The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-02-03
TIE Pines
DR.. MCMaSterS StrOIIS Out Into
the Florida Woods
TOUR OF EXPLORATION
Tells The Herald's Readers, In His
Inimitabie Way, What lie
finds Out There

MIAMI, FLORIDA, Jan. 22.-Dear
Welles: A copy of The Herald, date
Jan. IL, convinced me that either
your columns are too brief, or my
communications too long. I never
dreamed that / had evaginated (don't
look for this word in the dictionary
stuff enough to fill more than half
a column. 1 fear "the music of my
own vain tongue" is getting down to
biz.
If 1 have not forgotten, my last was
devoted to the charms, local and
municipal, of the county seat. So
now / extend an invitation to ram
Bile with me into the dim, myster-
ious aisles of the primeval forest,
where, in looking from Nature up to
Natures God, you may perchance
happen to see a Goddess, and some
other objects of interest.
Alighting from the train at Prince
ton, some % miles south of Miami,
find depot 10 painted yellow
an appropriate color a dozen shan
ties of slab architecture, a big $751;
900 sawmill in active operation, q
rough board emporium, where you can
purchase a span of mules, yard of
calico, Mccormick harvester, a
quart of beans-if there be any
other want, it will be promptly sup
piled from an axe helve to a loco
motive. ! made known to the gen
tlemanly proprietor, whose one sus-
pender supports a ten dollar pair
OF trouserines, which rest upon an
eight dollar pair Of patent feathers,
my desire to penetrate. He beckons
to a statute recumbent ON pile of
sacks, who promptly comes to life,
and in ten minutes, / am flying
through the pines on hand car,
propelled by four brunettes, and in
an hour am dropped, nowhere.
Appealing to a kind native, we
face to the north, and in single file
we advance until my guide stops be-
side pile of stone, from which arises
a hewn stake, on which l find a
cuneiform inscription which informs
me that / am on the S quarter of
section Z, town 81, range 80. This
quarter section we slowly circumnavi-
gate, with many stops for botanical
Investigation and test of soil, etc.,
until we discover the name of the
homesteader, who conveys a silent or
der to his wife. Meanwhile he pro-
ceeds to organize himself into a cy-
clopedia for my benefit, and while |
ply him with interrogations, he urges
upon me luscious oranges, bananas
plums, ETC., all growing within easy
reach, while a home made pump as
suages a we'll earned thirst. Then
at signal easily recognized We re-
pair to the house and feast, literally
feast, upon new potatoes, new cab
bage, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, half
a dozen kind of sweets, and coffee
of an ambrosial quality, to say moth
ing of bread like mother used to
make" l shall never forget that
dinner call. Zone blast upon that old
horn would feed a dozen men,"
From here my host assumed the
post of guide, and in Indian file, we
visited ranch after ranch, always find
ing a warm welcome, and proffers
of assistance, until at nightfall, we
reached a pretentious mansion where
my guide advised me to spend the
night. A kindly welcome, glorious
supper, an evening of chraming con-
versation with people who read and
deal in ideas, a long nights rest,
and a southern breakfast, are some
of the experiences that will linger
long.
After breakfast, my, hostess took
me into her rose garden stu wet
with dew. She has over 20 varieties
in full bloom, and / shall always, re-
gret that l did not write down their
names. One Marshal Neil bush was
as large as a telephone pole near
the ground, and covers a space of a
good sized room. She urged me to
take all I wished, but single bud
win serve to remind me that there
are beautiful homes and kind hearts
and gentle hands in the most remote
regions Of our country. .st.a
Here again my host became guide
and showed me much of the neigh
boring lands aexplained the eccentri-