Petals Plucked from Sunny ClimesBrooks, A. M. (Abbie M.)
History
Petals Plucked from Sunny Climes
Brooks, A. M. (Abbie M.)
Cuba -- Description and travel; Florida -- Description and travel; Florida -- History
For the benefit of those lady-passengers who, perchance, may travel this
way, and have never been borne in arms since they were children, we can
tell you there are no wharves here, no throwing out of planks, no
stopping-places for ladies, between water and land. The vessel sails as
near the shore as possible without grounding, and then the passengers on
board are carried to _terra firma_. This is done by two sailors, who
make a kind of seat by clasping their hands together, after which they
receive the living freight. You put out each arm, and clasp your
improvised sedan around their necks, to keep from falling. Sometimes one
of the sailors is as black as tar; but it makes no difference--"civil
rights" is not the question at issue now. You cannot wade, or wet your
feet, and they will carry you safely, this being a portion of their
duties, for which they are paid.
Terrasilla Island is one of those charming spots which all admire, but
none can describe. The principal inhabitant is Madam Joe, a German lady,
celebrated for her hospitality. Here she came, with her husband, after
the Florida war, to occupy lands given them by the Government. An
adventure of some kind was then of daily occurrence. Nature poured forth
her beauties in solitude, and from the dark recesses of the primitive
forest-wilderness were echoed and reëchoed the war-whoop of the Indian,
the howl of the jaguar, the scream of the catamount, and the threatening
growl of old bruin. The rough hands, stalwart frame, and nut-brown face
of this lady, indicate a life to which ease and idleness are unknown.
Her home is now transformed from a wilderness to a place which recalls
our youthful images of fairy-land. Here you constantly feel as though
you were having a beautiful dream, which may be dissipated by some
external irruption, and the spell broken. How delightful to any one who
has a constant warfare with life to keep himself master of the situation
is a visit to this beautiful island, where only the winds and waves
strive for victory, and the excesses practiced in refined society are
unknown! where orange-trees grow as tall as Lombardy poplars, and are
laden with fruit hanging in luxuriant loveliness, designed to delight
all those who partake. It is now February; new Irish potatoes, tomatoes,
with green peas, and egg-plants, are abundant. Fresh flowers are in
their bloom and beauty; the earth is enameled with the white petals of
the forget-me-not, in lieu of the snow-banks which cover the ground
farther North. Roses of immense size are open, together with verbenas of
varied hues, geraniums, salvias, periwinkles, and corkwood-trees, all
exhaling their fragrance in the open air. Here in this beauteous bower
Madam Joe, after her day's duties are done, walks, with the bright
moonbeams shining on her pathway, singing those German patriotic
melodies so dear to the heart of every wanderer from the historic shores
and vine-clad hills of the River Rhine--thus forming a symphony with the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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