The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-04-18
L II + n f. w E r A
From the Saturday American.
THE LAST DOLLAR.
EY T. HAyNE PErD

practice.
Oh, merely dash now and hen-nohing
more
say it is in these dashes and inlaps that the
danger lies-they pass the bitter pnisun over the
palate that would else remain untainied'
But, DAnville, have taken glass so and
so these ten years. and where's the evil; can
never become a drunkard.'
| tell yuu, Francis. you do not know the hold
ii has taken upon ynn.'
How p
observed, Francis, while the boat was talk
ing In my cotton, how often Won went Ia the bal ,
But they were old acquain,ances-the clerk
and the cap,ain-l have not them for sew
eral months
All, Francis. do not deceive me; there was
that IN your manner that reminded me of nv own
downward career
Your downward career!'
had known my friend for abnul five wears
had made his acquaintance under peculiar rIrcurn-
stances, in the city of New Orleans. where he
was represented To the as one uf the mnst pn1pr.
prisIng aud wealthy planters on The river and
where always knew him very temperate
man-and what he could have meant nv his
downward career. could not guess; for five
years, at least. it had heen upward one. He
was now worth al least half million heard
moreover, that this the planlaiiun upon which
he was born. and that in fact lac came into the
world the proprietor of 8 $50 coo
Step forward IN the front of the piazza
said D'AnvIIle, apparently without needing my
surprise.
We sat in the verandah of a beautiful mansion.
| arose. as he desired, and walked forward The
bamboo railing of The high piazza.
Well
Cast your eyes ever the plantation
looked abroad over the tops al The Orange
trees. To the right, far AZ the eve could
reach, fields of sugar cane ware waving their
golden plumeS in the sun Nh the uihpr side broad
flats OF rice, in full blaming. hcavrl tn and fro
under light summer wind, and piSipupd like
sea OF silver la the rear, fields of cotton and
green maize, and patches of vans aud urions.
stretched away, smiling and sunny until in The
distant back ground. ut least three miles frn,n the
village. rose the dark outline OF the ryJrpsS woods
and resembling some vast mountain sierra Ii
was scene rich and radeni " Iih pleasure and
prnsperIty-.and bore evidence of prnceIy wealth
on The part Of lis proprietor.
could count at least three hundred ahnrers AT
work in the fields, dressed in Their broad palmetto
hats and sky blue iacke's, wIrie ueaflg AN canal
number of women and children were srrn NJ work
amung their huis, or seated under tine shade of
The dark date trees that grew around The wa
tiers OF The Mississippi rolled past within couple
at hundred yards from where siuod, offering
high road for all this superfu0us luxnflanre to
the markets of the world # was n Olnwino
scene, and gralfied the sense as well MS The soul
with peculiar beauty.
gazed for several minutes over the fair land
scape, which, operating as n narcotic, almost nut
my senses to sleep. Presently The voice of nv
friend broke in upon my waking dream
You see nay planlation--is it not fine one Q
The finest ever saw
was horn upon tit belonged to my father
So | have heard
Ten years ago that plantation was pledged
Pledged! How?
Pledged to that devil which would now
warn you against--drink and It's owner was left.
soul and body. within one dollar of daInnallon'
j have never heard'-
No-you never heard Yon have not mix
ed with my former associates in New Orleans
nor have ! since then. But YOU shall hear-lis.
ten
DAnville removed his broad lealed Panama
hat from AS noble forehead as nature ever
chlSelIed-waved it several times across his face
by way of tanning himself, and proceeded
am now thirty-ive. Fifteen years aro
had completed my education IN Paris, and relnrn.
ed To see The remains Of my last relative my IA
Their, deposited beneath yonder willow and To find
myself the uncontrolled pussessor VI an estate
worth nearly two hundred thousand dollars. Five
miles up the river, on the same side. was the es
tate aud chateau Of Lasalle He had originally
emigraied from France along with MY father. and
had become rich by the same honest means He
had an only daugh;ef-NIaua Louise We had
been Playmales previous to my departure from
Europe. While we we're both children. and be-
fore leaving Louisiana fur the first time the face
Of the beautiful child had burned its imagine ppon
my heart. SIX years of gay dissipation in the
precincts Of the Paas royal did not efTsce that
imagine and often. as [ lay upon seeplpss
couch, did ] think of nv own little Creole in
the fair Soulhwesl--of our last parting by her n
TIERS orangery-of the gentle pressure, the fnll
eye the flushed check, and the pointing lin. that
would have given a world To have kissed and
Of thousands things that fitted like sunbcsms
over the sea Of memory. | thought Of these, and
Onged to return.
With such disposition during my absence
you Will easily believe that after my return was
not long in visiting the plantation Of Pierre
Basalle. ! rushed through the parterte-tbe old
man was on the piazza. he shook me warmly
by the hand
''Wherep shouted I, where is my little
Maria p
Little Maria = repeated he, laughing and
entering the house. He returned not with tbs
pretty child Of ten years, that was wont 10 gaza
upon with hoyish emotion, but lovely oirl an.
the foil developments of yv0fnanbood /