The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-06
THE East COAST OF FLORIDA
~.

~
looked like it belonged to the family
of other places along the coast and
was less attractive than most of them
Biscayne Bay was pretty but not
more so than the Indian river. The
principal difference in the scenery
was caused by the cocoanut palms.
There was big store-that IS, it was
big for Miami, tho it was much
smaller than Phil Bryan's store in
New Smyrna, one or two smaller
stores, the building that had been the
nucleus of Fort Dallas, a few other
houses, some docks and boat landings.
That is all / can remember, and /
can't remember them very well. 1t
was very unpromising looking
place to me. 1t was steaming hot and
the mosquitoes were thick. My
friends and me longed for the open
ocean. We had no special reason for
staying. We had no business, we had
just come to be coming, and now we
thought more than anything else of
going. We had an idea when we left
New Smyrna of going to Key West,
but now it seemed to US we had gone
far enough, and the long, loose
string connecting us with home tight
ened and began to pull. l remember
there was great scarcity of goods
| just then. Miami wasn't a port nor
town nor a terminus nor even a
place in the road. For a long time
three hundred years perhaps-it had
simply, been place where boats
came in and tied up for awhile and
went away again. 1t had possessed
some stability since the Seminole war
but no more population. A few
lsportsmen from the north were COM
ing to hunt and fish every winter, the
Indians came in from the 'glades to
tTade-a small party of them were
there the same day we were-and
there were several other excuses
none large-for its being there.
So we tied up to little dock there
at 8 a. M, and by 5 p. m. we were
lacking out again. About 6 p. M, the
sun went down-Florida was using
central time then-and I remember
we We're then going out to sea and
glad because of the good, cool breeze
that was driving US steadily toward
lhome.
| We didn't know we were turning
our backs on the chance of our lives.
If we could have looked back across
darkening sea and viewed painted
among the dying tints on the western
sky vision of the city that is Miami
today, not long it would have been
ere we would have returned to lay the
sure foundations of great fortunes
could perhaps have raised a hun
dred dollars just then, and had | done
so l could have bought for it enough
Miami land to have made me a mill
lionaire two or three times over now.
But l didn't know, and now | dc
not much care, for | have had about
as much satisfaction ont of life as
could have had any other way. It's
the game and not the stakes thai
makes life worth living.
We went on back up that coast like
la bird flying, and did so well outside
that we decided to stay outside. Thu
lsea tossed our little vessel some, bu
ievery toss was toward home. How
ever, the expedition lost it's cook fo
awhile. We stood far out to pas
Cape Canaveral and ran into what il
considered rough water Possibly you
know you can stand on sand dun
on that coast and look out to sea, an,
beyond the surf it looks like the oceal
is as smooth as dancing floor clea
; across to Africa. But out a few
miles the water has hills and valley
that will make a thirty-foot boa
swing up and down like a pendulum
, tho they wouldn't even rock thirty
: hundred ton steamer. 1t was evening
we had just had supper; l had don
my best as chef, but the boys, VIII
were laundering for the feshpots o
/ home, roasted my cooking to a turf
However, they ate it all, and I ab
: sorbed my share. l had washed tn
| tinware and put it away, and occupie
, my favorite place on the deck tina
| covered the cabin, where by laying o
my back with my feet toward tn
bow, and crossing my arms under m
| head I could look forward withou
{ danger of being knocked overheard
perchance the boom came over. wa
: Occupying this position and trying t
' assume my usual comfort, but foun
. my supper didn't seem to fit. The
the bow went way up, till my heel
: were higher than my head, came bac
! to level, hung there an ininitesima
split second, turned down and bega