Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-08-16
CHAPTER XVII.
AT POINT SEBASTIAN.

A1 4 g. NAC1
Now that the great rambling wooden
hotel in which Miss Elsie Kildare was
staying under care of her friends, the
Van Liews, though On the end Of a tele-
graph wire and within easy days steam
Of a railroad, was not particularly far
in crows flight from that uncharted
river where the Port Edes lay stranded
on a sand bar. The hotel, in fact,
backed upon the Everglades and faced
h blue crisping waters of the Mex
lean gulf. AT one side of 1t was a plan
tation of sisal hemp, and beyond that
thickets OF sawgrasS, and beyond again
cypress trees and cabbage palms
Sprouting from an underground which
was bound into an impenetrable cheval
de frIse with wait-a-bit thorn. At the
other side were newly planted umbrella
trees, w decrepit orange bushes with
fruit, twenty luxurlant clumps of
elephants ears. and then struggles of
palmetto scrub, right down to the soft
white banks of gulf sand. Beyond was
clear blue water with a rickety wood
en- wharf straddling a mile out into
II IKE some uncouth gray legged cent?
pede. And beneath the water denied
rusty food ans grew intimate with the
coral polyp.
In winter time Point Sebastian was
a resting place for nabobs of the north.
and a congregation spot for those de-
iagnfful American women who leave q
convenient husband at work elsewhere
ON the dollar mill. But In the warmer
months these worthy people did their
pleasure living at the seabeaches Of the
north or the hotels OF the Alleghanies.
and the resthouse at Point Sebastian
bESA.ed and covered most OF its glorIes
The Fioridian who stays in Florida all
summer does so usually because OF a
tigbtness In the e~xchequer, and for the
fsW OF him who came to dissipate q
small but hardly scraped UP hoard In a
spoil of standardization a tenth of the
available rooms made ample lodging
place
Still there was a summer season of
sorts at Point Sebastian. which was
merry enough in its way. Most nights
an b parquet OF the hall a CHEEKY
score danced under the glare OF eiec-
trio lights to the Tilt of Heuton fddles.
and In the cool gloom of the piazzas
exrssfde. * straitened means did IRE
rent the actual drafting OF marriage
contracts. even penury u~ndisguised
could enjoy the dallyings Of the weeks
Irritation. Mr.. Williams and his
tribe were entertaining fellows enough
10 meet for a limited time, and maid
ems. come into the hotel for an annual
outing, basked In the odor of their
pretty sayings and frankly
Themselves for nothing beyond tenn
porary amusement.
Patrick Cambel met at least five men
there he knew. which shows the great
advantage OF being a university man.
because since at Oxford and Cambridge
they most successfully refrain from
teaching anything that is of CONNER
ciaI use 10 anyone except a parson, or
n doctor, or a schoolmaster, II naturally
follows that many men from those
seats of learning fai; to make a living
at home and drift across the seas.
He cid not make the smallest secret
about his advent. AS the
had I'D them already, he had been on
the un;ucky Port Edes when she came
to grief, but had managed 10 get ashore
by a marvellous streak OF luck and
found himself at a spot where less than
n yea age he had been wandering
about On a shooting expedition. Thence
he had made his way In a dugout,
bought from a Seminole. to the hotel
on Point Sebastian. VOLTA tout. There
Was nothing surprising about 1t. He
had mad several opportunities for
drowning before that. but none of them
had ever conle off. So he supposed that
Inc P1-cae marked him OUT TO live.
Ard-what would they have? His
shout.
AT that period Mr.. Patrick Cambel
was feeling extremely pleased with
himself. He hated h work at which
be had e engaged. as any man must
hate being mixed with a swfldle. be II
great on small. Ard the end seemed
the end. conJoined to full suc-
cess.
He had had a struggle fow II.
cause once Captain Kettle had
felt Inclined to FIGHT for his own hand
Lnffer han do all things for mere am