1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



565 



fore, and, as nearly as I could remember, it 

 was only a mile or a little more. I knew it 

 was not far from Fort Reed, where there is a 

 little settlement and a store. If it took me 

 till after dark I figured I could easily get di- 

 rections at the store. When I came to the 

 store, however, I found it was something like 

 two miles ; and, to tell the truth, there was 

 not any store. It had been burned down, and 

 there was no house in the immediate neigh- 

 borhood. Yes, and it gets dark in Florida all 

 ■of a sudden. They do not have the long twi- 

 light we have here in Ohio. 



I followed the directions as nearly as I could 

 remember, planning to inquire at the first 

 house. Said house was quite a piece away, 

 especially when the roadway was all through 

 soft yielding sand. Before the darkness came 

 I looked at my list of subscribers, and discov- 

 ered, for the first time, that the address was 

 printed ]Mrs. instead of iMr. J. A. McMillan. 

 Then it occurred to me that my old friend 

 must have died without my having known it. 

 I was told on inquiry that it was quite a dif- 

 ficult matter to reach the widow's home in the 

 night time ; but my informant went quite a 

 piece with me through the sandy woods, got 

 me on the right road, and gave me plain di- 

 rections to a little place where Charlie McMil- 

 lan lived, not far from his mother's house. He 

 said Charlie would gladly take charge of me. 

 The directions were that I should pass three 

 upoccupied houses, and then go down to the 

 left through a little lane or by-path, and the 

 first house was the one I wanted. I found the 

 place all right ; but as it was quite a dibtance 

 I had "waded" through the soft sand, I be- 

 came pretty tired. Then I discovered that no 

 one was at home. I then went on to the next 

 place, quite a fine-looking residence ; but aft- 

 er going around to ail the doors, and trying 

 them all, 1 decided that that place too was un- 

 occupied. A little further on, another fine 

 residence proved likewise ; but away off in the 

 distance, 1 could not tell just how far, a light 

 twinkled from a fine looking mansion. The 

 gentleman who went part way with me said 

 Charlie's mother lived not more than twenty 

 rods from his little home. I remembered, 

 too, it was on the shore of a little lake I 

 said to myself , "If Mrs McMillan's house is 

 not more than twenty rods from this spot, and 

 on the shore of a lake, I can certainly find it 

 in the course of half an hour." But I ex- 

 plored north, south, east, and west. There 

 was no such establishment in that vicinity. I 

 was getting to be very tired, and finally de- 

 ci 1 d to go for that twinkling light and get 

 information. Before I got near the place, 

 however, struggling through the weeds and 

 bushes, I came to the shores of a little (but 

 not the) lake. With weary steps I pushed my 

 way arouird the borders of the lake, and came 

 to a fine mansion and beautiful grounds, and 

 every thing in city style. I could not find the 

 bell, so I rapped on the door. A woman's 

 voice inside asked what was wanted. I ex- 

 plained the circumstances and asked for di- 

 rections. She did not think proper to open 

 the door. She said Mrs. McMillan's house 

 was a long way off, and asked wtiat I wanted 



of her at such a time of night. I tried to ex- 

 plain matters, told her that I had plenty of 

 money to pay for all time and trouble, and 

 asked if I could not sleep somewhere there 

 till daylight. She said her husband was too 

 unwell to come and give me the information I 

 wanted, but said if I would follow around the 

 lake some of their hired help had a cottage 

 there, and he would give me what information 

 and assistance I desired. 



Now, this seemed for the time a little bit 

 hard on a stranger, but the circumstances 

 were much against me. I was disturbing peo- 

 ple after the usual hours of repose. I was not 

 coming exactly like a thief in the night, but I 

 was coming very much like a tramp in the 

 night. Had I come in the day time, with a 

 carriage, or even a humble equipage, very like- 

 ly I should have received a most cordial wel- 

 come from these good people, who, under the 

 circumstances, seemed quite willing I should 

 sleep outdoors in the sand ; and, in fact, I 

 meditated doing so. My bed would have been 

 soft enough, no doubt ; but I think I might 

 have had chills before morning. The cottage 

 I was referred to was kept by some colored 

 people. They told me where I could find the 

 residence of Mrs. McMillan. But I got lost 

 again ; and out in that deserted wilderness I 

 found another beautiful mansion. Why, it 

 was almost princely in its appointments — 

 fruits, flowers, beautiful walks, curved drive- 

 ways with curb made of artificial stone, and 

 here and there summer-houses. Tired as I 

 was, it seemed as if I had fallen into a place 

 of enchantment. The moon had come out by 

 tkis time, and I wondered if the "Arabian 

 Nights" had not broken out away up here in 

 the sandy Florida wastes. I rapped at the 

 door, and a woman's musical voice responded 

 from above. I wondered if she was not some 

 fairy lady who was kept there by "enchant- 

 ment." She listened to my "tale of woe," 

 and seemed exceedingly kind and sympathet- 

 ic. She tried to direct me to the place I was 

 seeking ; but it was so near midnight, and I 

 had become so "rattled," I really did not 

 know any thing. When she told me that 

 Mrs. McMillan's house was in plain sight of 

 their place in the dav time I almost felt like 

 shouting for joy. I did not know north, east, 

 south, or west ; but by centering my mind on 

 the matter I could decide which was my right 

 and which was my left hand. She told me to 

 go right through the gate where I came in, 

 turn to the right, and just follow the road, and 

 I would reach Mrs. McMillan's in a few min- 

 utes. I did so, and received such a cordial 

 \yelcome that I forgot all my troubles and fa- 

 tigue. But I made some big resolutions that 

 night, to the effect that you would not catch 

 me again, lost in the Florida woods and sand 

 after dark. A refreshing sleep made me my- 

 self again when daylight came. Charlie and 

 his wife, it seems, had left their own home, 

 and were staying with his mother at the time. 

 While we were laughing over the adventures 

 of the night before, I asked Charlie to explain 

 what the storekeeper meant hy saying his 

 place was not over twenty rods from his moth- 

 er's house. 



