The sun., 1910-05-08
THE FLORIDA THIT ~ GONE.
sigh Frsm the COlonpl At tRe ThOaght %
Delights - Thlrty YeaFs Age.

The Colonel sighed a. he settled him
self in HE favOrits chair At the club and
beckOnsd 70 an attendant. and when
that emissary Of Bacchus had placed q
glass Of something conveniently near
the Colonel sighed again.
what's the matter. Colonell- aaksd
one Of the group. You seem inclined
20 be sentimental II Il the inhusnce
Of spring or has some fair lady fitted
across the path Of your range hnders9-
Neither. said the Colonel I've just
spent a winter In Florida. the first IN
thirty years. that's all
We'll. tie the same old Florida, ian't
iti' asked HE companion.
I should say not replied the Colonel
with emphasis. Florida to-day is q
hAsty pudding Of Fifth avenue. Nara
EAnsstt Pier and Newport.
'WhSn ! was laSt In Florida there was
fascination about the very lack Of luxury
and the crudeness of the country. In
the first place there were no twenty -four
hour vestibuls trains 20 take you out
Of q snarling snowstorm and land you
In the Odor of orange blossoms. We
were obliged 10 travel in a more leisurely
faahiOn.
Prom Richmond down the trains were
drawn by discarded locomotives from
Northern railroads that had been con
vSrtcd into wood burning engines with
huge smokestAcks. like the pictures I
used 20 see In my school geography.
A. every stop tho train crew hustled
10 M the tsnder with pine logs and fire.
qusntly stops were made for thar very
purpose
When the fireman put on fuel the /.
punEent smoke of burning zine tar filled |
the train. and one chap that recall who 4
vas on his way IN the Southern pines 20 /
build up q pair Of llmping lung declared
that by the time be reached Savannah he
was 20 benefited BY the treatment the
railroad gave him that he was well enough
10 90 back % New York.
There were no solid trains then. but
The cars we're linked together and tho
links Wedged with wooden blocks. Asa
rule there we're not blocks enough. and
every time the train stopped We brought
up With ierk that had most beneficial
sfsct upoh q torpid liver. in fact recol-
lect nOtnlng Quite 20 stimulating % that
organ unless u was a ride on top Of one OF
the old Fifth avenue stagus.
NO through exDress took ~ into the
heart Of that ancient city of S. AuRtls-
ttho, but a. TOcOi on the &c. Johns River
We boarded q train consisting % an en-
Eine and one car. The car was divided
tor baggAGs. oOona and white folks
Tho time consumed was two houTs ana
the fare was just y. ! Wa tempted 10
CFiticiae the rapacity Of tho sOuthevner
until ] discovered dat the road Wa
owned by a couple II New York cap
itahata I
Prom BAlstEa We took q diminutive
steambOat Tor q tTtD up the river Il was Z
q stern wheeler with no paddl8boE over !
tho wheel and u was great 10 watch that Z
little waterWheel throw spray over The !
Aiterdeck. lt spent more ene-5y throwing /
spray than In doing anything $50, Tor he :
highest speed attained by that craft was
Eve miles an hour. The alliRAtOrs on the
banks never even woke up a. she aHbled
along.
AT night thsy had no searchliRht. but y
instead built hro Of pine knots In a pan !!
on top ol The pilot house and the hicfsr- j
ne light of tho FIRE ~ Il ahone on the
iense forrest growth and long festS0ns n
n eoutheEn mos waving from the trees d
llado q acan9 fascinating ~ it wa weird q
hen re niEHen uoula gnghsr On the D
s~er dech and sinG. oand iho peculiar d