Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-04-02
ARP COMING HOME.
Winter Has Lost It's Grip in the
Land of Flowers.
A Cnowder Party ON Palmetto Island,
But bill Docs Not Like Chowticr-He
Has . Pleasant Nap While the Young
Folks Are Enjoying Themselves.

must go home, spring or no spring. An
other boy is going away-going far away
for good and we must see him for week
or two and say goodbye. Our youngest
boy, Carl, got a place in Mexico on the
International railroad and will leave the
paternal home the last of the month. 1t
is hard on me, but harder on his mother,
for he has been her idol and her coTu-
fort and never gave her pain or anxiety.
Already l see the CLASSY tears in her eyes
as oft as she thinks about his going.
What if he gets sick away off there!'
she says. NO one to nurse him or care
for him. and she turns away her face
to hide her tears. But he will come
back once q year." said l. "Mr. Raoul
will let him come. WOuldent borrow
trouble. The best way is TO look upon
these separations from our children as
part of the battle of life. We left our
parents, though we did not go so far
away. But Mexico is not so far as 1t
used to be and it takes only two or three
days to make the journey and besides it
is a good change for the boy. SO let him
go pleasantly and don't let him see you
grieve."
These sad partings of parents and chill
remember. Thousands of our boys have
gone to Texas and Arkansas, leaving
their old parents behind. Thousands of
motherly hearts have been full to over
flowing. 1t is an old, old story and
parents should prepare themselves for
the inevitable. 1t is a very selfish love
that would tie a boy to the old home
stead when there is better field for
linn abroad. Our life work is nearly end
cd, while his is just begun and he should
take the tide of fortune at its flood and
go where brighter prospects loom up be-
fore him.
1t looks now like this remarkable win
ter has lost its grip upon the new year
and soon the sweet breath of spring will
gladden. this Southern land. Every day
is lovely down here now in Florida and
the sick and the well are luxuriating in
balmy breezes that come from the tropics.
Yesterday we joined a sailing party that
was projected for our Dunedin friends
and about twenty-five of us landed on
Palmetto Island, some four miles away,
and feasted on a fish chowder that was
cooked for us there. | have been to
clam bakes In New England and Bruns-
wick stews and harbecues in Georgia. but
never saw fish chowder prepared in
royal style before. Our sailboat towed
little boat along that was laden with the
Ssh and the bread and bacon and pota-
toes and onions and lemons and all the
sauces and seasonings necessary. Col.
Bond. of Marietta, was chief cook and
director general. Young men cut the
wood and built the fire, while Col Bond
filed the iron pot with the ingredients
and soon the savory odors filled the air
and made the guests hungry for the
tempting dish. For a while our party
wandered up and down the beautiful
beach on the gulf side, the shells crushing
under our feet at every step, and when
we returned to the palmetto grove the
cooks ordered the tablecloths to be spread
and all the culinaries to be gotten ready
:or the feast. Rugs and mats were
placed around for the ladies to recline
upon, while palmetto logs gave seats for
the gentlemen. Beat biscuit and butter
aud broiled middling and pickles, ct cetera
were spread out in wild profusion and
then the chowder was tasted by Col.
Bond and his assistants and retasted by
feminine amateurs and ordered to be cook
ed and salted little more.
In course of time there was call for
Observation-Disclosures, and soon the
delicious feast was served in soup plates
and served all around. 1t was pro-
nounced superb-splendid, and other ad-
jectives too tedious to mention, and some
had their plates refled, but somehow
or somehow else did not feel as vorashi-
bus as 1 expected to feel and said to
myself, as Mr.. Lincoln said of the ballet,
"for the folks who like that sort of a
thing l expect 1t is the very sort of
thing they do like" 1t was all my fault.
/ know. for there are a good many good
things that / don't relish but other people
DO, and higher cultivation has pro-
nounced superfne. l don't like tripe, nor
chitlings, nor raw oysters, nor frogs,
nor snails, nor mushrooms, nor pate de
fol gras, nor turtle, nor shrimps, nor
clam chowder. In fact, / have a preju-
dice against anything named chowder,
and 1t is all my fault and lack of edu-
cation But we had a glorious day and
ey erybody was happy. Gen. Parsons and
myself were the veterans of the party,
and after dinner we stole off to the boat
And took a nap upon the cushioned seats.
The General is from Illinois, genial,
kind, considerate gentleman, and tariff
reform Democrat. He earned his title
by fighting us and l earned mine by
fighting him, and here we were sleeping
side by side in Southern waters. The
lion and the lamb laid down together.
The General is now n years old, but
carries himself well, and everybody likes
him, especially his modest lady-like
daughter, who is favorite with our
people. like that-we all like that.
And we had Col. Bond, a Savannah gen.
tleman, but now of Marietta, who took
off his coat and was master of ceremonies.
He has made fish chowder on Wolfe
Island for thirty years and was given
a diploma by Capt. Postell many years
ago. Then there were Col Bonds lovely
and the beautiful Dunedin
girls and some other maidens with gush-
ing adjectives and some fair matrons
and young men who danced attendance
upon the maidens. l was sitting by a
very lovely girl in the boat, when a
cheeky young man by the name of Grady,
who was reclining on the bow, gave
sweet and gentle whistle and my girl
left me, under false pretense, and went
to him and never came back any more
1t reminded me of Burns pretty poem,
whistle and I'll Come to Ye, Me Lad"
The next time i go I will take my wife
and sit by her, for these young girls are
unreliable. Nobody but settled woman
suits me now.
Last week I visited st. Petersburg. by
Invitation, to help commemorate Wash
ington's birthday. / found the hotels
and the town full of patriotic people, and