Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-05-14


Caloosahatchee. Anyway. whoever
thought 1t UP must have been reckless
in using vowels. Wouldn't that so
swell in a popular song. though, il
you could only get good rhyme for
It? Barry tried for hours and the
nearest he hit was something about 1t
being cute and catchy. which l told
him wouldn't do At all.
+***
A ND then about sunset we nosed in
Aat q rickety old wharf and tied up
with the Pyxie's bow pointing out to
sea. It wasn't a lively place to spend
an evening, this Punta Rassa joint.
On shore were a few fishermen's
shacks huddled under Some palmettos,
the sun-bleached foundations of ho-
tel that had gone up in smoke, the
cable station where the line from
Cuba comes In from the gulf. and be-
yond the two bungalows of the lone
some young fellows who act as cable
operators. After supper we walked
up to the station and talked with
them. They told US about the big
storm. Everyone does down here, and
IL all their tales are true. it must
have been some blow. for some of the
survivors seem to be still scared. But
then, very little does happen here. and
you've got to allow for that.
Certainly 1t was calm and quiet
enough that night. Such lot of salt
water in evidence. too. North Of us
stretched Pine Island sound, with a
faint glimmer from the settlement at
the near end Of big island. OF to
the right were the low. dark outlines
Of Sanibel. with the lighthouse flash
ing from the point, and to the south
ran the shore Of the mainland, taper
ing of in the distance to nothing at
all. Somehow everything looked
weird and mysterious in the moon
light. Out on the whole broad sweep
of the gulf We could see but one sail.
that Of q schooner miles out on the
horizon. and she was showing no
lights. I hunted UP Capt. Mears and
asked him about her.
Couldn't be a pirate craft, could
itr queried.
More likely a rum runner from
Havana" said he.
But there were pirates on this
coast once" said I. Don't tell me.
captain. that you've never heard of
Gaspar and Lafitte."
"Oh, they used to lay in here, all
right" says the captain. Buried
their stun all up and down this coast.
too. I've seen some Of 1t that's been
dug up
you have:" says I. What, for
instance"
"A gold Cross" says he. land a ring
with red stone in it big as the end
Of my thumb, and some queer-lookin'
gold pieces. Old lady johnson had
some that one Of her boys dug out of
. shell mound. She mover would tell
where, though"
Haven't you ever tried digging for
pirate gold, captain p I asked.
Me: says he. NO.. I've been too
busy mullet fiShin' and guildin' tourists
But reckon there's more or less of 1t
around here"
co that night I should have dreamed
- of prying the lid Of treasure
chest from its rusty hinges and run
ming my hands deep into a bushel or
more Of pieces Of eight, but, as a mat
ter Of fact, the soft lap Of the water
against the boat and the creak Of
the hawsers were too soothing. Long
before 10 o'clock was dead to the
world, and the next thing knew a
streak Of sunlight had flashed through
& portfolio and brought me out Of my
trance. heard the throb of the en-
gine and knew that we were on our
way south. Also remembered that
I mastered the trick Of working the
bathroom pump, and inside Of FIVE
minutes was splashing around in a
tub full Of cool salt water right from
the gulf. that and few turns around
the deck made the perfume Of frying
egse and boiling coffee perfectly
welcome smell.
It seems that everybody was up
early this morning. even Inex. In the
flrst place, It Was the beginning Of a
perfect day. with only a slight ripple
on the gulf from = crisp little brsese
out o. the northwest that made tho
sads-gsssn water sparkle end dance In
tie sunlisAt Also Ne wsrs sieirting
. new coast line, which locked almost
as mysterious BY day ~ the distant