New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-11
BOHEMIAN DAYS.
BY XYM CRIHKLE.

y" hen was n pODT OOuCuldu tOl VOuAoS'
YOU understand that am not poor Bohe-
n,ian now) and lived on q third floor front
in Perkins row l"Chambers' was what we
named it them, there were strange golngs,
on in the apartments downstairs, which !
now recall with tender reminiscent pleas
ure.
| suppose there never lived man whose
whole soul went out in love to his vile as
did Barney McGinniss'. 1t was life pas
sion burning with titful but unquenchaole
fame and shedding an unsteady and ruddy
glow upon the homely and lOwly lives OF
the McGinnisses. Ii Bridget. his wife,
coming home after days scrnbbing, was
led poor overworked thing), to the use OF
stin:ulants-as the best OF us are sometimes
compelled to do when the exhaustion OF
fibre is too great-and. in one OF those mo-
mentary fits Of dependency to which her
sex ia liable, broke the furniture and threw
the baby out OF the window upon the dirty
canvas awning that was always Tapping
there. Barney, with his great heart going
out to her in love and pity, would pull her
in off the windOw-sill by her legs. and with
his brawney protecting hand round her
throat, would choke her firmly and surely
back to reason and duty.
Many's the time have heard his strong,
vibrating tones break in upon the stiffness
of the night, coming as they did in gusts OF
6MOLIOu up uudU UdNA CHliuAVy
1t was the urgent, almost passionate pro-
test of staunch, incorruptible nature that
took shape in these words:
"Brigit McGinniss, if w chuck the baby
out agin I'll hit We over the mob with the
table-leg, by all the howly saints. Mind
that
How often in those old Bohemian nights
l lay listening after this speech for the soft
thud of the falling bundle that was sure to
strike the awning momen, later How
we'll recall the confused sounds that fol-
lowed; the rattle OF the old sashes and the
shake of the floor, as il Mr.. and Mrs. Nc
Ginniss were dancing gallopade; the
crack of the table-leg, and then the sudden
silence, undisturbed save by the paternal
efforts to fish the offspring into the window
and the almost maternal efforts to pacify it
afterward.
Barney McGinnis never in his normal mo-
ments doubted the affection of his wife.
That love was deep and strong and unas-
sailable. 1t was one Of those placid pas
sione, flowing on like a great stream, which
NO pebble of witely hulnOr could more than
ripple, certainly could not dam or divert.
But Barney had his abnormal moments.
He often came home with red CLEAN in
the corner of his eye, and q half humorous,
half desperate look round his mouth, as if
tempted to try the luxury OF throwing 1.-The
kid out Of the window himself. Besides,
Mrs. McGinniss was good deal of a CO.
quette. l think she liked to flirt too well to
preserve the placidity of her household with
anything like regularity. This much l
know, Dennis O'Reilly was often sitting ON
the stairs with her. passing the empty
Establishments and tiattery OF society, when
Barney was away carrying the peaceful bod
in unsuspecting docility. could see that
for matron she was too much given to
those little vanities Of dress which catch
the eye of designing men. She had a
voluptuOus trick Of trailing her red hair
down her back when she went out for a
pennyworth of mild or a dhrap of whisky
for the child; and her habit of wearing only
one stocking, and sometimes only one shoe,
it struck me then. in my callOw, Bohemian
days, betrayed the artfulness of woman
whose sense of wifely duty had not OBJ
liberated all the ingenuity Of the virgin.
Perhaps Barney knew all this. Or per-
haps his occasionally stumbling over Den
mis- O'Reilly, snoring loudly and odorously
in his hallway with some suspicious sOuve-
potato) in his hand, may have aroused him
to the exercise OF his husbands preroga-
tive. On such occasions, if doubts entered
his breast, he had quiet. frank way OF
eeizing the table leg.
could hear his voice very plainly. lying
there in my lonely Bohemian bed.
'.Mrs. McGinniss, do you love me- p
''indsde, you know ! do. Barney
Whack!
Do you! Begorry. I'm not sure Of it me.
self"
In my silly Bohemian soul used 70 think
harshly of Barney. On one occasion.
remember, I got up and put on q wrapper
and shouted down the chimney neighbor-
ly remonstrance, adding something in my
idiOtic style about the man that lays his
hand upon woman save in the way Of
kindness.
Whereupon Mrs. McGinniss intimated
that I was = ''scutmullion" and had best be
MindiDg my own business.
have often thought Of these Jolly old
times with their fresh. wholesome intima-
lions OF duty, and their revelations of
human nature. Jolly days indeed, when
the awful mysteries OF life were like =
pageant, and when the relations of tho
sexes could DO equaliZed with table leg.
But how little l protted by them! Like
every body else, have dritted away from
the plain essential truths that the Barney
McGinnesses and all the rest Of them taught
me. dare say if had wife now, and She
had . Dennis OReilly. I'd rush in some
day and have talk with her about incom.
then 60 and blow my brains out, or do some
other equally conventional and cOwardly
thing. ] don't believe Q table leg would
ever occur to me.
And yet how beautiful in its simplicity is
the primitive philosophy OF Barney! 1t
gave an iMmutability 70 love that nothing
else can. He could always restore the
connubiai stream, 60 70 speak. to its orig
jnal purity and vehemence by a few flour.
isha 10 him Col Io Loo 81.
anchor Of affection. 1t seems to me now
that the OLD sounds that came up the black
chimney were patria1chal ana holy.
did think once during that golden Bo-
hemiAn epoch OF writing = French play
with Barney in it. 1t seemed TO me that
the idea of a man winning q Woman's at
lection by clubbing her and exciting her
souls alteration by choking her was good
one. 1t occurred to mo that 1t would be an
entirely original thing to have = husband
keep his Site's affection up to the melting
point by system Of evenly graduated
You know how q woman worships . man
who her master! believe ii the truth
were known the strongest OF them yearn at
times in the bottom OF their souls for table
leg or stuffed club. 1t is the glory Of
to suffer. And have We de-
prived them Ofevery Opportunity-eett them,
indeed, to inventing opportunities of their
own-and forced them, for want of the ;
chance 20 suffer themselves, TO study how
they can make everybody else suffer!
Perhaps these dainty and vernal thoughts.
as they do about the McGinnisses
and nv Bohemian bed room, have been set
buzzing like honeyed bees in my brain bv |
that beautiful play Of 1.-THE Sphinx" And !
it is beautiful, isn't it!
suppose il was that scene in which De !
Savigny eeizes the wretched woman Blanche |
by the arms and threatens to throw her in |
the lake to prevent her from doing any
more mischief that reminded me of the