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. Ata 
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 ina 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 mea 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 
