner. Dirty seed, no manure,
poor soil, baking sun, hoe-culture; not
even a pillow to stir the land deeply, le.
alone ''cultivator" to weed it quickly
and often. The weeds will have choked
the south half of the crop before that
lazy fellow gets the north end clear O!
them.
Boy he called, young fellow! II
seems to me your corn is rather small,
isn't it?'
The boy looked at him for moment,
spat reflectively, and replied: Yes, mis-
ter, pop planted the small kind
'e'<-O,' is that SOP said the questioner,
but it's rather yellow, isn't it?'
&" 1t is, mister, replied the boy. Pop
planted the yeller kind
We'll, I'll bet you ten to one said
the Northerner rather testify, as some
one of us Uttered at the boys answers,
that you won't get more than half a
CROP
YOU'RE right, mister drawled the
boy, Just half crop. Pop planted it
on shares
"The train pulled out just then and
the Car fairly rocked with our laughter
for a mile or more. IN. Y. Tribune.