The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-02-11
A NIGHT in NEW ORLEANS.

quaint ahd strange old city, New Or
leans-a city of never-ending charins
and queer phases Of life and mysteries
withoutnumbe miniature Paris, with
its biSoa theatefs in the French quarter,
where the play is in French and the
English language is foreign tongue,
and where the men wear their hats and
the ladies sip absinthe and puff dainty
rings of cigarette smoke from pretty
mouths.
"Where shall we go tonight" Nor
Ian asked me.
"Grand OperseHouse," 1 suggested.
"Aren't you tired of Janauschek's
diamonds yet?'
Well, say the Varieties"
Nothing there but frescoing in the
lobby"
Academy"
"Bahp
We smoked awhile in silence, and
finally decided to see Mile. Mathilde at
Le Petit Theater Francaise, away down
on Chartres street. off Golson is in the
crowd" said Morlan, "we'Il appropri-
ate him. Ahal there he is now. Col
son, come hitherp'
A number of the young men had
crossed Canal street, and were passing
up St. Charles toward Common, others
continuing their way along Canal to
Baronne. A handsome, small, delicate
student emerged from the crowd. He
had hands as white and small as d
woman's, long black hair, pale,
thoughtful face, and large, calm, ex-
pressive eyes. l was introduced to him,
and he grasped my hand warmly and
firmly.
"Have you anything to do tonight
Golson ?"
Anything to do7 Oh, yes, some in
fernal thesis, believe; but hang the
thesis-and by Georgel the dissection
too. Where are you gOingT"
"To La Petit Francaise, we were
thinking"
What the absinthe and the head
ache? Come with me to the college.
My little girl will do the tight=rOpe
from the roof, and I'll introduce you''
We turn up st. Charles street to
Common, down Common to baronne ana
the college. Crowds were beginning to
gather at this point. We threaded our
way through the throng that pressed
against the Failing around the college
yard, and entered a small door st the
side. We climbed four flights of dark,
diamal stairs, and stumbled at the turn
ings. We felt our way along a hall,
pervaded by q sitting blackness and a
musty smell, from the dissecting.rOor1s.
The light from the street below streamed
meagerly through window, and showed
us the dim outline of a perpendicular
ladder near the extremity of the hall.
We climbed the ladder and crawled
ln10 - In aaS11ro
the darkness was intense. We found
another close at hand, and by feeling
for the rungs, gained the top and
emerged upon steep roof covered with
slate. We looked around. New Orleans
lay at our feet IN all the glory of
starry night. On the south we could
trace the river winding in a crescent
form around the city, and rejecting the
colored lights from the shipping. Away
to the northeast could be seen the dark,
hat surface of the lake. To the south
east lay the French Quarter, with its
tall, old-fashioned houses and its mar
row streets. To the westward Upper
Town stretched its wealth and grandeur
over large area. Under our feet was
the glare from Canal, st. Charles, Camp,
Common, Carondelet, TchOupitOulas
and BarOnne streets.
a pardpet about twelve inches high
was all that could have preserved us
from the morgue, if the treacherous
slate had broken, or the foot slipped an
inch. Three persons were standing In
the gutter against the parapet Of
these, two were rough looking men; the
third was a woman in tights and short
skirts, and covered with spangles and
l., Tho an
gagged with certain pulleys and cords
in drawing to a greater tension the wire
cable that stretched from the parapet of
the college 10 the building opposite.
The woman was standing in the shade
of the parapet, and looking down abb
stractedly upon the thousands of human
beings who packed the street, and whose
upturned faces, expressive of antlclpa-
tion, she seemed to be studying atten-
tivelY.
Already here, Zoe?' asked Golson,
in his soft, smooth voice.
The woman started and turned
quickly, an expression OF intense happl-
ness lighting up her face.
al was looking for you below" she
said. al was afraid, but l am strong
now. You don't think Pll fall do you I"
Certainly not. You are very foolish
to ask such a question"
He introduced us as his friends, and
she shook our hands pleasantly. She
had a rather agreeable face, though we
could not see distinctly, the only light
being that of the stars and the faint
glow from the lamps and torches below.
In any event she had a pleasant voice,
and that was sufficient. She also was
small, and delicate and young. A shawl
was thrown over her bare shoulders and
arms, but her little hands were cold and
she shivered in the night air.
"I was thinking, Goldy," she said,
athat if should fall" and a more de-
cided shiyering shook her delicate frame
-"I wonder what they would think,
and how they would feel down there"
q Nonsense, little Zoel"
She laughed softly and put her arm
through Golson's, and looked up into his
face with q touching tenderness and
reliance. She again scanned the crowd,
and was thinking.
"Well, but suppose I should. Do you
think they would care2 Or would they
say she was little fool, and it served
her right7"
What Is the matter, pet?''
ooh, nothing-nothing whatever"
and she laughed again musically, at
was simply thinking. remember that
a long time ago, when / was a child.
and my father was letting me stand on
his head while he rode two horses bare
back around the ring-and I was
terribly frightened once when the
horses became wild with fear or some
thing, don't remember what-and he
caught me strong and close in his arms
as was falling, and kissed my lips, my
cheeks, and eyes, and forehead, and held
me in his arms quite while, and called
me his dear, precious baby. What was
/ going to tell you? Oh, yes; about