The National tribune., 1909-08-05

chanting than the sweep Of Its dancing
waters ALL spting fed as :,,I they lay
Under d the westering . sun shadnms s,%s length,
ened on that shimnering expanse Away
across the lake. full two miles distant. 1
saw In the clear, depths OF the water ns t,.s
cypress trees on the far she so mirrorsu
that for a, time they puzzled me. an9 iooh-
| ed to be growing in the water. 1t was
wonderful, and shows the pureness of the
/ atmosphere, as well as the clearness 90 %
the lake water. The lake is said TO be ~
feet deep in its cliannel-l didn test ths
statement. for can't swim. but waikec
along the edge and l saw the pure white
sand shelving gently down and thru that
clear water. saw the bed of the lake, still
white sand covered full so feet out. It
is fine building sand / am told. There Is
not grain of quicksand in 1t. IL Is sii-
yer white. without a pebble. IL there Is
a rock big as thimble in Fiorida, 1t must
be hidden, for I didn't see it. l am told
that it is a State without stone. And. in
deed, it looks so placid. so dolce far niente
| picturesque, so altogether meant for peo,-
i pie who are tired of hurry and push anu
Observation-Disclosures humanity, that l
can readily believe that it has no rocks to
throw at ANYBODY.
4 Now I ha,4 Just told you n wee little
bit of what woman thinks of st. Cloud
A woman who was determined that she
was not going to like it any way you could
fix it up. Who was it said ''The wise man
changes his mind, but the fool never!'
Well, am not fool.
st. Cloud Rising in Beauty and
Comfort.
st. Cloud is getting licked into shape
rapidly. 1t isn't being built like Solo
mons Temple. without sound of hammer
or tool, for the hammer and the AK az
well ring every second Of the waking hours
in that favored spot. The wide avenues
of the town of st. Cloud are even now
distinctly defined. and the clearing halt
accomplished. They bear the names of the
States of the Union. the central one being
named FLORIDA" A general store is COM
pleted and veteran has put in an excel.
lent stock of goods. An experimental sta
,tion is established right at the side of the
railroad, and in q few months you will see
igrowing there every known kind of brush.
root and tree that a tropical climate will
iproduce. A new hotel will be rooted in
within 80 days. I saw the contract made
and that was the binding promise. A
church, and of course a bank, a school
house, and public hall will soon follow.
All are now projected. There are many
VETERANS, and others on the ground, who
are putting up their houses and getting
ready to enjoy life.
ave are not expecting to make our for
tunes here" said one of the Is veterans
there to me, "but we do expect to make
plenty to live upon, live healthfui, peace
full. and peaceable life, and have little
left over to bury US. We have not come
here to hustle, but to have quiet, and to
live longer, as l know ye can in this
healthful climate" -ea -.a-.--
With one accord they declared them.
selves delighted with the whole country
and satisfied as to location, and pros
poets. "There will be enough young peo-
pie come in to make things hum in a busi-
ness way" said another veteran. 81 have
some Grandchildren with me who expect
TO make their fortunes here, and I believe
it possible. with industry and thrift. For
, us veterans this eternal Summer. the fact
that fuel IS, necessary only to cook with
that clothes are of secondary interest, anC
overcoats will only be necessary when we
weeks" said ANOTHER, "and have grown
i younger every day in spirit" ~
Il Veterans Growing Younger.
Another veteran whose son has lived fol
several years in that vicinity, but was
never able to induce his father to even
visit him, declared to me that he, felt as
: tho he had been Stealing years from his
own life ID failing to visit Florida before
"My homS to the end,' he declared sol
emnly, "wiIl be. here at st. Cloud. Il
seems Godgiren territory for US yeter-
!, ans" s'3a bi's' ss.J''t s-'' " @-|
4 BY the way. .ssery veteran has carriei
] with him a Flag The first veterans ar
rived two months ago, and the first morn
pole and raised Old Glory, right at thG
corner of the porch on the Office building
And every morning at sunrise, that Fiae
, goes up, and every evening at sunset i
! is lowered The old st. Cloud houses ar,
! at present tenanted by the veterans whit
have not had time to puc up their cot
tages, and from the upper windows o.
each their old Flags float.
II You can just guess it was a pretty
sight to see .six big Flags floating wher,
! you had not expected to see even one.
: st. Cloud is not up in the clouds b,
any means. II is right down on earti
: and hustling.
By the wa5. S. Cloud has its romance
A quarter Of q century ago, maybe, st
|, Cloud was a great sugar plantation
There was erected there a magnifcen
! ! sugar mill plant Of tremendous proper
tions, with many outbuildings, and tn.
: most complex and modern machinery wa.
installed. Fine houses were built for th'
! : manager and superintendents, and smaller
: : houses for the laborers. For some reason
! nobody ever has known just why. thi
> region where sugar cane almost drips ID
sweet Juices, did not make the great suga
!. !. mill prosper, and suddenly operations
| StdStu EOI yCdfS Iut SlOOu lule IL
the now caneless fields, the maehiner.
: rlisted in the buildings, and the houses be
:, gan to decay and tumble down. One da.
. = activity was noticed about the plant. ant
y then it was discovered thar the machiner.
4 was being loaded for shipment. Th
= schooner which carried the red ruster
J, wheels and engines. the pulleys, and vat
i and crushers, manned by lot of sturd
u men, sailed away, down the canal, thrl
9 Lake Tohopekaliga into Lake Cypress
. > Lake Kissimmee, and into the Kissimme,
= = River ON down into Lake Okeechobee an,
. out into the Gulf, where they headed fo
! | the Mexican coast - and for aught W
p know, like the Ancient Mariner, they ma.
be sailing yet for schooner, cargo an
}. men disappeared from mortal ken an,
II never have been heard frvIa since.-Isabe
= Worrell Ball.
Il Special Acts of Val0r.
n Editor National Tribune: Your pape
e interests me very much. Thousands of tru
ts.ta xraf scaa ,,,I,;n