New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-29

The incensed old Colonel wheeled and
atartad off

The incensed old Colonel wheeled an
started off. :.
"curl Y COLONEL said Charlie 'tandin
The planter turned with an inquirin
| frown.
an trade with you" said Charlie:
The Colonel was tempted. "'Owu ye
| trader" he asked.
"My house for yours!
The old Colonel turned pale with anger
He wake very quickly back, and cam
close up to his kinsInan.
Charlie" he said.
"Injin Charlie" with tipsy nod.
But by this time self-contrOl was return
ing. "Sell Bellies Demoiselles to your b
said, in a high key, and then laughed "Ht
no, hot" and rode away.
A cloud, but not dark one, OvershadOw
ed the spirits of Bellies DemOiseiles planta
tien. The old master, whose beaming pre-
sence had always made him shinin
Saturn, spinning and sparkling within tn
bright circle of his daughters, fell into mus
ing fits, started out Of frOwning reveries
walked often by himself, and heard bushes
from his Overseer fretfully.
No wonder. The daughters knew hi
closeness in trade, and attributed to it hi
buildings, so to call them. They began t
depreciate Bellies Demolselles. If mort
wind blew, it was too cold to ride. If
shower had fallen, it was too muddy t.
drive. In the morning the garden wa
wet. In the evening the grasshopper wa
a burden. Ennui was turned into capital
every headache was interpreted Fremont
ton of ague; and when the native exu
berance of flock Of ladies without a wan
or care burst out in laughter in thu
fathers face, they spread their French eyes
rolled up their little hands, and with riglt
wrists and mock vehemence vowed ant
vowed again that they only laughed a
their misery, and should pine to death un
less they could move to the sweet city
"Oh! the theatre, o! Orleans street
o the masquerade! the Place d'Armes
the ball =" and they would call upor
heaven with French irreverence, and tal
into each others arms, whirl down the
hall singing a waltz, end with a grand col
lision and fall, and, their eyes streaming
merriment, lay the blame on the slippery
floor, that would some day be the death o
the whole seven.
Three times more the fond father, thus
goaded, managed, bv accident-5usinesi
accident-to see old Charlie and Increase
his offer, but in vain. He finally went tt
him formally.
"Eh ~ said the deaf and distant relative
"FOr what you want him, Ell! Why you
don't stay where you Railways be 'appy
This is a blame old rat-hole-good for old
Ipjin Charlie-that's all. Why you don't
stay where you be Railways Apply! Why
you don't buy somewheres else p
That's none of your business" snapped
the planter. Truth was, his reasons were
unsatisfactory even to himself
A sullen silence followed. Then Charlie
spoke:
We'll. now, look here; 1 sell you old
Charles house.
"Bieu! and the whole block" said the
Colonel.
Hold on said Charlie. II sell you de
'ouse and de block. Den l go and git
drunk, and go to sleep; de dew comes along
and says. Charlie old Charlie, you blame
low-down old dog, wake up! What you
dom herel Where's de 'ouse what Mon.
sieur lie Compile give your grace-granmuz-
yer! Don't you see dat fine gentyman, De
Charleu, done gone and tore him down and
make him over new, you blame old fool,
Charlie, you low-down old Injin dog"
'I'll give you forty thousand dollars, said
the Colonel.
"For de ouse9'
"For ALL"
The deaf man shook his head.
'Forty-tive :" said the Colonel.
s'What lie For what you tell me
what lie don't tell you no lie.
Non, NOM | give you torty.fue ~
shouted the Colonel.
Charlie shook his head again.
Fifty"
He shook it again.
The figures rose and rose to
Seventy five"
70
and let the owner alone as he was, in GER
tain specified respects, the vilest of living
creatures, and no company for a fine
gentyman.
The "fine gentyman longed to bias
before old Charlie-in the name
of pride, how could he! He mounted and
started away.
Tell you what I'll make wild you said
Charlie.
The other, guessing Alright, turned back
without dismOunting, smiling.
'How much Bellies DemoiselIes hoes me
now!" asked the deaf one.
lone hundred and eighty thousand dol
lars" said the Colonel, firmly.
"Yaas," said Charlie. II don't want
Bellies Demoiselies.'
The old Colonel's quiet laugh intimated it
made no difference either way.
but me-" continued Charlie, ''me-Tm
got le Compile De Charleu's blood in me,
any'Ow-a lit bit, any 'Ow, amt it,
The Colonel nodded that it was.
"Bien! If go out of dis place and don't
go to Bellies Demoiselles, de peoples will
say-day will say old Charlie he been all
doze time tell blame lie! He amt no kin
to his old grace-gran-muzzer, not blame
bit! He don't got nary drop of De Charleu
blood to save his blame low-dOwn old Injin
soul No, sare, What l want wild money,
den! No, sare. My place for yoursl''
He turned to 90 into the house, just too
soon to see the Colonel make an ugly whisk
at him with his riding whip. Then the
Colonel, too, moved off.
Two or three times over, as he ambled
laughter broke through his an
noyance, as he recalled Old Charley's
family pride and the presumption of his Of
fer. Yet each time he could but think bet
ter of-not the offer to swap, but the pre-
posterous ancestral loyalty. 1t was so
from his ''lOw down" relative, and not I'M
like his own within withal-the PROPOSE ii on
which went with it was forgiven.
This last defeat bore SO harshly on the
master of Bellies Demoiselles that the
daughters, reading chagrin in his face, be.
gan to repent. They loved their father as
daughters can, and when they saw their
pretended detection harassing him seriously
they restrained their complaints, displayed
more than ordinary tenderness, and heroic
ally and ostentatiously concluded there
was no place like Bellies Demoiselles. But
the new mood touched him more than the
old. and only refined his discomfort. Here
was man, rich without the care of riches,
free from any real trouble. happiness as ma
tive to his house as perfume to his gar
den, deliberately, as it were with pre-
meditated malice, taking joy by the
shoulder and bidding her be gone to
town, whittier he might easily have fol
lowed, only that the very same ancestral
that kept Injin Charlie from sell
ing the old place at twice its value pre-
vented him from choosing any other spot
for city home.
Heaven sometimes pities such rich men
do