The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-01-17
BILL ARp'S LETTER.
Bill is Down In Florida, Telling Snake
Stories.
atlanta Constitution.


Clear Water Harbor-It is glori-
Gus comfort this winter weather to
bask in the sunshine of the gulf by
day and luxuriate in the moonlight on
the waves by night. No wonder that
Tom Ochiltree was inspired to say to
the yankee lady at Galveston, who
was in ecstasies over our moonlight {:
"Ah, madame, you should have seen
our moons before the war" We do
not know what kind of weather you
have had the past week in north
Georgia, but it must have been right
bitter, for it is cool enough here to
enjoy fires in the early morn, and
these people are apologizing for it as
though they were afraid the weather
would hurt our feelings. This delight
full climate is a good part of their
capital stock, and always will be.
Money is nothing when compared with
good health, and I ruminated over
this when. all night long heard the
consumptives coughing in their berths
on the sleeper as we came down.
They were coming to Florida to die or
perhaps prolong their lives. That the
climate is good for all lung diseases or
bronchial affections [ have no doubt,
for the grip has certainly left me since
my arrival, and the little orphan, for
whose sake we came, seems like new
child She is br;nht and happy all
the time, and has ceased to cough.
We were all caught in hard rain at
Tampa, and I was alarmed for the
child, but no harm came of it. Yes
terday we came over here from Tampa
by private conveyance, thirty miles.
1t is only half that distance by a
straight line, but Tampa bay was
between and we had to circle its north
ern boundary. We could have trav-
eled by rail, but it was 12O miles by
Lacoochee and ten hours lay over
there, or we could have gone down to
St. Petersburg by boat and from there
by rail next morning, and so we choose
the piney woods, and were delighted
with the journey. 1t is beautiful
road, about eight feet wide and quite
firm for a sandy country. 1tis wide
enough, for the houses are ten miles
apart, and we passed but one vehicle
the entire journey. At some places
the bay is in view, and at others there
are small lakes, with white cranes
adorning them for ornaments. We
saw fox squirrels and quail along the
road and ran upon two buzzards who
were greedily dissecting monster
rattlesnake, that somebody had killed
the day before. The girls wanted the
rattles, but the driver had no knife
and I would not put mine into the
yenomous carcass. Its head had not
been mashed and was as large as a
biscuit, nor was there any sign to
show how it had been killed. No
tracks of feet, no stick, no stone. 1t
the buzzards did not kill it, it must
have been shot from vehicle, for we
did meet some Tampa hunters, one OF
whom told US he shot rattler that
had seventeen rattles, and left him in
the road. The one we saw had only
seven, but rattles do increase in num-
bers as the story is repeated. Aday, s
Journey through these piny woods is
very monotonous. We longcd for a
change of scenery, a hill, creek, a few
rocks or stones, noise, habitation,
with dogs to bark. At one house
where there was a luxuriant orange
grove we stopped to inquire the way,
and the whole family came to the
front. I have no idea that the chill
dren had seen any strangers In a
month, and it was a feast to them.
The house was miserable hovel, but
it was shelter, and that is all that
the averaae piney woods settler wants.
But, as we neared the gulf, we found
some pleasant homes, and better
class of people. I said to our host,
''what is the name of the man who
lives three and half miles from here
in a large white house? He came tc
the gate and took his hat off to the
ladies, as We stopped to ask some
questions.
"Oh, that is little Dan McMullen,
said he. "There is little Dan and big
Dan and Uncle Dan and some other
Dan, and there is Jim McMullen and
Jimmy McMullen and Jimmy jim
McMullen and few more, but no jim
Jams. They are all clever people,
who came here before the war, and
have multiplied and named most Of
the boy children Dan or Jim.
Clear Wafer is hamlet of three OF
four hundred people. 1t is on bluff
that is from twenty to thirty feet
above the water, and overlooks the
little islands and the dark green
waters of the gulf that lie between
and beyond the. This bluff is orna
mented with d,:I- growth of moss
covered oaks and hlckories, while just
behind them are the beautiful homes
of wealthy people who winter there
All around are orange trees laden with
golden fruit, fruit that is not enough
for sale, but abundant for use. From
almost every residence there is plank
staircase descending to the beach and
a walk to bath house that is hun
dred yards out in the water. Boats
are near at hand for rowing or riding
or sailing at your pleasure. The
wharf is Still farther from the shore
and from there you can sec the por'
poises turning their summersaults
among the schools of mullet. One Of
them was shot this morning and
brought ashore-a huge black monster
with snout and teeth just like q
i,