The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-25
Eco.
For the New Orleans Sunday Crescent. ]

For the New Orleans sunday Crescentl
There are persons who seem to revolve around
the above word as on pivot, without possibility
of leaving it. Breach whatever subject you may.
however distant you may deem it, they will
speedily bring 1t back again to the all important
|, and coDjugate the verb am, through all its
moods and tepses-sometimes TO your amusement,
often to your disgust
Ii was early in the fall of lS4-, Just after the
close of the Mexican war, that | was thrown ia
company with one Of these personages. | was
one OF quite a party of ladies' going from the
Crescent City TO Louisville, under the escort Of q
young officer of the regular service. Handsome,
gallant and brave. he had won any quantity of
laurels, and seen steady service, told good story,
sang good song, was full OF anecdotes regarding
the incidents of the war, and long before we
reached our destination had won half the female
hearts on the boat.
Starting from our Crescent City on one of the
floating palaces that ply between here and St.
Louis we mad to leave il at Cairo, and take q
small boat, as the Ohio was very low. The
change was very great. and itrequired all the fun
and good humor of Capt. W.. and the patience
and good temper of the ladies to endure the irk-
someness of cramped cabin, and little cribs of
even worse to endure. In the party were two
beautiful girls. deshipg widow and two or three
matroDs, young and pretty, chaperoned by Capt.
WIS IN iher, noble looking old lady, well fitted
TO keep us all in order.
We got on the boat at early dawn, and at break
fast noticed that the attention of one or two
strange gentlemen was attracted towards our
parry, aud just before dinner Capt. W. came in
and said that he had been introduced by the cap
tain of the steamer to several gentlemen, who be-
ing unaceompanied by ladies, desired the pleasure
of an introduction to the ladies and an admittsnce
into the ladies' cabin. 1t so happened that Capt.
W. was the only gentleman on the boat ia COM
parry with ladies, and he had more than hands and
heart full, with so many to attend to. and sus-
pect was somewhat smitten with the dashing
widow, and therefore little selfshly wished some
of us of his hands that he might be more at her
especial service. After promising his mother that
he would introduce no one the captain of the boat
would not stand sponsor for, he went forward and
returned accompanied by four gentlemen, who
we're respectively introduced as Judge l., Dr. s.,
Mr.. NJ, and DR.. K. lawyer, two doctors and a
merchant.
The ladies were not sorry to have little of
the male part of creation TO wait upon Us, as Capt
W. could not take charge of more than two at a
time, and one of them was certain to be the
widow, be the other who she might, and it was
more pleasant to have a whole beau even il not SO
amusing, than a piece of one. be he never so
agreeable. .-
DR.. K. fell to my lot that day to wait upon me
to the table, and speedily found that DR.. X. was
of little more consequence in his own opinion
| than any other august parsonage In the world.
| He soon informed me that his father was the gov
| ernor of the State of -; his mother and sisters
| were most beautiful and accomplished women
| his family not to be surpassed, and not often
equaled this side of the great pond his residence
| in l.. noted for its beauty and elegance, and
altogether the X. family and DR.. X. in particular,
| were not to be sneezed at l pretended great
| interest in his conversation aud "humored his
folly to the top of his bent" 1t helped pass time,
| aud then he was rather q new specimen OF the
| genus homo to me at that time. am not so young
now as then, and have seen little more OF
| life. That evening the gentlemen spent in
| the cabin with u.s. We had some fine singing
| from the widow and Capt. W, both of whom
played the guitar. and had splendid voices. DR..
| X. joined in with good tenor, and then told Us
compliment after compliment that he had re-
ceived on his voice from vorioHs notabties,
| Finally, however, / succeeded in getting Capt.
W started on his Mexican incidents and he
| told us some thrilling hair breadth escapes from
the guerrillas, and some Of them we're very narrow
| escapes indeed. He kept us fascinated and
enchsined until quite late, only interrupted by
| questions from DR.. K and remarks as to what
| lie should have done under like circumstances.
After the gentlemen had hidden us good night
we dotted our dresses, slipped on our dressing
| gowns and, women like. gathered round the stove
in the ladies' cabin to discuss at and the same
time nice little lunch we had bribed out of the
| chambermaid, and our new acquaintance, DR..
| K, came in for no little share OF laughing com
ment. and / got nicely teazed about my attend
| abt-be having selected me again to wait upon to
| the table because listened so well, suppose
| and | was asked what thought of 81, my and
| mine." as they dubbed him.
While laughing and chatting, some Of US doing
cry OF " Murder murder" and, frightened almost
| to death jumped up; some running TO their state
rooms, some of MS towards the doors leading into
| the main cabin, TO try and find out what was the
| matter, for Of course everything terrible we could
| think of came up--the boat on fire, men killing
| each other over the card table or at the bar
What was il? What on earth was il At the
| door Captain W. met us, and babe Us be quiet, q:
the cries were only caused by gentleman having
the nightmare. The Revision Of feeling almost
threw some Of the ladies into Mysteries but finally
we all settled down. and the night passed quietly
The next morning DR.. K. did not appear. nor di;
we see anything more of /, my and mine" unit
we reached Louisville, for he had been the night
mare sufferer who had so alarmed the boat Or
retiring TO rest that night, he had taken the under
BERTH dropping to sleep while his head vas full o
the tales told by Capt. W. He dreamed that b
was in Mexico, and that he had somehow strsye'
out, and the guersillas were after him. Just as I
lssso thrown by one of them fell over his head
the occupant of the upper berth happened to tur
over. His weight being great, the berth weak
it gave way, and down they came on poor Dr
| k, who, startled out of his frightful dresu
in so singular and SO frightful manner, could no
collect his scattered thoughts sufficiently 10 re
alze where he was. and, thinking his dream
reality commenced his cries of Murder d.
screams and struggles, united with the oatns an
| circumstances Of his roommate whose berth IA
| given way, Capt. W. said was the most ridiculou
| sight he had ever witnessed and the laughabl
spectace be had made OF himself so completed
| cut down DR.. k that he never left his stats
| room during the rest of the trip, and so wa
cheated out OF my beau; nor did he come TO TAX
leave of us when we landed. Poor man It wa
too bad that his amour propre should De
wounded; but l always think OF DR.. & an
his downfall when meet with specimen OF Eg