Return to Vogt Family Documents

LIFE IN FLORIDA Page 2

We soon launched our boat, the "Nellie", on Bonita bayou, and while I
hold the tiller and the troll, Tom and Pladdie pull out for the gulf. Mamie,
she's my wayward partner, occupies the bow with pole and spinner. Going with
the tide, the run to "Hickory Island" is an easy one. This is where Dr. Hodges
made a palatial home to which he used to invite his friends and entertain them.
He kept a fine pack of bear and deer hounds and it is safe to say no more en-
joyable hospitality was ever extended or appreciated in any age or country.
The cellars were filled with the best liquor, cigars and provisions. The
stables also filled with trained hunting and driving horses. A grove of
orange and other fruits, among which are figs, identical to those planted by
Mr. Yuleo, at "Tiger Tail Island" in the Homosassa River and superior in every
way to any grown on earth, Smyrna not excepted, to all of which the doctor's
guests were welcomed. These - with the sea bathing, boating, fishing, shooting,
and driving with good, fast horses over a shell road two miles long, winding in
and out of shady, flower-strewn islands, with bird songs and orange and lotus
blossoms perfuming the air and star-bedecking the blue waters of the bayou,
whilst ivy, woodbine, and honeysuckles, climbing into the live-oaks and the
palmettoes, combine to make this drive, (said to have cost Dr. Hodges $40,000)
one of the finest in America, and life here under the old regime must have been
close to heaven, for even now, standing here on the sea-wall in front of the
house, I seem to feel the soft, sweet breath of my Maker fresh in my face.

Dr. Hodges is dead, his family lives away from here, his house is closed,
his horses, hounds, boats, etc., are, may-hap, in the happy hunting grounds,
but the orange groves, the figs, the flowers, the pleasant shell-road, all
made by his hands, remain quietly in the most beautiful corner of this island.
He is sleeping. The green waters of the Gulf he loved so well, are ever musi-
cally murmuring near his grave. At intervals his life may have been maudlin,
his loves many, but I'd rather take my chances for concious peace hereafter,
on account of a life devoted to making the earth more beautiful and my friends
happy as far as in my power lay, and the leaving behind of those things as
monuments to my memory, than to utter all the loud-mouthed, meaningless halle-
lujahs with which the atmosphere has ever been sprinkled.

If Mr. Flagler ever sees "Hickory Island, he'll buy it, and with his nice
sense and appreciation of the good and beautiful in nature, he'll improve on
Dr. Hodges foundation, and the world will be better and happier for it,

With a fine basket of fruit and flowers, we kiss our hands goodbye to
"Hickory Island, hoist our sail and adown past the beautiful isle of Skillings,
Helvenstons and McDows, and several other equally desirable, but now the pro-
perty of the government, awaiting the homesteader.

We float two miles to Chamber's Island and enter the north channel of the
river. Up to this point I'd had the most of the fun, shooting at pelicans,
comorands, and porpoise. Sometimes, tho' not often, a fellow by chance or by
accident, hits one of these sea-hogs. I didn't, but my troll line out behind
the boat caught enough red fish, sea trout and skip-jack to make Mamie mad
with jealousy and to feed our four persons and two dogs for dinner, and enough
besides to swap for vegetables to last us two days. Mamie said she didn't
like salt-water fish, anyhow, they didn't have sense enough to know that a
real nice gold and silver-finished phantom minnow was nicer than a common,
re-painted, nickle-plated spoon hook just floating loose in the water. She
just believed the slimy things must be all men fish, anyhow. She had not
caught a single fish in the two-mile run.