BEWILDERMENT 101 



two Florida representatives of the tropical torch- 

 wood family. It is among the chief of my South 

 Florida admirations, especially for its color. It 

 and the Seminoles should be of kindred stock. 

 In the lobby of the hotel, the other evening, I 

 heard one man rallying another (who had been 

 fishing and playing golf bareheaded) upon the 

 magnificent complexion he had put on. " Your 

 face reminds me of the gumbo-limbo," the joker 

 said. The comparison was obvious. I had been 

 thinking the same thing. 



Our course takes us through a brief tract of 

 pine land largely occupied by bayberry bushes, 

 about which there are always many myrtle war- 

 blers (which is the same as to say bayberry war- 

 blers) ; and presently we are in a dense tropical 

 forest. This is the place I have desired my com- 

 panion to see ; and here, after a few minutes of 

 silent wonderment, his curiosity begins to play. 

 " "What is this ? What is this ? What is this ? " 

 His interrogations come in crowds ; and to every 

 one my answer is ready — "I don't know." I 

 am in the case of the poor fellow whose sarcastic 

 French instructor promised to teach him in one 

 sentence how to answer correctly every question 

 he might be asked. Like him I have only to re- 

 spond, "e/e ne sais pas." Trees, shrubs, and 

 vines are all far out of my range. During the 



