The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-05-18
LETTER FROM NEW ORLEANS,

]
South might find welcome with you;
but which one will you have first ? for
there are so many different kinds.
Political breezes which threatened to
become gale are moderating, for the
returning board has done its work.
Hayes is President; Nichols is the gov
ernor elect of Louisiana; poor Packard
is-where? and echo answers, where
The Ship of State moves on again,
spite of lot of old fogy predictions that
the country was going to ruin-drop-
ping to pieces of its own weight.
But L didn't mean to talk politics;
but you see another illustration of the
old-fashioned truth, that women do care
about politics, do love their country,
and heartily wish they could serve it to
a better purpose than by being misrep-
resented. This much by way of a ''few
remarks before speaking," and now for
breeze from the Mississippi.
Just imagine our party with eleven
trunks and fourteen bags (more or less),
after trip from Canada by rail, and
then you can understand the restful
feeling that came over us, when we
found ourselves slowed away for week
at least aboard the packet "Fannie
-" (never mind her last name; she
mightn't like it to get in print, you
know.
| The view all along the river was SIM
ply grand, while on the Ohio and just
as we turned the bend into the Missis-
sippi we seemed to be passing through
fire, the banks on either side were so
lined with trees aglow with the flames
of autumn; but gradually the picture
changed, till we seemed to be taking
the seasons in their reverse order, and
the middle of November found us en-
Ijoying another springtime. Everything
was fresh and green, with no signs of
autumn or the coming winter. But we
had other matters to occupy our time
besides deliciously, lazily dreaming in
the sunshine. Hunger put in it's plea,
and thrice day it had to be satisfied,
for travellers have keen appetites, and
the sound of the dinner-bell made a
welcome variety to our otherwise mo-
; nOtOnOus days. How beautiful the ta-
ble looked, and what a delusion and a
snare the dinners were! The world
never before saw the like of the dishes
they gave us on that boat. We felt like
saying 81 pass" as did the Innocents
Abroad in the Egyptian sausage-shop;
= but we were finally starved into partak-
f ing of their queer little messes, COM
, posed chiefly of rice, red pepper, and
tomatoes, served up with sole leather
q steaks and very doubtful coffee minus
y milk. Appetizing, wasn't it? But
/ they did redeem themselves with good
biscuits, so We'll drop the vail of charity
4 over the rest of their numerous short
cOmings.
Every day passed about the same
:, we ate and dreamed by day, and danced
= and slept by night, the dancing being
performed to the tune of harp and q
brace of asthmatic fiddles.
=, Perhaps you are imagining the glori-
- Gus Mississippi with clear blue waters
1 used to do that. But in fact the river
all along looks like an immense mud
u, puddle, being a very decided shade o
- "Bismark" brown. This was partly
,, owing to the shallowness of the water
the average depth being only about five
= feet at that time, so it is easy to SCI
. that the pilot had need of all his skill
Il to steer clear of the numerous sand-bari
- and snags, which have wrecked NOR
than one unlucky boat on this samt
river. Yet, spite of his best efforts, W,
e 'stuck" high and dry once or twice
n This melted him to still greater caution
rs so that on fOggy nights we found our
N selves "hitched up'' to a tree till day
ct light should make it tolerably safe t
proceed. This was the life we led 70
about ten days. Once we came very
near bringing our journey to a suddel
I'd terminus, or, rather, Gland slide
nearly swallowed us up. Our deticat
lie mite of boat gave sudden lurch, ant
s. for minute or two every body though
G. they had breathed their last; but sh
A. clicked out' (please excuse the slang
bravely once more, and brought us tn
rest of our journey in safety, thougl
le :, with considerable fear and trembling
- on the part of the passengers.
g The grand finale to that trip tool
place at twelve o'clock one night, whel
as our "bark" struck the New Orlean
s. levee with bang, which sent us al
w bouncing out of our berths, while th
hosts of mosquitoes, which seemed t
ed expect Northern bite, came in an
ir rendered hearty, though exceedingly
ks sharp reception. In other words, the
nearly chewed us up.
in OF course sleep was banished for tn
" rest of the night; so we did what W
ry could to kill time-and mosquitOes-ti
IN daylight bade US go forth to battle wit
o. the hack-drivers. For about ten mir
s- utes we 'run the gauntlet" but at la:
ss we came out victorious, steadied ou
hats, and deposited ourselves bag an
baggage in a horse-car. Then for tn
- first time we felt real homesick. TIL
- rain was drizzling down, and we wei