The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-07
At the Old Spanish Fort.

The wind had become cooler. The Angus
evening almost tasted of October, and the
drowsy sun, in its last blinking, had thrown
out now and then such opaline hues upon the
lazy clouds that Neapolitan might we'll have
sighed for his dreamy home in gazing upor
our skies. 1t was like the faint odor of some
dimly remembered field where association
had given it's magic touch to bring out un.
seen beauties, and basker at the old Spanish
Fort, on Bayou st. John, might we'll have en-.
joyed the deliciousness of the evening, think.
ing himself en- Espagne.
A little ripple, just sort of roseate blush
on the waters spread over the surface as some
patriarchal gar leaped up for another view OF
the sunset, and then the swampy quiet called
for silence Frogs, ungrateful to their indi-
vidual pools for preservation through the
summer, in a discordant chorus tried to
mimic vesper service, and as the glinting
sunlight flooded the water they reveled in a
hush for the moment, as if to make their
croakings more conspicuous. Lake Pontchar-
train lay like shattered mirror, each frag-
ment outlined by some puff of wind, and the
sch ooners on its surface painted for air.
He was not what would be called an old
aged look about him which was puzzling.
Pulling up his trowsers with a spasmodic
jerk, he looked out upon the Lake with the
eye of a connoisseur in such matters, and
turning to US inquired whether the schooner
Experiment had gone up Bayou St. John
towards the city. The truth is, that our eye
sight is of such short range and the vessels
sterns are so low that thousand Experiments
might have glided by without our seeing it,
but in this instance our ears were of service,
for the skipper of craft bound citywards had
informed the bridge keeper that he was mas
ter of "this ere skinner Experiment" and SO
we answered our inquisitor in the affirmative.
"Dog gone it," said he, '.if a Teller wants
ever SO bad to ketch thing, by jimminy,
he's sure to miss it I've seen it nigh on
keards, but Old Fatey will miss deal yer
every time Here me, walkin out the New
Basin, way down here, just to meet my old
woman from Pennington, and the skuner's
gone up to town. My young friend, was yer
brought up in Sunday School? Well, then,
stand back, for I'm goin' to Gus chain
lightning" and he came very near doing it.
After his storm had subsidized he took seat
on the grass, and gazing seward in an under
tone muttered, "Well, by jimminy that sky's
some. I've rounded the Horn, and stood my
trick at the wheel up the Mediterranean, but they
don't paint up any stylisher things an that
Old Louisiana's some on sunsets, hain't she :"
He yawned, got up and started on his tramp
after his "skuner Experiment, but we felt
drawn somewhat toward him because of his
appreciation of the beautiful
The sun went down, the long hoary fes-
toons of moss on the live oaks streamed out
in the evenings Wind, and the few beams of
remaining daylight glinted on the rush tops
along the bayou Now and again the plash
of distant oars foated in, and soon night
rested over the esplanade of old Spanish Fort,
where once grim Castillians paced with their
escopetas on their shoulders.