The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1862-07-02
Pere Antoine's Date Palma Legend Of
New Orleans.
81 ? .. ALoRICa.


/
/ CHAPTER I.-xIss BApIAU
! 1t is useless to disguise the fact Miss Bade:u
I il rebel
Mr.. Beauregards cannon had not done bat.
I tering the walls of Sumter, when Miss Badeau
was packed up, labelled, ard sent North, where
she has remained ever since in q sort Of aromat-
ic, rose colored state OF rebellion.
| She Is lot one Of yocr blood thirsty rebels
you know; she has the good sense to shrink
With horror from the bare mention Of those hea
thens who, at Manassas ard elsewhere, wreaked
unmanly spite on the bodies of dead heroes :;
stil she Is bitter little rebel, with blonde hair
aud superb eyelashes, and two brothers in the
Confederate service,-if / may te allowed TO
! club statements. When look across the mar.
, row strait Of our boarding house table, and ob
serve what handsome wretch she is | begin TO
think that If Mr.. Seward doesn't presently take
her in charge, shall.
! Preceding paragraph have little or nothing TO
DO with what ! aal going to relate; they mere
ly Illustrate how wildly a fellow will write when
lne eyelasbes OF pretty woman get tangled With
hs pen. So let them staud, as a warning.
Ny eXordiun should have taken this shape:
hope and trust" remarked Aiss Badeau,
in that remarkable scathing tone which she as
sumes in alluding to the L. s. A, ~ hope and
trust that, when your five hundred thousand,
more or less, men capture New orleans, they
Will have the good taste not to injure Pere An.
toine's date palm"
Not hair OF its head shall be touched,
replied, without having the laintes, idea Of what
was talking about.
"Ah. | hope not" she said.
There was a certain tenderness in her voice
which struck me-
"Who is Pere Antoine =" ventured 10 AK
And what 10 this tree that seems to interest
you so:'
al will tell you"
Then Miss Badeau told me the following le-
gend, which think worth writing down. II il
should appear tame to the reader, it will be be-
Cause haven't black ribbed silk dress, and
pont-iaee around my throat, like Miss Badeau
it will be because haven't her eyes and lips,
and music to tell it with, confound me:
CHAPTER n-rHk LEGEND.
Near the leree (qusy) and not far from the
old French Cathedral, in New Orleans, stands a
fine date pain, some thirty feet high, growing
out IN the open air as sturGily if it's roos were
sucking sap from their native earth. Sir Chas.
Lye!l in his /" Second Visit to the United States"
mentions this exotic: THE tree is seventy or
eighty x9e.NAs,, ~ no d,eJ cut, y,a,e $50, cola
Mr.. Brngier that be planted it himself, when he
was young. Ia his will he provided that they
who succeeded to this lot of ground should for
felt it, if they should cut down the palm"
Wishing to learn something Of Psre Antoine's
history, Sir Charles Lye made inquiries among
the ancient Creole inhabitants of the fdubomrg
That the old priest, in his last days. became very
much emaciated that he gradually dried up, and
firallv blew away, was the meagre result OF the
tourists investigations.
This is all that is generally known of Pere
Antoine. Miss Badeau 8 story clothes these bare
| facts.
| When Pere Antoine was a very yeung man.
| no had friend whom he loved as he loved his
eyes. Emile Jardin returned his passion, and
! the two, on account of their friendship, became
the marvel of the city where they dwelt. One
was never seen without the other for they
studied, walked, ate and slept together.
! Antoine and Emile were preparing to enter
the church indeed, they had taken the prelim.
mary steps, when a circumstance occurred which
changed the color Of their lives.
fereissa sa lady from some f.! of Island in the
their neighborhood. The lady died suddenly.
leaving girl OF sixteen or seventeen entirely
friendless and unprovided for. The young mer
had been kind to the woman during her illness
and at her death, melting with pity at the for
lorn situation of Anglice, the daughter, swore
between themselves 10 love anu WAUGH over nei
as If she were their sister.
Now Anglice had a wild, strange beauty, thai
made other women feel tame beside her; and il
the course of time the young men found them
selves regarding their ward not SO much lik,
brothers as at first. They struggled with thei
destiny msnfully, for the holy orders which the!
were about to assume, precluded the idea o
love.
But every day taught them to be more fOnt
of her. So they dritted on. The weak ike t.
temporlZe.
One night Emil Jariin and Anglice were no
|, to be found They had fown-but whittier no
body knew, and nobody save Antoine, cared.
1t was a heavy blow to Antoine-'or he ha
J half made up bis mind to run sway with her him
sell.
slip OF paper slipped from a volume on Ar
toine's desk and fiuttered at his feet
5 "Do not BE angry" said the bit of paper, pit
eously; "torgire us. for ue iove."
Three years went By. Antoine had entere
the church. and was already looked upon as
' rising man but his face was pale and bis hea'
leadeu, for there was no sweetness in life Il
him.
Four years mad elapsed, when letter, cove
ed with outandish stamps, was brought to tt
\ Young pries,-a letter from Anglice. She vi
y diving: would he forgive herr Emile, the We,
o previous, has fallen victim to the fever tn
n ragged on the island; and their child, little An
Il lice, was likelg to follow him. la ptiful tern
>. she begged Antoine 10 take charge Of the Chi
|, until she was old enough 10 enter a convent
n The epis,le was finished by another hand inforr
;. ing Antoine of Madame Jsrdn's death; it al
,s told him that tnglice had been placed on q We
IF sci shortly TO leave the island for some weste
r, port.
q The letter Was hardly read and wept owe
n when little Angce arrived. On bebolding he
!. Antoine uttered cry OF joy and surpris
she was like the woman he bad worshippe
', As mans tears are more pathetic than a v
mans, go is his love more intense,-not NC
=, enduring, @. halt 80 s1bsii., bat int.nsss
The passion that had been crowded down
his heart, broke ogt and lavisbed its richness
this child, who was to him rot only the Ang
OF Of wears ago. bu; his friend Emile Jardin also.
1T Asgice possessed the wild, strange beauty
a her mother. The bending, willowy form, {
Nv rich tint of the skn the large tropical eyes Il
On had almost made Antoine's sacred robes a mo,
e. ery to him.
IN py in her new home. She talked continually Of
m bright country where she was born, the fru
an and flowers and blue skies. Antoine could
on pacify her. By and by she ceased to We
and went about the cottage with dreary {
consoIate air, that cut Antoine to the heart.
n. fore the wear had rolled past be noticed that
~ ruddy tinge had fed from her cheek, that
A.. ewes had grown languid, and her slight fg
no more willowy than ever.
A physician was called. He could disco