ON THE BEACH AT DAYTONA. 



THE first eight days of my stay in Day- 

 tona were so delightful that I felt as if I 

 had never before seen fine weather, even in 

 my dreams. My east window looked across 

 the Halifax River to the peninsula woods. 

 Beyond them was the ocean. Immediately 

 after breakfast, therefore, I made toward the 

 north bridge, and in half an hour or less was 

 on the beach. Beaches are much the same 

 the world over, and there is no need to de- 

 scribe this one Silver Beach, I think I 

 heard it called except to say that it is 

 broad, hard, and, for a pleasure-seeker's 

 purpose, endless. It is backed by low sand- 

 hills covered with impenetrable scrub, 

 oak and palmetto, beyond which is a 

 dense growth of short-leaved pines. Per- 

 fect weather, a perfect beach, and no throng 

 of people : here were the conditions of hap- 

 piness ; and here for eight days I found it. 

 The ocean itself was a solitude. Day after 

 day not a sail was in sight. Looking up 



