Florida has all the things in it that you see when you shut your eyes and smell a jasmine flower!
The climate is fine for the lungs, but very bad on the alimenary canal and curling-iron hair!
We stopped at all the points of interest as we went on down. A point of interest is a place that the post-cards tell lies about. Still I do think Florida cards come nearer telling the truth than those of most places, for the country is very nearly as many colors as they make it out to be.
Cousin Eunice said she thought sending post-cards was the one melancholy pleasure of traveling, and so I bought a quarter's worth at every place.
Traveling is a melancholy pleasure when you have a baby that you won't let drink a drop of water unless it has had the germs all stewed in it. Waterloo is getting to be such a big boy now, too; but he still talks like a telegram—just the most important words of what he wants to say, with all the others left out. He's crazy about foot-ball, chewing-gum and billy-goats. And you just ought to hear him chew gum!
Among the points of interest we saw was the oldest house in America. It is a very interesting place. It has a marble bust of Lord Byron in it!
I don't remember another thing, I believe, except that! Oh yes, I do, too! I do remember a startling thing I heard about a very old bed in that house. I heard the guide telling that this was the bed that William the Conqueror and Maria Theresa slept on! I hate to hear folks get their history mixed, so I had just opened my mouth to say "Why, they were not married," when I spied the bust of his lordship in the next room. After that I didn't care how many tales they made up on William and Maria!
Poor little Waterloo didn't much fancy the oldest house, but when we drove up to "The Fountain of Youth," and he saw the clear, sparkling "drink" that helped Ponce get rid of his double chin and crow's-feet he commenced to howl for some. Doctor Gordon had told us before we got there that we mustn't dare drink any of it unless there was a signed certificate that there wasn't any "coli" in it.
We looked all around, but as we didn't see any sign, Rufe thought maybe he'd better not give him any. There didn't look to be any "coli," either, but still Rufe didn't like the idea of his drinking it. When Waterloo saw that they didn't intend to give him any he commenced to kick and squall and get so red in the face with his dancing up and down that Rufe finally screamed back to the carriage that Doctor Gordon was in and asked him if he thought one little glass would hurt Waterloo. Cousin Eunice screamed back at the same time and said for Doctor Gordon to give his honest opinion, for she wouldn't have the little angel catch anything so far away from home for the whole of the East coast.
Doctor Gordon, who had been made nervous by his spell, screamed back to them for Heaven's sake let the little imp drink till he busted—only he hoped it wouldn't make him stay as young as he was then!