188 HOME LIFE IN FLORIDA. 



noose is not intended for hanging purposes, humanly 

 speaking. 



When the writer settled near Leesburg there were only 

 two stores in the then little town where groceries, provis- 

 ions, and a ''general assortment" of goods were kept; and 

 the stock in these, though surprisingly large in quantity, 

 was of the roughest in quality and of the most limited in 

 variety. 



It was a long while before we could get used to this state 

 of things, coming, as we did, from tlie second city in the 

 Union, with all the varied luxuries of the world as well 

 as its mere comforts lying in profusion around us. 



We would make up a list of articles needed for the 

 household, and as a matter of fact not one in ten of 

 those things that we had always considered as necessaries 

 could be obtained, and some of them had "never been 

 heard of." 



" Have you any granulated sugar?" we would ask. 



"No, nothing but Florida brown." 



Now, we knew that Florida brown sugar, grown and 

 manufactured on the spot, as it were, was in all probability 

 a purer article than the perhaps adulterated white sugar 

 we asked for; but, while it might answer for some pur- 

 poses, it would not for all ; still it " had to do," as we found 

 that many other things "had to do" that once we would 

 have looked down upon with scorn. We grew very meek 

 and humble after a while, and came quickly to the conclu- 

 sion that as " something was better than nothing," we would 

 accept the former with gratitude. To continue our cate- 

 chism of the storekeeper : 



"Any farina?" 



"No call for it, so don't keep it." 



"Any corn starch, sago, tapioca?" 



" No ; the people have never even heard of them." 



