Richmond palladium., 1845-04-16
SELECTIONS.-


practice
oh, merely dash now and thcn-nothing
more
u toll YOU it is in those dashes and julips tha.
tho danger lies-they pass the bi,ter poison
tho palate ,ha. would else rom1in untasted.'
But, D'AnyiIle, | have taken glass and 50
these ten years. and where is the evil! | can
never become drunkard.
y tell you Francis, You do not know tho hold
i, has already taken upon YOU
Howl
q observed Francis, whiIe tho bont was taking
in my cotton, how often you went to the bar.
But they old acquaintances-thc clerk
and the captan--I have no. seen them for sever
al months
that in your manner that reminded mo Of my
own downward careor!'
Your downward carecrt'
had known my friend for abou: fiyo vcars-
had made his acquaintance under peculiar cir
cumstanccs in tho city of Now Orleans, whcro
he was represented to ono Of the most en-
tcrprising and wealthy planters on tho river, and
whore always know him as strictly temper
ato man--and what ho could have meant by his
downward career, [ could not guoss; for fvo
years at least it had boon an upward ono. IIo
was now worth half u million; had hoard more
over tina. this was the plantation upon which ho
born, nnI that no cainc INTO the world tho
proprietor OF SlJO,NOO
Step forward to tho front of tho piazza, said
D'Anville, apparently without needing my sur
prise.
Wo sa. in tho vcranlah of a beautiful man
sion. | arose, us desired, and walked forward
to tho bamboo railing Of tho high piazza.
.Wol!'
Cast your eyes over tho planat ion.
| looked abroad the tops of tho orange
trees. TO tho right, rs far as the oyo could take
in. folds of sugar cano were waving their golden
in on other side. broad
Of rico, in full blooming, heavcd to and fro I'M
dora light summer wind, and glistoncd like 4
sea Of silver. In the rear, fields of cotton and
green maize, and patches of yams and melons
stretched away smiling and sunny, until III tho
distant background (at least three mites from the
villa rose tho dark outline of the cypress woods
grand and gloomy and csCmbInI some vast
mountain sierra. Near, and around tho villa,
were gay groves and gardens, park and partcrrc,
glowing III all the luxuriance of tropical fruit and
foliage; tanks filled with crystal, and sidc
an artificial pond; paved and com2ntcd and filled
with purc water, III which hugo tnmo alligator
vawncd and baskcd himself undcr tho bright sun
beams. Near this an asiary. with cages of
curious construction, and painted with gaudy CO.
lors, in which birds Of bright plumago wcro con-
s,antly flashing to and frc,o chattoring thor null
titudinous calls. 1t was a scene rich and radiont
with pleasure and prosperity. and boro evidence
of princoly wealth OH tho part of It's proprietor.
could count at least throo hundred Iaborcrs
dressed
metto hats and sky buo Jackets. whllo nearly an
equal number of women and children were secn
at work among their huts, seated under the
shade of tho dark date treos that grow around
Tho waters of tho Mississippi rolled past. within
couple of hundred yards of whore | stood, Of
fcrng high road for all this supcrfluous luxuri-
anco 10 tho markets of tho world. Ii glow
ing scene, and gratificd tho sense we'll tho
soul with its peculiar beauty. | was looking o.
tho finest estate upon the French Cote. and
every object upon which The oye rested was cloth
cd III tho soft halo of the couleur dc rose.
gaZcd for several minutes over tho fair land
scapc, which, operating narcotic, almost put
my senses to sleep. Presently tho voice of my
friend broke upon my waking droam.
You SEQ my plantation,--is il not 4 fine ono!
'The finest over saw
Il was born upon lit was my fathcrs!
so havo understood
Ten years ago that plantation pledg
cd
Pledged! Howl
pledged to tho devil that would now warn
you against--pR1NK and it's was left, soul
and BODY within one dollar of damnation!'
Il have never hcard-'
'No--you never heard. You have not mixed
with my former associates in New Orcans-nor
havo since thon. But you shall hear,--lis
ton
D'Anvilo removed his broad-leafed Panama
from as noble a forehead Nature chisollet
waved it several times across his faco by way
of tanning himself, and proceeded:
Il am now thirty five. Fifteen years ago
had completed my education III PARIS, and roturn
cd homo to tho remains of my last relative
my father, deposited beneath yonder willow. anC
to find myself the uncontrolled posscssor of al
estate worth noarly two hundred thousand dol
lars. Five miles up tho river, the same side
was tho estate and chateau of Pierre Lasalle.-
lie had gnally cmigraied from France along
with my father. and had become rich BY tn,
samc honest means. He had an only daughter-
Marie Louise. Wo had been playmates previou:
to my departure for Europe. While wer,
both children. and before leaving Louisiana fo
tho first time, the facc of the beautiful child ha.
burned its image my heart. Six years of ga,