New Orleans Republican., 1873-04-20

Eke a stresk of light. Nor did he ever tell
~ .bat sort of seed or sucker it was that
nrodueed his famous ginger bread tree.
This tree overhu1g the fence and looked
much like a common lime tree; and you
would have said, had you not known the
| difference that IL was the same great mass
| of blossoms, and birds, and bees, and leaves
oil 0uiyer1ng in the sunshine; but it bore,
| from early May till late October, most
astonishing crop of iumbles and ladies TN
gers and hearts, and rounds, and snaps, ana
no less astonishing was the fact that the
singular fruit always chose its time for tall
ing inst as the children were going home
from school, so that none of 1T +" as ever lett
TO litter the ground. Once Jessie watched
"A child idly throwing stone into the
branches, when down tumbled a crulier; he
caught it, looked at it in amszement; bit il
unaw ares, hesitated as to whether the evil
one were not in it, and then satisfied that,
by whatever means, caDny or uncannT, lt
came there, 4 was nevertheless good 10 eat.
he gObbled the rest Il. l. and made on
Sometimes, when . parcel OF bOys stopped
on the sidewalk. wTangllng sbout Their
game. n suGdeu wind rustled the branches
of the old tree overhead, and d0wn
would shower whole armful OF
cookies; and Jessie and uncle FeOdo-
,ardo. unseen together. would enjoy th.
bew1lderment and the delight into which
the BOYS wrangling turned. There we're
particularly nice little girls 90 whom the
tree was wont 20 drop q spOnge-caks, how
ever i. cOntriyet it. and there were ragged
urchins. driving the cows along the gutter,
over whom the branches ses med to bend
lovingly. and leave them a huttertG biscuit
in hand:-but Uucle FeOdorardo said the
biscuit and the .ponge-eake we're f1eahs OF
nature, sirce, as everybody knew, e glng-
erbread tree ough: really TO produce nothing
but hot buns.
When, wears afterward. Mics Jessie came
across pictures of the palm5 and found
among the great gingerbread tree OF the
tropics, she felt hearty contempt for the
thing that could only produce hard rind.
OF a smooth kernel. and never thrilled 20
any sensation OF being the mother OF q
dOughnut
Another tree in the garden, though for
many reasons less interesting TO Jessie.
and though she never attempted TO set
out shoots and branches of il as she had
OF the gingerbread tree. was far more
beautiful in her eyes. This was superb
peach tree, growing very near the house
in spring time a tower OF rosy bloom, and in
August and September more richly ruddy
with it's load of velvety fruit. IL was
one of the few peach trees left alive in the
town after some severe frosts, and Uncle
FeOdorardo was very choice with it; he had
trained many of the bOughs up the side ot
the house like a grape vine, so that the sun
might play more pl-ntiiully through il, and
as the peaches ripened a net was suspended
over il from the roof, hung here and there
with bells that frightened of the birds and
the thieves. Jessie would as soon have
asked Uncle FeodOrardo for one OF his eyes
as for any of the peaches, but she would
take a seat and stay there. gazing at the
si for an houP or moro with
mouth, like some statue of the Weeping
Virgin. But one day Uncle FeOdOrardO
told Jessie she should give party in his
parlor that afternoon. and she went round
with her invitations after great pOnderng 2
and selecting, and a final opening of tie
sluice gates of her acquaintance: End in
the middle of such an afternoon as never
was, one of those great peach boughs came
bending down, down, into the open case.
ment and half across the room. and hung
there, shaking its red and golden weight,
every spere bursting with delicious juice:
aid those children supped on--nectar and
ambrOsia. let us say. for certainly no
peaches, before or since. have ever tasted
just that way.
All me. Those old times are gone. II
may be that the times which have replaced
them are quite as good; but alas no one
will dispute me that they are not quite the
same. The old town is gone too-mills
have been built in il, railroads have run
through if, its quiet has been turned into
turmoil, there Is no more grass III the
streets. there are no more ginger bread
ire, $ beside the fences. And as for Jessie
she does her shopping now very ditfert ntlv
from the way she did when a cent was her
all; loflily now. and with no chat1ering.
We thought she was going turn out d the
1nark.ter, tut she disappointed us. She
Hnas hot ~ in the IN .,1 tnyicp1nUys thrs
dancing half the night, the winter long. t,
dellriOus waliZ music. dancing like flame
like q leaf on the wind, like any lovely lam.
bent thing of the airs and vapOrs. fed with
forbidden fruit stimulated with dangerous
sparkle of wine, she has been forced, IN that
little frsgmentOf time which she calls day,
20 make science OF the use of the household
poisons-rtgulating her sleep with !auda.
mum and chloral. subduing her nerves with
potassium or with yeratIia, accelerating her
digestion with strychnlne, purifying her
blood with intinitesimdl doses Of arsenic
till if the youths who are SO eager to lead
her in the dance did but know it. they clasp
a creature whose tissues are as much in.
grain with poison as those Of DR.. Rappac.
cinI's daughter ever were-a marvellous
creature Tor all that. with her color as
fl eting as that of a blush rose. her hair d
simmer of autumn gold, her curves and
sculptor's clay; as phenomenal in her ir-
responsible wayward beauty, ber idle wit.
the sirens song she sings among the priM
PuritanS around her, as Eendorado was
himself.
And old Uncle Feoiorado is gone, too !
fancy sometimes that in heaven he is still
surrounded with little children, leading
them through .he green pastures and
beside tho still waters there: but here we
sec him no more--and the sunny garden
that he loved, long since became the base.
ball ground. | wonder if. going by there
some summer midnight. with their clouds
sailing across the moon, one might not see
the semblance of that old rosy peach tree,
Of that lime with its swimming lights and
hummiDg bees, of the cherry with the
parrot sparkling between the leaves,
with all their phantasms rising round
him Ike dream; might not hear
the gay calls and laughter of the
urrhins there once more. though with
ever 50 hollow n ring in the sound; might
no: for one moment fancy some pale like
ness of thas noble head of the Old exile,
baIoed. may lie. with the silver hair, and
may b. with Il glory: may not meet the
wrath of a little white sprite dancing like
wildtre down the vanishing paths. with
her copper clutched IN her transparent
haud-but no. How could 40 dull and
heavy a thing as a cent have a ghost at
ALI That would have 20 be a piece Of pa
per currency.
4 Marine Signal Code for ali Nations.
The Treasury Department Is busilv en-
gagged. through the revenue, marine and
II 10 IN ho0se hureaus. IN arranpiDp for the