The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-06-13

without the grit of Joe as lover, he
keeps at it out Of aggravation-you
would yourself. Your vanity does it,
for you say to yourself, If you can't
capture bundle Of freckles, what can
you do nohowT In the meantime, as she
grows older and gets more obstinater and
uglier you loses your temper and she
loses hers. and neither Of you never git
it back again. So it was with Joe, but
having the grit as a lover, Of which I've
spoke, mere loss Of temper was nothing
to him. Well. he KEEP on and KEEP on
and then he KEEP on.
Zone day she told him she'd come to
the conclusion marriage were not fail
ure, which give him great JOY. Then
he got setback when he learned that
two button cutaway chucklehead had
commenced a-sparkin' of her under the
delusion she was rich and was the cause
ofit. It was about that time Joe went
west, taking letter writer with him, 80
he could send back courtin' letter took
cut of the book from every station they
sssRRsd .!%s1,. at .t+.r vvor,,,n. .t d,ttsrsn.
things, always bein' as confident that
he'd win as frog is about its powers to
chirp-if it took him a hundred years
he'd git thar-he located in cabin on
swampy tule farm up on four legs above
the highest reach Of the water. The tide
was two feet deep over his land twice
day, 90 he built roosts all around his
place for his chickens to roost on ct high
tide, for he raised chickens and honey
for the city markets, and he rowed
around in boat to the nests to get the
eggs In the meantime while doing 80
he was always composin' love letters for
u write, for he was poetical and done
things by inspiration. and the inspfra-
hons always come when he was collectin'
the eggs. especially if the hens had laid
well.
"An around he seen bitterns flying, all
perticklerly fat with nothing apparently
to eat. It was caution how fat they
seemed to grow and have oily. greasy
countenances, all on nothing, and he
couldn't make it out till he seen one fly
ing one day close by, with neck yard
and half long. with head for all the
world like the head Of a sarpent. Then
he watched more Of them with heads
like corkscrews, and they seemed also to
have amazin' long necks and sarpent's
heads as they few about in all directions.
At hast he sec how they ct snakes. and
that, as it took about half an hour to
swallow them. they KEEP fyin' round an
round while doing it. SOS the motion
would aid digestion.
Zone day an idea struck Joe. He seen
besides bein' so a1aazin' fat they were
about the size of young chickens. So he
killed one one day and chopped its legs
and head off and plucked the feathers,
and saw, for his purposes, it were a
chicken. So. hein' 90. he sent them to
the city to market as chickens. with
their heads off and blue an yellow seal
loped tissue paper where their legs was
cut off, where they gave him a great
name because of their fatness and the
delicate taste of frogs legs which sar-
pents give the meat. In consequence he
growed rich
I'm the meantime, while watchin' the
bitterns and sarpents, all unconscious
they was doin it so he'd grow rich, and
while pluckin' the feathers off. he was al
ways busy meditatin' an composin' love
letters. and he was always Begin her
to come out and get married. But his
ideas however he put them. never
fetched her nohow.
''At last one day, of Sunday, be see
he must have change Of ideas, SOS he'd
seem different-same as man seems d1f-
ferent in q different suit of clothes-to
fetch Miss Selverton. the lady. and was
wondering what would change them
He rowed in his boat to neighborin
town, and on the way, though he'd never
drank nothin' before. he determined he'd
try gin. He'd hearn of a man once made
a fortune by an idea he got by drinkin
gin. 50 he got two big black bottles aud
rowed home with them. determined to
try it. for Joe was grit So he done it.
He opened one bottle. and while he
was drinkin' it an idea come to him and
he said to himself-for havin' no neigh
bors he choose to talk to himself-'I'll
open the other In honor Of her .eHeiyal
when shssgeel:hassSss SRha ,it3s. Thich
f spsS3ai brillixnt. had come t0 him of
se0 OW0 &CNO1Us 1O A10 suOuSut ~ WaS y
sign Of good luck, and put the unopened
bottle aside. He then finished the other,
and while 90 doin' he composed and writ
letter to Miss Selverton what fetched
her with all her baggage. He'd dropped
the letter book style and just spoke plain.
e don't disremember he said, I've got
the snakes. and I'm the first man that
ever found ttem payin' property and
gEowsd rich by t. -
"You Gee. he jist wrote plain that
away. Then he went ON and said: I've
Got regular snake trust and the people
never mistrust it, and it's the hind OF
trust what, % Car from causing me 10
bust, would just make you bust with
laughter II you saw the peculiar way
I've growed rich. had to give other
people snakes before they'd come down
with their cash. II you win come out
my dear. we win have the snakes to-
gether. Hespoke all through just plain,
that away. Then he inclosed check
for thousand dollars for her to come
ont with. ss
AN 3. IA