Times-promoter. (Hernando, DeSoto County, Miss.) 1898-1970, 1909-04-22
IN NORTH CAROLINA
Major Leaves Florida and Writes of Trip
to Tar Heel State.
MOUNT AIRY, N. c., April 12, 'os

, mOUNI AIRY, N. u, April IL, w
/ expected to be in fernando to
, day, but here l am among the noun
} tains of western North Carolina, an,
almost frozen at that. I didn't hav
my overcoat on from the fifth of Jan
uary until / started here on the fiftl
of April, except to protect from /;
little rain.
| find the temperature very diff
ferent and wish I had stayed in Flor
idaEa week longer. There I.was
eating roasting ears and cucumber'
and buying machine ice for the re
frigerator. Here the corn is mo-
planted, the gardens hardly started
and the mercury down to nineteen
and old-fashioned home made ice.
/ came down the ST. Johns on fine
boat from Sanford, the head of navi.
cation, two hundred and five miles
to Jacksonville. The beauties of the
st. Johns 4 failed to see. The part
of the river | travelled on in the day
light was very narrow, made SO by
the encroachments of the water hya-
cinth, which our ladies cultivate in
tubs for its flowers, and snakes
track is not comparable to the crook
edness of the st. Johns that I saw by
daylight, but about sunset we entered
Lake George, which the river runs
through. This lake is fifteen miles
wide and looks like a little sea. The
river is about a mile wide from there
to the mouth, but as it was dark /
couldn't see the country we passed
through, but the part l saw in day
light was anything but pretty. 1t
was narrow, very crooked and cypress
swamps on either side; the trees COW
cred with moss gave dismal look to
that part of Florida. Isaw four aliga-
tors eight or ten feet long lying on
the bank looking happy and content
ed.
We got to Jacksonville about seven
in the morning. W. took. the train
for this place at elyven and Fnshed1
through the piney woods and sand
hills of Florida and Georgia, passing
Savannah about dusk and into South
Carolina, which state we passed en-
tirely through in the night, and I
failed to see the country, which
regret, as wanted to see Columbia
and the old state that I have not seen
in long time.
How the world is jambed together!
left Jacksonville, in Florida, and
vas among the mountains of north
vest North Carolina, having passed
entirely across Georgia and South
Carolina and nearly across North
Carolina and part of Florida, in twen-
y-fve hours. But I believe that
could live ten years longer l could
make the trip in half the time and
trough the air without the dust and
moke that was almost suffocating in :
he tar, pitch and turpentine of the
lat woods Of Georgia.
| went to the Methodist church to
Easter service yesterday, and heard
good sermon, good music and saw
ne decorations. Today (Monday) is )
holiday in North Carolina and the
eople here are picnicing at the foot
Pilot Mountain and elsewhere. The
abbits lay the funniest eggs in these 7
fountains you ever saw. The chill )
rem find these of all colors, striped, s
ootted and figured. Everything is 5
hanging as the world grows older. )
he rabbits didn't lay such eggs when (
was boy. And some other things z
re changing, too. If you don't be- s
eve it ask Old Hughey. .
The Confederate reunion is coming :
ION, and there is general interest Il
herever / have been. The old boys N
)preciate and realize the fact that y
If reunions this side the great be- M
md are nearly at an end, and they E
e coming to Memphis from where N
ver have been. see the railroads q
e going to bring our old comrades b
ON the soldiers home free of cost.
is pathetic, but it is right. These
d comrades fought for the south
nd, and helped to give the southern
ldier imperishable renown, and
ey are entitled to the tenderest Il
re that we can give.
see that some of my old friends
d comrades have recently died.
IF Sing enlisted with me, and was
le to the last He has crossed the