The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-28
A BRAVE GIRL.
Who Plies the Oars Equal to a
Stalwart Man.
II
She Has a Mail Contract, and Carries the
Pouches Out to Passing Boats
Arp Visits the Orange
Groves.

Pouches Out to Passing Boats
Arp Visits the Orange
Groves.
It was raining hard and the wind was
driving it at an angle of As degreeswhen
! was aroused from my reverie by the
steamers signal that we were going to
stop for something. Looking out from
the open door / saw the same female
mail boy of Palmarosa that l wrote
about last time. She was some dis
lance up the coast and had just pushed
her little boat from shore and was row.
ing with all her strength against the
wind and waves and the drifting rain SO
as to meet the boat that was slowing
up in the middle of the channel. Up
end down over the heavy pillows b
piled her oars. Her back was to us,
her head was bare, her hair hung loose
w to her shoulders. She was clad IN a
loose shirtwaist, with sleeves that htted
closely to her shapely arms. Ever ana
anon she glanced behind to see tnat
her course was right and shook the wa
ter from her tresses. Grace Daring
could not have rowed more swiftly,
and in q few minutes she had neared
alongside where the mate stood at the
pangway, with his long, hooked pole IN
hand to catch the PROV and hold II
fast until she had exchanged Uncle
Sans pouches. I looked at her with
anxious interest as she stepped up
lightly on the plank seat, and, with a
pleasant smile, tossed the mail into b
open way. The mate threw another
pouch down to her, and said: ""hy
didn't you wear a hat and put on some
clothes, Miss Grace? You will catch
your death with cold" "Oh, no." b
said, II like it; it is splendid fun n
she shook the raindrops from her hair
again. I had a good look at her nut
brown face as she receded from us, and
would have thrown her a kiss If could
have called back 40 or so years. She
is a good, brave girl" said the captain
s'and is not ashamed to earn her $2o q
month and help the family. Ram Or
shine she never fails to meet the daily
boat just at the right time and In the
right place"
I had been down to ManaHee and
Bradentown to see what te great
freeze of last winter had Cone to h
oranges. / found that most of the CROP
had been gathered and marketed, but
the boats still take on a few boxes
every day. The crop was not a tuli one
but brought about five times as much
per box as it did the year before. The
fruit was never finer in size or more
luxurious in flavor. One orange was
piy1rn,ne that measured 10 inches in
| circumference, and it was not putfy
or overly thick in the rind. The grow
ers realized about $2.75 per box, and
those that have been held back are now
bringing three dollars. AS a rule The
best groves belong to residents. Nom
residents got discouraged last year at
so cents a box and quit fertilizing and
quit paying a nan to look after their
property. Consequently you will see
many groves that have been practically
abandoned, but right alongside you will
see a grove in perfect and vigorous II
dition. IAN orange grove" said Sher-
if Watson, requires as much nursing
as a baby, but~it will reward you it yo''
care for it." The clever sheriff took
me out to see the Royal Palm nurseries
that are conducted by Mr.. Reasoner
and son. The young man was kind
and courteous, and ] wondered ut his
enthusiasm as he explained everything
and discoursed on the beautiful tropical
plants, andatalked botany and foricul-
ture, muchhtof which was all Greek to
me. He gave me clippings of coffee
and tea and rubber and camphor and
cinnamon and other exotics, and
showed me orders from the north and
west and from across the water. 1t !
was a young man I would pursue this
business for one reason if for no other.
I have observed that all florists are en-
thusiasts about their calling. They
love it and are happy. Look at MI.
Berckmans, of Augusta-what a noble,
earnest man he is. Just think how
much pleasure his fruits and flowers
have given the people, especially the
wives and daughters, all over this south
land of ours. How intensely he studies
nature and how extensively he diffuses
knowledge over his adopted country!
He has neither time nor inclination for
politics. He bankers after no Office,
he has no ~quarrels with mankind, but
is happy in communing with nature
and natures God. I would rather
know what he knows than to be learned
in any other profession. Besides all
this, horticulture is a profitable bust
ness and brings its sure rewards. These
Reasoners began on a small scale, and
from year to year have enlarged their
and now are financially indepc1l-
dent. Hooked into the depot at Braden.
town and saw boxes Of their trees and
plants waiting for the boat, and some of
them were marked to Nebraska and
Michigan. Their palms and ferns and
acacias go to Boston and New York,
where they are wanted for funerals and
fetes and weddings. They a get $50
for the leaves of a single plant.
In company with Judge Cornwell I
Visited Manatee, which is only three
miles from Bradentown and is the oldest
town on the river. The country be-
tween the two is thickly settled and is
ornamented with orange groves and
date palms and other tropical trees. At
the beautiful home of Mr.. Adams, of
Boston, I saw more beautiful birds than
! have ever seen in all my life. The
veranda was full of cages-large cages,
six feet square and six feet high, and in
them he had pairs of most every fancy
kind to be found in the world. Strange
to say they were a happy family from
the tiniest linnets to the paroquets. In