Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-20

man. BE was study took him for
my task. My interest in him became an
| intensity. 1t was suggested that be be
forced to leave the cabin and take his
place among the deck passengers. I pro
tested against 1t, and prevailed. He had
paid bis fare and was entitled to bis privi-
lege. He was dressed In the most perfect
shabby genteel I ever saw got up. lie
was tall, straight, well-built man, with
an intellectual countenance, high, broad
forehead, black eyes, black hair, black
side whiskers down 20 bis chin, graceful
in attitude, gentle in his manner, atfabie
in bis conversation. For several days he
was avoided By tie other passengers, so
there was very little opportunity to decide
what he was until we thinned out consia-
erably. My discretion kept the as
tendency over my curiosity, but studied
hin ell the time, and eventually came to
the conclusion thet he was not what
his personal appearance indiested. His
dialect was French, but so beautifully
cared for, it was difficult to detect it. A
little incident occurred, one afternoon,
that opened the way to
clear investigation. 1t was this:
Mr.. Gowdey and Mr.. Barrow
were engaged in game of chess. There
were several sitting around watching the
game; and, among the rest, our French
man, who was apparently as much abb
sorbed in it as the players. Barrow made
a move detrimental to his game our
friend observed it; and it was so palpably
wrong that he could not restrain an ejacu-
lation of surprise. The players raised
their heads to see where it came from.
In moment he became sensible of his
indiscretion, arose and rendered an apollo
gy in the purest English, embodied in lam
guage no man could reject. He was in
vited to retain his seat and witness the
result of the game.
That move slew Barrow, and 0owdey
was proclaimed victor. Barrow retired |
In good order, and Mr.. Gowdey invited |
the Frenchman to an encounter, which he |
gracefully accepted; but be soon paid for
his temerity, for the Frenchman defeated
him in very few moves.
My quondam had been growing in my
estimation for some days, now he had
reached the very acme of my expectation,
and curiosity was rampant. That evening |
1 was gratifed, to my hearts content; | |
had penetrated his mask; my every sus-
picion was verified.
We lad now approached what Is called |
the coast on the river, and were gliding |
smoothly along what appeared to be an
aquatic avenue running between success
sion of villages. The air, laden with the |
aroma of thousands of flowers and orange |
groves skirting the river, our numbers re-
Guced to a moderate sized family, and the
near approach to our destination, rem
dered every one On board affable and
agreeable TO one another. Our stranger
being, have no doubt, controlled by the /
same genial influences, proposed, after
tea, that he would give us short biogra-
ply of himself, which all desired to hear.
The time arrived and we all seated our
selves out on the guard, and he gave US in
detail what l will endeavor to condense
in as few words as possible. He set out by
stating to us thai he was Frenchman by
birth; his Dame..was 'fGirardeau;" he was
republican in principle. That he was an
active participant in the three days fight
ing in Paris, in July, 1890, when Louis
Philippe was elected King of France and
Charles x thereby dethrened; he had stud
led the English language thoroughly, and
had prepared himself for tour through
the United States. That he had come from
Paris to New York; having spent some
time in the Northern States, he was de-
sirous of visiting the Southern and West
ern States, but he was advised that the
state of society in the interior of the
South and through the Middle States was
such, that it would be dangerous to travel
in the guise of a gentleman, and there
fore he had assumed the garb he then had
on, that he sent his wardrobe around by
sea from New York to New Orleans. He
reflected seriously on his edyiser, and ex-
pressed himself much gratitied at the
treatment he had received, and that there
was no more danger of being molested in
the South than in the North. Chat was
the opinion of us entertained by our loving
puritanical New England brothers forty
years since, and l suppose they are as
ignorant of US now as they were then.
$50 mote it be.'0
l saw Mr. Girardeau but once after we
arrived at New Orleans, and his appear
snce was very different from that when
we first saw him.