The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-04-04

"In a few hours, we were on n mag
nificent New Orleans steamer. How
splendid and how comfortable she SEEM
ed to us after our days and nights of the
rough, noisy railroad, 1 need not tell
The long. bright saloon-the luxurious
furniture of the ladies' cabln-the home
look of the piano-forte and comfortable.
with vases of flowers and pretty child
ren-the nice table set for parties of
eight or ten, with each passengers card
on his plate, and clean, active colored
waterfall this comfort, going under
full head Of steam down the mighty
Mississippi while the banks grew green
ar n the air grew warmer, day by day,
as we approached the tropics, was some
! thing very enjoyable after the frosts,
and snow, and hard travelling of the
/ North.
I by some good fortune. as L then
thought it, / found myself ticketed at
the side of La Signora at table. By an
attraction l did mo- attempt to resist, l
was near her very often. She sang. "a
if all the beauty of her matchlesS form
had found expression in music. She
played, not only with skill, but with
soul-with passion; and that, | take it,
is what we call genius. The general
was polite, he could not be cordial. I
was bllih, " L ShOulu nhNc seen now ne
idolized his wife. When / was leaning
over the piano-forte, ~reveling in the lux
ury OF her music, he walked the cabin,
reading. or smoked his cigar on deck.
We sang together-we played chess. 7
did not mean to be ~dishonorable, but 1
behaved badly. The general ate but lit
tie; he drank, not much, but more than
at first, and he smoked nearly all day.
a do not think La Signora WAS given
to Irritation. Nor do / believe, with all
the vanity you give me credit for, that
she really loved me. No; L was fasci.
mated, charmed, and as young men are
apt to be, very ~thoughtless aud selfish.
She was pleased with me. We had
tastes in common; and what woman ever
failed to be flattered with admiration
so the days passed. One day. as ]
walked along the guards, l overheard
them talking. 1t was in French, now.
Z" Il thought you did not like these
American gentlemen said he.
No, not in general she replied,
very quietly; but he is an exception
"a few days later, 1 CHANGED to hear
an angry exclamation from the general.
L knew I was the subject of It. She
made a naughty reply. Never had she
seemed so magnificent as on that even.
ing. We sang; and when the little
band of negro walters came into the
cabin to play, we danced. Never did
see so sad a face as his-when, after 3
long and exhilarating waltz, in which ]
seemed to swim in a sea of ecstacy, ]
led her tenderly and gallsntly to a sofn.
Such q sad, despairing look! 1t sank in.
to my heart; butt was full of happiness
and drove it away. 1 had done nothing
more than is done every day in our so
ciety. 1t was 4 mere Irritation. ]
swear to you, l bad not the thought oil
anything more. 1 do not know what /
might have thought. or wished. or at.
tempted. had there been any encourage,
ment; but there was non The more ]
saw of La Signora, the more self posses.
sed she seemed to me TO be in her honor
and purity. She yielded, for once, al
least, TO the customs of the society in
which she had lived, and vas INDUCING
in an innocent Irritation
at was easy to imagine it more. The
general saw us often from a distance.
as he entered the cabin. My manner
was free and imprisoned. She was
kind. and gracious, and i%nnocently, but
most thoughtlessly happy, as she was
Enown-I should have known-that the
consciousness of his age might have
ranked in a sensitive spirit
"She loved and honorrd him, and
trusted him too raucn.
" My good general she would say.
he is a little cold and austere in society;
but such a good child"
I'VE passed those long, desolato
shores, through whose forests the de-
v~astating fiooo rushes ever, ever on.
One morning our steamer rounded to,
and made n landing at Natchez. The
The gencral-as / said good night, and
held out to me-was more pale and
ghastly than I ever had seen him. He
was not at breakfast next morning. I
saw him rapidly pacing the hurricane
deck.
La Signora and 1 had a bargain to
go on shore together at the next land
ing, and try to get some flowers The
weather was like June, and she saw the
roses, in blossom, with q child's delight
IL don't know how It was; but my
heart was heavy. rs we walked over tho
gang plank at the Natchez landing. l
remembered the pale, sad face. But l
was too intoxicated with the beauty that
seemed to envelop me, like an atmos-
pLero. to have the impression last
I'VE got our roses, and came on
board. As we entered the cabin, tho
black ~chamber-maid met US, wringing
her hands. and wild with CONSERVATION.
% Nasal O mistress!' she e1claim-
cd 'whar's de captain? Thar's q man
overheard! l know it's a man, They
needn't tell me its a billet of wood.
Don't | know a man when see himF'
Il did not believe her-still, with an
undeined apprehension that seized us
both, we ran aft. The moment we got
to the nursery-windows, in the stern,
there rose from the boiling food, far
down stream, but near enough TO be
seen distinctly, the pale face Of the gen.
cTal! He threw up his arms, and sank
beneath the surface, and was never seen
ngain!
with one wild shrek, she sank into
o swoon. The woman took her from
my arms, and bore her to her stateroom.
| rushed on deck. The alarm had been
giyen-tho yawl was pulling down the
stream, but 1t was useless. The body
of the drowned man was sweeping
along the broad deep, turbid river, new
er to be found, perhaps. till the sea gives
up her dead. On the after part OF the
hurricane-deck, 1 found the generals
watch. p~ocket-book, and 8 miniature of
La Signora.
Seventy miles above New Orleans
on the beautiful coast, which, after the
d~esolation of the thousand miles above,
opens upon the traveller like q fairy land
there CLEANS, among the orange
groves, the white walls of q convent of
tho Sacred Heart As we neared It, the
whistle blew a signal Of land. Tho