The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-02-20

hideous, warty reptiles in the lagoons
OF the Jacksonville and st. Augustine
parks?
About half way to our picnic grounds
we were surprised to e a huge ALI
gator summing himself on a sunken log
at the edge of the canal. He never so
much as winked Is we could see,
though our boat passed so near him
that the waves from our boat washed
the water nearly over him. The men
said he was about twelve feet long.
This seeing a live alligator in his ma
tive haunts was worth all we paid for
our trip. We went ashore at the cocoa
nut grove-the most beautiful grove
ever saw. Those stately trees pre-
sumo there were hundreds Of them
so very tall, with not a limb growing
from the smooth, white trunk. At the
grew clusters of f%ulbgrown, ripe nuts,
blossoms and green nuts, OF all sizes.
We took several kodak pictures; went
over the ridge; gathered shells and
sat where the salt water OF the ocean
Tapped our feet. A beautiful winter
palace stood on this ridge, painted
white, with closed green blinds. The
family were absent, only a caretaker
in charge, living in a nearbJ cottage.
A small herd of thrifty young swine
were being fed on freshly broken
c%ocoanuts. We gathered as many nuts
as we could well take home, when we
repaired to the house beautiful, spread
newspapers and tablecloths on one
corner OF the wide piazza, spread an
appetizing and substantial lunch there
on and gathered round. After dinner
the men went out in rowboats and
dredged for oysters, securing a fine
lot of perhaps as fine oysters as |
ever ate.
We reached the dock at Delray just
before dark, very tired and very hap
py. We had enjoyed our excursion so
much we all felt anxious for another
trip, so, after a short conference 1t
was unanimously decided to go down
the canal two days later to the light
house at Pompan, Is miles distant.
The same two motor boats were secur-
ed, n belonging to Mr.. Howell Of
Flint, Mich, the other in charge of Mr..
Miller Of New Castle, Mich
The next morning we sent some
oysters to the owners of the boats, a
pailful to the South Dakotans board
ing at the hotel, and each family of us
had a dinner of those oysters, fit for
a king.
Trip to Pompan Ligh House
According to arrangements, we
South Dakotans assembled again at
seven a. m. sharp, Wednesday, Feb
ruary 5th with refilled lunch baskets,
where we boarded the boats for Pom
pam Light House, eighteen miles south.
The tide was coming in from the inlet
and the boats did not make as good
time as on the former trip, but we
were in no hurry. The flowers were
as beautiful, the birds sang as sweetly
and we were enjoying another happy,
joyous day. Finally we IA many
bushes loaded with a red, plum.like
fruit which greatly interested us. l
must say it was not a oma who
first ate OF the fruit. Instead, the wo-
men all begged of Mr.. Bushnell not to
taste them lest they be poisonous. He
ate and seemed none the worse. Final
ly a negro gardner appeared on the
scene and to their questions he a n
swered: mo sab, they amt poison.
They's Croker plums, Sab, they's
good; eat all you want, Sah."
Here we met a large boat coming up
the canal-two decks-many passen-
gers, with Old Glory floating above
them. 1t was a grand sight. So
thought Mrs. Williams, who seized her
camera and we think got a good pic
ture of the big boat. We also passed a
beautiful houseboat on the way. Ar
irving at the landing we went over the
hill on which the light house stood
and down to the ocean beach. The
ladies walked along the sand and an
hour later returned with shells, coral
nd sponges galore. We ate our dinner
on a table spread under the shade of
the trees, then we rested a while.
Afterward, we women wended our way
up the winding stair of the light house
tower, about 300 feet high and came
out on the balcony. where we had a
view, 1t would seem. of nearly all of
Southern Florida. There was an in.
teresting boat race on the return trip
and so equally did we run that the
nAA-oA1AA- 1911. AaA>Il>AA 1910