We don't care much about history in our
family."
"What do you do with yourself?"
"Oh, I keep house, and go occasionally to the Woman's Club, and in the
evenings father tells me about his business."
"Very nice," says one guest, whom we shall picture as a desirable and
wealthy young man from the North. "Now let's do something. Do you play
or sing? Are you athletic? Do you go boating on the St. John's River? Do
you gamble? Can you make love?"
"I dance a little and play a little golf out at the Florida Country
Club," she says, with but small signs of enthusiasm. "The thing I'm
really most interested in, though, is father's business. He lost a lot
of money in the fire of 1901, but he's made it all back and a lot more
besides."
"What about surf-bathing?" asks the pleasure-seeking visitor, stifling a
yawn.
"There's Atlantic Beach only eighteen miles from here. It's a wonderful
beach. Father's putting a million in improvements out there, but there's
no time to go there just now. However, if you'd like to, I can take you
down and show you the new docks he has built."
"Oh, no, thanks," says the guest. "I don't care for docks--not, that is,
unless we can go boating."
"I'm afraid we can't do that," says Miss Jacksonville. "We don't use the
river much for pleasure.
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