A FLORIDA SHRINE. 201 



the trees ; thought of the Princess, and 

 smiled at the black children who thrust 

 their heads out of the windows of her " big 

 house ; " and then, with a sprig of honey- 

 suckle for a keepsake, I started slowly 

 homeward. 



The sun by this time was straight over- 

 head, but my umbrella saved me from abso- 

 lute discomfort, while birds furnished here 

 and there an agreeable diversion. I recall 

 in particular some white-crowned sparrows, 

 the first ones I had seen in Florida. At a 

 bend in the road opposite the water-lily 

 swamp, while I was cooling myself in the 

 shade of a friendly pine-tree, enjoying at 

 the same time a fence overrun with Chero- 

 kee roses, a man and his little boy came 

 along in a wagon. The man seemed really 

 disappointed when I told him that I was go- 

 ing into town, instead of coming from it. 

 It was pretty warm weather for walking, and 

 he had meant to offer me a lift. He was a 

 Scandinavian, who had been for some years 

 in Florida. He owned a good farm not far 

 from the Murat estate, which latter he had 

 been urged to buy ; but he thought a man 

 was n't any better off for owning too much 



