Florida Fish and Fishing 



The Colonel and his lady insisted on my A Kentucky 

 dining with them that evening. I pleaded 

 that I had nothing to wear but outing 

 clothes, and was not presentable. They 

 would not be refused, however, the Colonel 

 saying that it was their first drive in the 

 carriage, which had been on its way six 

 weeks from Louisville, and that Mrs. 

 Haldeman had honored me by coming her- 

 self to invite me. Of course, I had to 

 accept their kind invitation, as I could 

 proffer no more excuses, and especially as 

 the Colonel promised me a real Kentucky 

 dinner; that settled it. We had a delight- 

 ful drive up the beach on the hard sand at 

 low tide, and the dinner was to the queen's 

 taste: Oyster soup, baked redfish, venison 

 steak, and the Kentucky feature, a roast 

 'possum with a lemon in its mouth. 



After a most enjoyable evening with a Moonlight Ride 

 happy company, myself and one of my 

 darkey acquaintances of the morning 

 mounted two saddle mules for a moonlight 

 midnight ride down the beach to the pass. 

 It was a high, spring tide, compelling us to 

 175 



by the Sea 



