The Opelousas courier., 1895-02-16
ARP IN THE SURF.
He Chaperones the Ladies to the
Island
Where They Don Bathing Suits, and After
Watching Them Awhile Bill Concludes
He Will Try a Few Breakers-But
He Was Afraid of the Undertow
alad Was Very Careful

L uau ne ECLof OF cuIpeTolitIo tEp
women to the island yesterday and they
were all lovely. | thought hat l knew
them all, and l did until they came out
Of the undressing house, transformed
and transmogritied into wafer nympbs,
and then l dIdent know anybody, not
even my lifelong wife. l stood OIL at i
respectful distance and ruminated. AS
they toyed and struggled with successive
waves and screamed and shouted Win
hilarious glce, even the older ones re-
newed their youth like the eagles and bid
defiance to rolling years and rolling bll-
lows. Suddenly the dream Of my youth
came over me and l wandered away
down beyond the clAaaa4ns re h sshosHh>an
all alone in my primeval glory l laved nd
bathed in the green waters of the Gulf
of Mexico. 1t carried me back to the
rude aud crude frolics Of my boyhood
when the springboard and the mill pond
were my delight. Half Il century has
passed since | saw that mill pond, but it
is there yet, and the water is still falling
over the dam and singing the same old
song
Men may come and men may so,
But / go on forever
The sea, the gulf, the lakes and rivers
and brooks are the only living, moving
things in all nature that suffer no change
from the iron hand of time. Such as
they were at creations dawn they are
now. But 1 am not as brave as L used
to be, and so l kept within easy reach
Of u long. projecting root that reached
out some twenty feet in the water, ana
rose and fell with the waves. L was
afraid of the undertoN and grabbed the
friendly root AS oft as the breakers came.
oh, it was glorious. But all pleasures
must nave an end. and in due time the
ten and 1 were invested in those usual
garments of which we had been Invested,
and after picking up Il few shells de-
parted these coasts homeward bound.
The ladies sang Life on the Ocean,
and Go Tell Aunt Sallie," aad Who
Killed Cock Robin" aud other watery
clloruses, when suddenly a hat with gay
ribbons flying took a notion to sail away
into the vessels wake, and we thought
it was gone for good, but the pleasant
Swedish boatman smiled and said: Il
find heem again. and SO he had to round
to and starboard and larboard and ship
ahoy and do other nutical things TO get
it. 1t was a happy afternoon, and the
five little children were the happiest OF
the lot. Mothers come here for trail anu
sickly children-men come for their
wives and wives for their husbands.
Every family has an invalid. l saw a
sweet little girl Of three years asleep
upon a shawl that was spread upon the
sandy beach. She came sick and pale
and with Il consumptive cough. but L be-
liere will get well. / saw a young lady
who has nearly lost her hearing from lon
continued grip, and she is improving
every day ard is as merry as a lark. /
met d man from Cincinnati today and he
comes to spend another winter because
his asthma was SO relieved while here
last winter. The winter residents have
all returned and brought more with them.
People are getting more and more like
the birds, wild ducks and geese and mock
ing birds and robins and wild pigeons
all migrate to escape the rigors of a win
ter climate, and why should not man
kind, especially those who are afflicted
winter ~aggravates? What is wanted by
the public are cheaper rates for winter
tourists, The railroads ought to give
round trip rates for nearly one fare. and
they would make money by it. The tour
lists ought to have as much favor as the
excursionist. The small discount the
railroads make is no encourag cement to
travel. The fare from Atlanta to San
ford is S13. 20, and it is SO for a round
trip ticket. 1t should not be more than
$40, and l am sure the travel would be
doubled. But what is wanted on the
gulf coast is more accommodations for
winter visitors. Clear Water will soon
have a nice new hotel and it will be filled,
but there are many people who want cot
tage privileges, and would rent them if
they were here. Every mail brings in
quiries, Can | rent a COTTAGE" No, not
now. Every one is occupied. DIR. Blount,
of Macon, and his son and sons wife
rented one last winter and remained all
summer, and they say they never spent
q %pleasanter summer anywhere. The Old
| doctor has been all over the world and So
journed in many countries, and declares
he has at last found a resting place that
suits him all the year round. But if 4
| man had a thousand dollars to spare he
| could buy a lot as elevated as the bluff
and only one block away and build him a
cottage and have two or three hundred
| dollars left. These back lots are gen.
| orally 75x160 and ON the same elevation
with the bluff and can be had at prices
ranging from $500 to $500. The bluff lots
that overlook the bay are getting scarce
and command from $40 to $12 a front
| foot. Six of them AVE been sold since
/ came here, and four of them improved
with handsome residences.
The little town is looking up. There
are two good schools with competent
| teachers. More boats have been built for
| pleasure, and some of the wealthy resi-
| dents own naphtha launches. The rent
| of a good oarboat is about ST. q month,
but this is generally shared by at least
| four persons. A Chinese laundry has just
been opened. Negroes are scarce and
| they charge high for their labor. The
white country people are very friendly
| and kind. They bring milk and eggs and
| chickens and fish ard oysters and peas
| and beans and cucumbers n tomatoes
| and other vegetables to your door every
| dav. Winter gardens take the place Of
ummer gardens in Georgia and it will
not be long before the market will be
| SUPPLIED with strawberries. So many
| persons write to know what they can get
to do here while seeking health and
paving board. Nothing that l know of,
unless they improvise something, but the
town is too small to encourage artisans
or professors. A book agent would per-
ish. A minstrel show would hardly pay
expenses. A blind tiger couldn't earn
| the water he puts in his whisky. The
| place is a winter residence and a santa
nr, +hat ;s all There arc threa cfarou