Wanderlust

At fourteen, a restless boy from a New England preparatory school abandons his studies for the promise of open fields and the thrill of adventure. Impulsively writing a brief farewell note, he catches the 2:15 train to Charleston, pocketing only a few coins and a prized pocket watch that he soon sells for a meal. On the bustling wharf he secures a place aboard a steamship, trading his inexperience for a deck‑hand’s duties polishing brass and washing dishes.

During the voyage he meets Captain Hastings, a pragmatic farmer who offers the teenager a chance to earn his way in the wilds of Florida. The job promises a modest wage, a horse, and the responsibility of carrying mail across thirty miles of pine‑covered countryside. With fresh purpose, he heads toward the sun‑kissed Gulf, ready to test his courage against the unknown.