"Twenty Years Ago"

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  To compare Frostproof today with the Frostproof of 20 years ago, seems almost an impossibility.

  Mrs. Lindus Cody, in an interview the other day, tells of a trip they planned about 20 years ago to Avon Park.

  At that time, Mrs. Cody said, Frostproof had only 4 or 5 houses, namely, J. W. Carson's, C. W. Brown, P. R. Rogers, W. H. Overrocker, Frank Jaques and the new Cody home opposite Mr. Jaques.

  Mr. Brown had a grocery store at his home; Mr. Overrocker had the postoffice on what is now known as Ninth street.

  For sometime they had been here in this lonely, though beautiful place quite a long walk from the other homes and felt that they were just shut off from everything and to be able to again see a town would mean a royal treat. Having heard of Avon Park, and that it had churches, two or three stores and a hotel, they pictured it as being a real city and were wild with curiosity to visit it.

  So early one morning a party of six started off in a spring wagon for this town, carrying with them extra clothes, as they contemplated staying over at the hotel in Avon Park for a

couple of days. They also carried with them a lunch planning on stopping around noon time, having a real campfire lunch.

  After everyone was in the wagon, they rode on merrily, happy and eager to see the sights of Avon Park. After driving for some time they came to a stream of water, which had a very weak-looking bridge for a crossing. However, they crossed the bridge in perfect safety and there were two trails, one to the right and one to the left, and it was finally decided to take the left road. They had no way of telling just how far Avon was, and just exactly how to go as they met no one on the way nor did they see any houses to inquire.

  "Well, Mrs. Cody said, "We rode and rode and rode, but never a sign of a town." Finally the sun began to go under the clouds, and it began to thunder and lightning, then a burst of torrential rain fell. They were all tired, wet and disgusted and now began to think they were on the wrong trail, lost completely in the woods. After discussion as to what to do all concluded to turn around and follow the wagon tracks the way they had come and go home while it was yet light.

  The rain had ceased and they started back following the way they had taken in coming to get across the bridge while it was still light but darkness overtook them before reaching the bridge. They happened to have a lantern and the matches managed to stay dry under the seat and so the lantern was lighted and one

had to drive while the other took the lantern and walked in front of the horses, leading them in the same tracks which had been almost obliterated by the rain. Everyone was wet through and through.

  Finally they came to a gate they had passed and by this they knew they were on the right way home. Coming to the little bridge they had crossed, they found the stream had swollen so from the rain it was feared it would be impossible for them to ride across in the wagon in safety. So they all walked across. They had not realized before how very wet their clothing was and upon reaching the other side they again got into the wagon and took out the good clothes they had planned on wearing at the hotel in Avon Park and wrapped them around their shoulders to keep warm. Mrs. Cody said "Never were clothes so much appreciated as they were then."

  They reached home about midnight a comical looking, bedraggled crowd."Our trip to Avon Park," says Mrs. Cody, "will be long remembered." Never before could she recall being so completely lost as they were that day, finding themselves somewhere in the woods with not a human being or a house anywhere to mark the way to Avon Park. That was 20 years ago.What a change. "Had we taken the trail to the right that day, we would have reached Avon Park before dark for it was the only trail between Frostproof and Avon Park."

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