The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-07-17

They made their beds that night in
the hammocks that they slung high in
the boughs, and that Julian had
brought along against the wishes of old
Cy, who thought bed of broken boughs
fit for king, snakes or not.
What a scene it was on which their
eyes opened in the early morning!
Cedars, superb as the cedars of Leb-
anon, dropping great circles of shade,
the huge live oaks trembling with webs
and festoons of gray moss that made
sheets of diamonds as it swung in the
sun, here and there a palm tree lifting
it's green crown in the clear air, and
vistas into the rich verdure of the
swamp beyond, gay with every color
and sweet with every scent of honey
suckle, vanilla, heliotrope and great un-
known flowers.
In and out the thickets flashed wings
like jewels; scarlet famingoes stood in
the pools, the great white heron rose
heavily, and little alligators, that looked
as if they were living bronzes, crept up
to sun themselves on the banks.
After they had finished their frugal
breakfast, and rolled their hammocks
in the smallest knot they could make,
they pushed on after old Cyrus, who
knew the paths and by-paths to every
where, and they were only week on
their way, adding to their larder game
brought down by their rifles, before
they came up from the swamp they had
skirted, and found themselves on the big
hummcck of Okemolkokee everglade.
| What strange place it was, and what
wilderness of wealth it looked to
Julian! 1t was slight elevation, bur a
| few feet in all above the swamp, and it's
rich lands had become forest of the
bitter wild orange, at present of no good
to anybody, except in it's season of
bloom, when the rapturously delicious
| fragrance drifted for miles on the soft
air.
1--WE will explore mile or two to-day"
said Julian, land mark the trees we
think best to keep, and thin out all the
others, the first thing we do"
1t was busy day they had of it, and
they let sun and air into the great
thicket, and, as far as possible, saved
trees in the regularity they would have
had if set out in an orchard. Three or
four times before they finished, Cyrus
| left them and returned for provisions,
the second time bringing his son Darius
with them. And at last the wilderness
was cleared, and every tree remaining
in the first section had received the bud
of the sweet orange, which had been the
precious freight of Julian's moss
wrapped bundle.
Now" said Julian. while these are
accommodating themselves to the new
circumstances, we will go ahead and
clear our next years extension. don't
know exactly how long this hummock
is, but in time 1 mean TO get all the
worthless growth cleared out or so much
of it as belongs TO father, if it's ten
miles, and every tree left grated, and
we'll have every sort of orange that
grows; the blcodred Maltese, the spicy
little Mandarin, and all the rest. This
is better than standing behind counters
or over desks, isn't it, DAMP"
"Heap sweeter work than picking cot
ton on the field, honey" said old Cy.
What a day it was 10 the boys and the
old servant when the whole orange for
est, as far at eye could see, burst out in
flower, with such a poisoning as would
have wreathed all the brides of the earth
with snowy sprays, and whose rich,
rare odors one would think might have
sailed over the seas themselves, and
penetrated foreign countries with their
sweetness.
"Now," said Julian to his brother and
confdant, ''we want to be fit for what's
coming. Don't let's waste any time.
DR.. Yancey has books enough, and he'll
tell us what to read, and We'll go and see
him and begin to get an education"
And so much of their plan as this they
announced to the family.
"Tm sure l don't see what you can be
thinking about" whimpered his sister
Frarnie, "when we're all but starving"
But Rachel took hold of the books
with them, and labored along as near
them as she could follow; and before
the year was out it was surprising how
much those lads and the young girl had
put into their memories. Twice year
Julian and Dan and old Cy and Darius
went off on what their mother called
DuclT WiCfcu tSnu lulS SDOOUlHS, LOT Sue
didn't see why their father was willing
to spare them old Cy. But the father
kept the secret. They believed it would
make the mother happy enough by and
by.
Some years later, they set out early
one morning for the orange hummock,
the father having left note for the
mother, saying that he was going with
the boys, and going to take Rachel.
Nobody enjoyed tho whole enterprise
more than Rachel, who was a helpful
little body. and knew of countless
methods of adding to their comfort on
the way. Her own comfort was secured
by the little donkey that Cy had bor-
rowed of DR.. Yancey and on which she
rode.
you'll have to be a lot of use, Rachel,
as soon as we get there" said Julian,
"and SO has Mr.. Father"
But when she did get there, she found
as romantic little hut, made of orange
boughs, with two rooms in it, too, that
the boys had made for her the last time
they were there, as one could have out
OF fairy story; and long before she
reached the place she could have found
the way bv the odors BLOWING towards
ner; and when, all at once, the orange
forest-not any orange grove or planta-
finn h11f fba GRO n cro foroC% ,,r,<D,,