The rich, romantic forest, with its hoary-headed army of grand old trees--grim cedars, lofty pines, and light skirmishing lines of graceful palmettoes, all dressed in their regimentals of varied greens--march slowly and solemnly by, saluting you gravely with their bowing branches as they pass in panoramic review before your eyes; you have time to take in the individual character of these glorious hummocks and savannahs as you pass them by. For personal enjoyment it is surely better to travel in this leisurely fashion than to fly through the air, hurled and whirled along at express speed, till earth and sky seems blended together in one blurred mass of mingled blue and green. There are well-provisioned restaurants stationed at certain intervals all along the road. The excellence of these, of course, varies according to the management; at most you may enjoy the luxury of a thoroughly well cooked meal--the universal steak, fried chicken, varied vegetables, dessert, and milk and coffee _ad libitum_. At some you get a dainty meal that even an epicure might enjoy; I call to mind one perfectly luxurious entertainment. The train drew up at a secluded wayside spot; it was no station at all, only a few pretty cottages embowered in trees were scattered about in sight. We were convoyed by our polite train conductor through a blooming garden to one of these, with the porch overgrown with honeysuckle and a wealth of white roses; here, in a simply furnished dining-room, preparations had been made for our entertainment. We were a party of about twenty, including the engineer and conductors; and while the brown bees were droning at their pleasant work outside, the brilliant-hued flowers peeped in at the windows, nodded their plumed heads at us, and kept up a whispering concert while we regaled ourselves on the good things set before us. It was a dainty feast, fit for the gods; there was no vulgar display of huge underdone joints--the very sight of which is apt to chase away the appetite without cost to its owner; there were broiled chickens with mushrooms, delicate lamb, crisp salad, new potatoes stewed in cream, new laid eggs, strawberries, dainty omelets, and other tempting dishes. A steaming cup of fragrant coffee was handed round as, our twenty minutes having expired, we were summoned to depart by the stentorian cry of “All aboard! All aboard!” Everybody complimented our hostess--a widow lady--on her pleasant entertainment, and promised to advise everybody to stop there and taste her hospitality.