[BOOK ONE
The Time-Killers]
Chapter Page
[I][Of time-killing in the French and English manner—and of ancient and modern American time-slaughterers][3]
[II][Of the passage from winter to summer in one day’s time—and of the habitat of some rare specimens][8]
[III][Of the peculiar differences between two sides of a lake—of money odors—and of the questers after Charley Schwab][13]
[IV][Of the apotheosis of the bicycle—of the uses of wheel-chairs—and of the mental activities of chair-chauffeurs][18]
[V][Of the telegram-expecters—of the date-guessers—and of the statistic weevils][22]
[VI][Of the changing of clothes—of the way they wear ’em—and of the females of the dress-ferret species][26]
[VII][Of the fascinations of the beach—of the sand-hounds from Odessa and elsewhere—and of prudes and stylish stouts][30]
[VIII][Of the Three Day Suckers—of true smartness—and of the Buckwheats and the dead line][36]
[IX][Of the smartest thing in Palm Beach—of large amounts of money—and of the Old Guard][41]
[X][ Of those who wish to crash into society—and of those who furnish the palpitating society items][47]
[XI][Of the Alibi Window—of the trick flasks and canes—of drinkers frail and fat—and of one conception of simplicity][50]
[XII][Of nuts in the Coconut Grove—of Bradley’s—of the relaxation and amusement of the Beach Club-fellows—and of gambling in general][55]
[XIII][Of the divergences between Bradley’s and Monte Carlo—of the idiosyncrasies of the little white pill—of the oddities of fat players—of time-killing pastimes—and of the wisdom of Dionysius the Elder][62]
[BOOK TWO
The Tin-Canners]
[I][Of January in the North—of the winter pastimes of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Walnut—and of a penetrating chill][71]
[II][Of a pronounced change of scene—of a daring game of chance amid tropical scents—and of the gloating of Charles Walnut and Herman Blister][75]
[III][Of migrants and migrations—of the true sun-hunter and his desires—and of his uniform, and his fluent assortment of equipment][79]
[IV][Of the Tin-Can Tourists of the World—of immigrants and other unsupervised and unsolicited visitors, national and local—of cheap skates—and of the reason why tin-canners do not abound in Palm Beach][87]
[V][Of portable bungalows—of the rheumatic dairyman—of the little ole truck—of simple pleasures and low expenditures][96]
[VI][Of Mrs. Jarley, the original tin-canner—of the two schools of tin-can thought—of the hard-boiled bachelor with the condensed outfit—and of folk who ride on the backs of their necks][103]
[VII][Of the migrant from Marion—of his fears—of land at a nickel an acre—of sand fleas and sand spurs—of loneliness and honeymooners—and of the doctor who was run to death][110]
[VIII][Of the marvelous sitting ability of the tin-canners—of the parks in which they sit—of the horseshoe bugs and the checker and domino beetles—of the delicate movements of a celebrated horseshoe tosser—and of the International Horseshoe Club][115]
[BOOK THREE
Tropical Growth]
[I][Of the enthusiasm of all growing things in Florida—of paw-paws and prospectuses and perfect thirty-fours—of fiends in human shape—and of the watchfulness of the natives for insults][125]
[II][Of hotel rates—of mosquitoes—and of the outcry against the Shipping Board for daring to mention Europe][130]
[III][Of palm trees—of varieties of fish—and of fruit and liars and Baron Munchausen][134]
[IV][Of Miami and of tropical growth—of the growing of a shingle into a bungalow—of the population of Miami in 1980—and of the pronunciation of Miami][137]
[V][Of real-estate dealers—of the large handsome salesmen—of noisy auctions—of absolute and unabsolute auctions—and of prices for every pocketbook][143]
[VI][Of subdivisions, wise and otherwise—of landscape atrocities—of small farms and farmers—and of fascinating strawberry and tomato statistics][150]
[VII][Of the suspicious stories concerning the mango—of the pet mango of the Miamians—and of its superiority to other things][156]
[VIII][Of the Everglades and of the two seasons obtaining in that damp locality—and of grass, fancy and otherwise][161]
[IX][Of the old Miami and the new Miami—of differences between Miami Beach and Palm Beach—of the scenic possibilities in floating coconuts and the activities of John S. Collins][165]
[X][Of the arrival of Carl Fisher in Miami—of Fisher’s feverish imagination and violent dreams—of the despair of Fisher’s friends—and of the evolution of a jungle][172]
[XI][Of expensive expenses and heated ice-rinks—of lily on lily that o’erlace the sea—and of the boneheadedness of most of the human race][178]
[XII][Of one-piece and two-fifths-piece bathing suits—of the Honorable William Jennings Bryan and his activities—of bootleggers—of the sanctimonious Haig and Haig boys—and of rum in general][183]
[XIII][Of Florida fishing—of the tigerish barracuda and the surprised-looking dolphin—of the unconventional habits of the whip-ray and the varying estimates of Cap’n Charley Thompson—and of the conservative raving of the Miami prospectuses][191]

BOOK ONE

THE TIME-KILLERS

SUN HUNTING

CHAPTER I

OF TIME-KILLING IN THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH MANNER—AND OF ANCIENT AND MODERN AMERICAN TIME-SLAUGHTERERS

People who have any time to kill are usually filled with a deep and intense desire to kill it in some spot far removed from their usual haunts.