The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-10-25
QUEER NEW ORLEANS CUSTOM.


 
 QUEER NEW ORLEANS CUSTOM. II. l Mclaughlin, in Detroit Free Prcss.1 Down in the old French portion of New Orleans is is highly unsafs for young un. married men to venture alone. The black eyed beauties are only too glad of the chance to capture un American and ~ill resort to all kinds of devices to entrap the unsuspecsing youth. h order to depics for our western friends this peculiar phase of Cseole character will relate the true story of the experience ot my friend Jack LA6Ance who teil . victim to Creole strategy not long ago.
 Jack met the beautiful Melanie at sciree dansante on Rue Boas Enfants Being a good dancer, and also a 6rss. class waiter, he was Mile. MelAnie's partner for many figures, and by judici- ous use of ice cream and cake gained the good will of Melanie's mamma. An in- vitation to call next Sunday was accepted, and the visitor then entrcased to "czil again" lack did So upon the Sunday following, and was so cordially received that he repeated his visit a third time For my friend Jack was an innocen, soul, totally ignorant of Creole customs, and he walked right into the snare. On h,s third cali Melan,es papa tapped him on the shoulder and sad
 M'sieu LatiAnce, would lak io' see you one minute,' and led him to the dining-room. Suspec,ing nothing. lack followed him. Once there, the old gen tleman produced deeanter and said Mon ami, tek some cognae. You will in n yer fine. My fodder buy Il from CAvasoc. Aha! you lak it, eh Tek cigar nevah min. thass a real Havana, shuAh. Now, fren' Lstiance, you .ak' so' bEo~ !c' .':s want see you --eh bien M'sieu Eahance, have notia 70 attentions at my daughter, ,r-here the luckless Jack began to protest. 70, am not displease, my de young man My family, sch. is one of the bes' in the city. Yes, sch, we are twenty-fra' eoozin with Jean Baptist SI Louis De Lorme, whose gran'foddes slap that Spanish canaille. O'Reilly, on the chik, hundred year ago, as yo' will fin wrote down by Gayarra'. Bot, my hien', when those Yankes r-r-rascals tek oe' planta- tions an on niggroes, sch, we was force " s(afS Vo ksS%S, S%ap aa NoitC yGi All work, yes. An, ami Lz6anee, do not obJec' to my daughtAh choose you to husoan' mo- Here the unfortunate Jack broke in with: But my dear sir, you arc mistaken. did no; make love ;o your daughter" The old gentleman bris,led up. My de sah, l love my fam iy. Thass my h'only thing yeh on earth. You have visit Meiaine SYnday afsr Sunday. You have talk wilh her dance with her, sing with her. They is no otheh c'ose lief man oi honah, s4h, than ;o may her yes, sak to may her" But, sir" blurted out Jack, "I am only poor clerk with $50 month, ard could not support wife, even if wanted one.'
 "Ah, mon cher, .hass ali 'ighs, the monnAie is nothing. You doat catch notch, skass true. But fo' that don keh me. You come live yeh, yes; an me, will sec you have nice time, yes Then, aiteh vile ven 70 patron he ges fo' lak you mo-, an give you r-r-raise to seven.y-6' doiiah, ve viii do yer well, yes. So thass all fix, chi Come, you tek some mo- cognac. An mon cher La6ance, you don't know vat 1t is to be fodder, 1 suppose! Then you can | nevah on stan 'ow please 1 feel ven a young man lak you hask me 5o' my daughtah! Yes, sch, you are the only young man vat would rzihsh have my daughtah than mos anybody w'a.eveh, sch
 So VIC will come back to the salon w'eh will tell to Meianie 1 have grant 70 demand, M'sieu Lahanee, an to tell you the trut', you did not tek me by sop prise, no! An, a fodder can see wen his danghtah love young man. An Me lanie, she love you, ah she dream of you all night, yes. An, sch, wen $. Louis De Lorme love she nevah let 20, no, but she lak the pelican, she die frs.
 "ThAss all light, ami Jack, will sse Pere Le Cure, an we will mek the an- nouncement next Sunday. You can ges oce hu ring, yes, an Melanie vii be ready fo' nex' moni. know you don want to' wait long. Allons, lei us tell them wat ve have arrange" And od Jack vas hustled to the pzrlor before he could say Jack Robinson. And though, as it happened, Meiznie has proven an excellent sife, there are many who are not MelAnies, and ii is to put our visiting friends next xiases Upon their guard against the viles of designing Creole papas that l am conssrAinsd to publish this true story Of Jack LAhance's court ship.