Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-07-09
rae BARRES DATE TREE.
Legend Of New Orleans.

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strangely quaint section Of the
town which, with its tropical fruits
and flowers, its ancient houses
and its narrow streets, reminds
one Of the cities Of Spain--grows
at q certain street corner, 4 tall,
gnarled and barren date tree,
which has stood the for more
than seventy years. It Is inclosed
In q yard, and stands in q small
court attached to the qnaintest.
looking of old fashioned houses.
The house, like its fellows ofequal
age in the quarter in which it is
situated, is built Of material called
adobe, is Of one story in height,
and Is covered with the red tiles
placed there nearly q century ago.
1t is venerable in appearance, and
bears about tia forlorn look quite
in keeping with the dismal story
attached to it. Above the roof,
the date tree rises high in the air,
its long, pointed leaves gathered
in n bunch at the top, and its
whole length rough with knots
and eXcrcssccnces. For more
than half a century have people
passing it gazed upon it, and the
dismal house to which it Is at
tachcd, with 4 thrill of delightful
awe. For here was it in the time
when the flag Of Spain waved
from the old Quartet in Chartress
street; when the Spanish drums
beat at the parades in the Place
when the evening can
non was fred, calling upon all
good people to return within the
mmparts; when the last bucca-
neers of the Spanish main came
surreptitiously, at intervals TO the
city to dispose of their silken
treasures and ravished spoils ;
when the gentlemen of the town
collected at some Royal street cafe
and sat in chairs upon the pave.
ment in front Of it, slipping their
wines and orange flower water
and playing at dominoes-here
was it in those memorial days Of
the old colonial city, that the Tree
by mysterious hands was planted,
and the Traitor met his doom.
Who he was or whence be had
come no man knew. He made
his appearance in New Orleans
suddenly. A handsome man,
black. bearded and Of brOnzed hue,
of elegant look, Of naughty bear
ing, attired in sombre black velvet
Marquis coat, with black satin
knee brooches, and black silk
stockings-he was n person who,
from his distinguished air and the
reserve of his manner, speedily
became the subject Of gossip upon
tile prOInenades aud at the cafes.
The arrival Of the mysterious and
unheralded parsonage soon grew
to be the sensation Of the hour.
The stranger almost immedi.
diateIy upon his arrival secured
the house which | have described,
rs his place Of residence. 1t was
unoccupied at the time, and he
entered it at once. Al that time
the date tree was not planted, and
the rays Of the burning sun beat
down, through the long summer
days, upon the red tiles of the
shopping roof, unimpedcd by any
obstacle. But in the small court
the wide tapping leaves Of the
banana plant made a cooling shade,
beneath which the solitary reclnse
was wont to sit, with a strange,
far.of, meditative look in his eye,
listening to the noises in the street
and to the voices of the little chill
dren who played upon the walk In
front Of his door. The stranger
never appeared in public places Of
the town, or, indeed upon the
streets anywhere. An old negress,
whom he had hired upon his ARR.
val, took charge OF all those du-
ties Of daily necessity which occa.
siOnally compelled a mingling
with the people-shopkeepers and
others; but she knew nothing
more Of the employer than that
he spoke Franch fluently French
at that time was the almost uni.
~versally spoken language of the
city J, and that she had heard him
sometimes speaking to himself In
an Unfamiliar foreign tongue
This woman never remained over
night in the house, but would, in
accordance with the instructions
of the stranger, take her depart.
ure each evening when her days
work was done, TO reappear at sun.
rise Of the next day. All these
rumors only served to add to the
interest which the stranger had
excited on his arrival, and if any
thing had been needed to intensity
this interest it would have been
found in the fact that the attend
ant seemed TO be %plenlifully sup
piled with money on her periodi-
cal visits to the shops, and that
her payments were invariably
made in coins of southern Eu
rope.
In this condition of mysterious
seclusion on the part of the stran-