202 A FLORIDA SHRINE. 
land. He talked of his crops, his children, 
the climate, and so on, all in a cheerful 
strain, pleasant to hear. If the pessimists 
are right, — which may I be kept from be- 
lieving,—the optimists are certainly more 
comfortable to live with, though it be only 
for ten minutes under a roadside shade-tree. 
When I reached the street-car track at 
the foot of the hill, the one car which plies 
back and forth through the city was in its 
place, with the driver beside it, but no 
mules. 
“Are you going to start directly?” I 
asked. ; 
“Yes, sah,” he answered; and then, look- 
ing toward the stable, he shouted in a per- 
emptory voice, “Do about, there! Do 
about ! ” 
‘What does that mean?” said I. “ Hurry 
up?” 
“Yes, sah, that’s it. °“Tain’t everybody 
that wants to be hurried up; so we tells ’em, 
‘Do about !’” 
Half a minute afterwards two very neatly 
dressed little colored boys stepped upon the 
rear platform. 
‘‘Where you goin’?” said the driver. 
“ Up town?” 
