Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-27
In FLORIDA
FORMER RICHMOND PASTOR ON A
MIDwINTEn VACATION.
BREEZY DESCRIPTION OF THE TRIP.
How He and q Fellow Atlanta
Preacher Enjoyed the Season oil
Rest Togefher-some of the later
esting Incidents Related.

Rev. Ut. w. w. Landrum, of Atlanta,
formerly of this city. writes the Journal
the following breezy account Of a ten
days vacation spent by him and Rev.
Alexander w. Bealer in Florida during
the month OF January:
vacation In winter is a rare expert
ence for a busy city pastor. but some
times come when generous church
commands II and an admiring brother
or two provide the wherewithal for the
way. An outing is all the better II II is
taken by Two of KIND" each being
Complementary to the other and form
ing out OF two hemispheres the globe at
one good round time. We started on
Monday morning-or. rather, one OF us
did. 1t is the bluest morning Of all the
seven TO a preacher when 1t is difficult
10 pull himself together and get any
where on time. AS class the clergy
adhere strictly to that veracious old saw
OF our early years:
Early to bed and early TO rise.
is the way to feel stupid and have sore
eyes"
Naturally, one OF us got left. and It
was the Copenhill suburbanite. He was
I'D early enough; indeed, while this
scribe was still fast in slumber he was
provokingly early enough to turn my
peaceful chamber into pandemonium by
the changer of the telephone bell. The
negro nurse who answered the summons
shouted: "Git up Doctor. git up quick;
Mr. Bealer done telephone yer to git
move on you or you'll git left" 1t re-
ouired little time 10 dress, snatch up
gripsack and gun and fishing tackle,
catch the West Peachtree car. and soon
rush into Durands for "a bite" and coz
Zee. While the delightful masticating
process was going on mine host aston
ished me with a revelation which sud
denly cut it short.
Re II known to all the world that the
Southern railroad is a pious road, sub
scribing TO the honored dogma, the bet
ter the day the better the Decd, ana TOT
that reason always changes its time table
on Sunday. Dealers connection with
certain well-known evening journal has
preiudiced him against reading Sunday
morning papers. On the Sunday before
we left for Florida the Southern railway
discharged its devotions as aforesaid and
advanced the time of departure full
half hour. The same was duly announced
Sunday morning, but Bealer was in dark
ness This scribe missed his breakfast
but mounted the train. AS l stood on the
steps of the car commissioned friend
to present my compliments 10 the tardy
pulpiteer end ask him for me:
ere you waiting for the car?
am off for Florida;
Ia, ia, tai!
This far impromptu poetry deserves to
be ranked among such classics as Beal-
er's muse bestows on long-suhering AT
lanta public. How l Rugged myself for
very joy that the eary-rising pilgrim was
left behind to cool his heels and his tenn
per i'm the palatial wafting-room Of At
lantas far-famed central station.
Did you ever try to get ahead Of
newspaper man? IF So you achieve a
reputation for courage at the expense
Of your discretion, and are not likely TO
be so rash again. How merry we were
when. at the station in Macon, re-
lated 10 Dr. Rudisill and the ladies COM
posing the party We had agreed TO meet
there that my prompt and punctual COM
panion was wofully delayed and would
not reach Geneva till full twenty-four
hours after our arrival. over the Georgia
Southern and Florida railway we were
whired along through a country / had
not seen i'm thirty years, and remem-
bered as only the vast and dreary ex-
panse of wire-grass and pine woods, brow
sing, lean cattle, and gaping gopher-holes.
What a vision of thrift, industry beauty,
and prosperity it Is rO-day-a landscape
flecked with charming villages, and alive
with the activities OF such nascent cities
as Cordele and Triton. Southern Georgia
now vies with any section Of the State
in its actualities, hopes, and possibilities,
and is destined TO an illimitable future.
We reached Palatka on time. There we
got a dispatch from our laggard in the
significant sentence:
IF you get there before I do,
Tell 'em I'm a-comin' too"
We waited in Palatka one hour. two
hours. three hours six hours; all, no
doubt, on Dealers account, as 1 shall al
ways believe he held up the usually on
time train Of the Jacksonville. Tampa and
Key West railway. There is always, you
must have noticed, sort Of freemasonry
between railroad-men and newspaper
men. However, our party moved OF to-
ward Sanford without the "pencil-shOver'
wizard, and got there before he did.
little steamer bore US from Sanford up
the st. Johns river, over the broad be-
som of Lake Monroe, kissed by soft, de-
IclOuS sunlight, ana signify Iulltu mere
and there by a toying breeze, and through
Lake Jessup equally as embracing; still
on to Lake Harvey, which is about the
size of the Sea of Galilee, and almost IS
blue and romantic as Como or Maggiore
Existence was a luxury that day; heaven
and earth wooed and won each other, and
had for their wedding garments the gold
and blue of the sky and the shiny sur
face of a whte-shored sea.
There was rest and recreation in every
inhalation of the tonic air, and charm
in every prospect. We landed, and by
private conveyances were brought TO Dr.
Rudisilrs cosey cottage on Lake Friday,
spot his recent guests have named "Old
Point Comfort" Supper was no sooner
over than / withdrew to the porch ito
burn an idor'-caled by the profane
smoking a cigar-and to felicitate myself
on my feeling Of profound and Inquali-
fed peace with all mankind. An appari-
ton in the cleaning startled me; | heard
a familiar voice, gleeful and mocldng; it
drew near and fairly exulted over me on
the haunting words: Little Aleck don't
get left; you can't lose me; I'm here just
about half an hour after you; you can't
keep a newspaper-man down" Will you
believe IL, the bold annihilator of time and
space actually shortened the journey thir-
What is Scott'o Emul-
sion?