Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1902 — FLORIDA LETTER. [ARTICLE]

FLORIDA LETTER.

Register, Taylor Co., Fla., Feb. 10. Editor Democrat:—Another week has gone by—a week of trials and tribulations—of hopes raised high as the stars and then dashed again to the earth. Thursday morning bright and early, we started from Mr. Valentine’s to go around three miles to the ferry, two miles of which lay in the river swamp. When wo got in the swamp we found the worst road any one ever saw to call a road. Two or three boggy places and rockß and roots, something terrible. When within half a mile •of the landing we stopped to rest the horse a minute and found one hind wheel of the wagou just on the verge of going down—as Myers expressed it, “all broke to li .” There we were in the swamp and also “in the soup.” We unhitched, left our wagon right in the road, put a cedar chunk under the axle, took off the wheel, stood it up against a tree ami looked at it. Then Myers made a break for the landing, got a row boat, went across to the turpentine still and there found out that there were two men living a mile and a half from the still who could “fill” a wheel and set the tire, so he walked out there, found the men and they agreed to commence it “soon in the morning,” and would drive down to the landing for the wheel, so he came back to the wagon and we carried the wheel the half a mile down to the landing and put it across the river for them to pick up in the morning, then went back and “camped down” in the swamp. We had only very short rations of corn for the horse as we expected to buy it at the comissary after we crossed the river, and did not want to haul any more than was accessary, and fodder we had none, and of course there was no grazing in the swamp where nothing grew but trees so thick you could not see 10 ft.—cabbage, palmettos, magnolias, live oak, cedar, cypress, bay and many other kindß. Well, the next morning, we crossed the river in a skiff, met the men who took the wheel and Mr. Myers out to their house to work aud left Mrs. Myers Btrauded in Stepbensville all day with only a speaking acquaintance with one lady in the place. The town consists of about five or six white families, 10 or 15 colored families, « turpentine still and a saw mill, a commissary and a post-office. The experience of Mrs. Myers that day would fill a volume and mast be left for another time. ■Just at dark Mr. Myers came back with the wheel all done and very <nach pleased ? with the job. They wrorked the spokes out of the

rough and “filled” the wheel and set the tire, gave Mr. Myers his dinner, drove a mile and a half after the wheel and brought it back and two of them worked all day, and charged two dollars for the job. We carried the wheel back to the wagon, and Saturday morning started out to the ferry. When we got to the landing we found that we had turned our new wheel wrong side out coming over the rocks, so Mr. Myers went across the river and got two niggers to come and bail out the flat which was sunk to just below water level. While they did that, we put two braces on the wheel, sprung it back in shape and wired them on, and finally, just at noon, we got across the Steinhatchee and started for our old stamping ground of j five years ago. Arriving at the | Stanaland place Sunday about three o'clock. We found Mrs. S. and a married daughter at home and they seemed very glad to see us, while the son-in-law, William, and the son Rabe, were gone to a neighbor’s a mile away to spend the afternoon, but were expected home soon. Mr. Myers had been anticipating a great time with Mr. Rnbe, as he is known far and near as a powerful deer and turkey hunter aud a sure 6bot with a rifle. But his mother said he had been “sorter puny” all winter and lately he had been having such a misery in his heel, he was most a cripple. Well, we waited till dark and finally, when we had our supper and was just thinking of bedtime, the dogs all barked and we heard a “whoop” at the house that sounded just like Bernickon’s saloon on Saturday. In a few minutes a little girl came to camp and said: “Mr. Myers, grandma said tell you Uncle William and Uncle Rabe bad both got drunk over to Mr. Mackintire’s, and Uncle William had got home but Uncle Rabe was down on the road anil could not come any further.” Mr. Myers said, “Is that so? I better go after him, hadu’t I?” And she said, “Grandma would be . powerful glad if you would.” So they got started, Mr. Myers ahead I with a flat pine torch and a little girl and boy with the ox and cart, and went across the qreek about half a mile and found him in the road with a shawl wrapped around him. When he heard them, he raised up his head and said “How-de-do, How you foeiin’?” Mr. Myers said, “I’m all right. How are you?” I’m feelin’ sorter poorly.” Mr. Myers g*id, “You are sorter limber too, are’ut you?” “Yes, Bir.” Then Mr. Myers held the torch out to show his face and asked Rabe if be knfew him, and he said,

“It’s shore Mr. Myers.” Considering the fact that he had not seen him for five years and the state of bis mental condition just then, the recognition was phenomenal. Mr. "Myers loaded him into the cart and led the way home with the torch, while the kids drove the ox, and put him in his mother’s care, and came back to the camp to laugh. It seems Mr. Mackintire has some kind of a still down in the swamp a mile from here and they had filled up on “moonshine” whiskey, regular “rnouutain dew,” and not being used to liquor of any kind a little bit of it soon tangled their feet, so they were past going. Rabe had a misery in both heels and also in his stomach for awhile. I had always supposed that pure moonshine whiskey would not have the same effect that the rotten stuff they sell in saloons does, but the “whoop” and the “y-o-r-r-k” sounded just the same as northern whiskey or “Harter’s Bitters.” This morning Rabe came to camp with the most profuse apologies and the most profound thanks to Mr. Myers for helping him out of such a sorry situation, and as last night was the coldest night of the season, he may well be glad he did not have to lie out and sober up. Tnis morning the younger son, Gabe, and the son-in-law and Mr. Myers started on a two days bear hunt to Clay Creek, about five miles in the swamp, So by tne time we write Rgain we will probably be full of bear steak, if— Myers & Myers.