The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-11-10
FLORIDA KEYS MEN
LIKED BY TOURISTS
Cordial Relations Between Natives
and sparsciy Settled Places and
Anglers.

poking into out of the way places
and stopping at shacks whose oc-
cupants seldom see strangers. is AL
occur which leave an impression on
the mind and provide a peg upon
which to hang pleasant remin-
iscences,
One day while crossing a nat
where the water wak nowhere more
than four feet deep. quite a number
Of tarpon were seen. Having no
bait the launch was run to a fsh
house about three miles further
along and some raullets purchased.
The keeper of this fab house
proved to be a former telegraph
operator who. in December. 1918,
had been Ill with the "fu." recov-
cry left him too weak to work in
doors. in an overhea ted and poorly
ventilated offica- and he had come
~ Florida and secured a Job as fish
house keeper at $50 a month ana
grub, doing his own cooking. lie
had held the place for months, and
was brown and healthy looking:
and he would put in two or three
months more before resuuing wire
work. This man had never caught
a tarpon. but az the launch left he
suggested the use of a foat in still
fishing for them. and an hour later
his suggestion was acted upon and
found to be both practical and valu-
able.
Experienced With E.x.Soldiers-
Once some net fishermen who
had just made a haul were met
They had three or four hundre1
, bounds of pompano in their boat
Regret being expressed that the
lack of cooking utensils alone pre-
vented the immediate cooking OF a
couple Of these delicious FISH
brought the information, quite as
matter of course. that q shanty boat
, vas moored a couple OF miles away,
and that the occupants would be
glad TO offer the use OF their stove
and frying pan
: Some pornpano were purchased
and the launch was headed in the
! direction the shanty boat was said
! TO be. A little doubt persisted as
} to what reception would 10 met
with. This doubt proved = "9~
tirely unwarranted the occu .., o.
/ the shanty boat were cordial. and
not only insisted upon cooking the
hsh but also prepared a dish of
I French fried sweet potatoes an 1
served coffee with sugar and con-
censed milk.
After eating. pleasant hour
was passed smoking and talking.
| The two young men on this scow
were ex-soidiers. they had hired the
I shanty boat and a -slotor launch and
were fishing slack water each time
for trout (weakfish) aud loafing
and sleeping between tides.
The price received for the fish
caught was eight cents a pound
Eutted. this was considered a salts
factory price and they were earn
ing sufficient money to pay all ex-
penses and enough over to provide
each with good OUTFIT of cloths
and q little ready cash when theo
saw 1T to look for work at their old
Il seai1ss 5GagEe faasS been ~ x1sfaGtaer aTss.
the other trolley motornlan.
They appreciated tho gift oil
some cigars and expressed great
pleasure when given a ten days' ole
copy of the Sunday Sun with the
picture supplement.
Doctor Leaves Fishing to Aid Man
The people. naet with We're Away
friendly aud more than willing tt
assist a stranger. often at consid'
and IL is \ only just to say tina
tourists appreciate this courtesy ane
endeavoYfng 10 rcCiprocate. as tns
following incident may indicate.
One night about midnight while
, drifting for tarpon in Boca Grands
Pass a launch came alongside ane
J inquiry was made for a doctor
"A bout s O'Clock that evening &
member of a FISH house crew, Twins
IN a shack about twenty miles from
Bocs Grande. had slipped on 6
fresh caught tish and fallen, break
n ing an ankle. One of the crew hat
the doctor was away on a cali SOM
where up the line and the time O
bis return was very uncertain 81
there would be no passenger traiI
until noon the next daygan possibl,
no freight train before that time
so the messenger was going from
boat TO boat in then Pass on thu
/ chance that there might be doc
tor among the anglers
He found one. a man from Phila
delphia. who listened to the mes
e senger's story. borrowed a handful
OF cigars from the angler in tn
nearest launch and with the sid
OF an orange crate from which t.
fashion splints started at once Il
render what service he could. ]
was three-hour run in the Launch
to reach the injured man and a fou
hour run from there back to Thu
hotel. the service OF course was rem
4 dered gratuitously and the doctor
made a second call before turning
the case over to the local pracu
toner.
Watermelon Appreciation.
One day launch was noticed II
be at anchor where boat shou!t
not be anchored and a run over tt
it disclosed that the ignition bat
terry had run down The boatnar
had drifted for some time, anG
about three hours earlier had an
rhored to~wait until another boa
should come along he could dc
nothing else
An emergency set OF dry cells ali
ready connected up was passed
over and in couple of minutes the
engine was primed and turning
over. the anchor was raised ana
with a thank you" and wave OF
the hand that boat went on its
way
/ Two days later set Of dry cells
and a prize winning watermelon, a
buster, about a yard long and a
foot through were left at the hotel
for the party who was in the
laurch Hilda> last Tuesday"
That melon tasted just a. de.
I licious as such an imposing looking
melon should taste, II was luscious