A Man and his son were going to market with their Donkey. One countryman who saw them told them a donkey was to ride upon, another countryman said the father ought to ride not the son, some women thought the boy shouldn’t have to walk, and then passerbys jeered at them for overloading the Donkey so. After thinking hard the Man and his son tied the Donkey to a pole and began to carry him. The Donkey ended up falling over a bridge and drowning. An old man who had seen all of this pointed out that in trying to please everyone they had pleased no one.
A gulf storm evokes memories of childhood.
"Though the winds be dank,"
Starlight reflects off the ocean.
Let not my love be called idolatry
The author describes his love for his wife.
A celebration of Florida's tropic climate.
"Wreathed in myrtle, my sword I'll conceal"
Nature and the movement of clouds at dusk ignite the author's imagination.
An introduction by the books narrator, Tommy Stubbins.
The author describes his love for his wife.
Prometheus stole from Heaven the sacred fire
The author describes coming upon a slave singing in a prison cell, when a tragedy occurred
"Ring out, ye bells!, All Nature swells"
The author marvels at the natural beauty of the Florida Landscape.
An ode to the Florida Cypress.
"The sun hath shed its kindly light,"
The king, angered Polynesia's deception, pursues Doctor Dolittle as he rushes towards the Land of the Monkeys. Chee-Chee uses his knowledge of the island to ensure the Doctor's safety. Doctor Dolittle witnesses the famous "Bridge of Apes".
"On the wide veranda white,"
A poinciana comes to full bloom under the Florida sky.
"Oh, what shall I do? I am wholly upset;"