Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-04-25
A STUDY IN BLACK.

While Of a horseback journey
through a secluded and somewhat
watery nook of southern Louisiana
l lost my way and wandered for the
whole of a bright and breezy after
noon through a region at once the
widest and most funeral in aspect
that ever met my eyes.
No houses, no plantations, no sign
of human life. save what an occasion
Al herd of thin, wiry domestic cattle
might suggest, rs breaking forth from
some fringe of reeds, or scampering
across a verduous opening in the
gloomy woods. the half wild little ami.
mails fled from me with deer like agil-
ity. and. what made the solitude most
notable. the booming of alligators came
from certain bayous and ponds near
which ] passed.
The sun was low III the west. almost
down To the horizon in fact, when. af-
ter breaking through a dense tangle of
bay bushes and making my way for
some distance under messy, low hang.
ing, live SAX bougls. | came upon a
considerable bluff. overlookinga beau
tlul. laRellEC eXpa sion Of n of the
bayous. Here my Tired horse stopped
of his own accord, and, lifting his
head, nelgled SIN lily.
No scene could De more lovely than
the n before m, The water was as
blue as rte wing Of a jay and rs still
as the sky over one half Of il. while
over the other half the breeze was
~leaping gleeful y. bearing bright wave
lets before ii. The sunlight. redeemed
by a slight fos that was beginning TO
rise beyond the lake, fell level across a
vast grassy marsh like a sheet of flame
and struck the water with long blades
of crimson aud gold. Southwark lay a
dark, solemn cypress swamp; north
ward the lagoon swung round the live
oak wood aud was lost. | was not very
near the gulf coast, but the uninistak-
able salt fragrance was in the air.
1t was May and the magnolias We're
beginning to bloom; my horses feet
were bathed in fountains of blue and
wild violets. Everywhere the colors
Of the rainbow flashed. and on every
breath | drew in a bewildering sense
of perfumes.
| thought the spot a good one on
which 10 pass the night, and was pre-
pairing 10 dismount when a dog began
To bay just beyond a thicket Of cedars.
1t was a deep voiced hound barking as
if for sheer idleness. The sound was
as welcome as il was musical. for ii
told me that a cabin must be neal.
Settling myself al ease in my saddle
i listened. A noise of row locks or of
a paddle touching a skiff's side now
reached my ear; and | wondered why
] had not before noticed the pirogue
and the person that propelled it.
Scarcely 300 yards away, aud skim
ming swiftly over the water, the
graceful little vessel came shoreward.
It's occupant, a slender girl apparent
ly. sat near the stern and welded the
paddle with yigor and ease.
Evidently the dog was baying her
welcome as she returned from some
voyage across the now rapidly darken-
ing bayou. The sun had fallen below
the horizon. the fog was turning from
rose purple to silver gray; and | no.
ticed that the nearly full moon was
wan against the eastern sky. Above
the dark jungle of the swamp some
wide winged birds were slowly sailing
southwark,
''Hoo-la, hoo-la. hoo-ee.' q~uivered
a loud, sweet voice from the pirogue.
''HoO-la-la hoo, la-hoo-hoo-ee. an
swered a baritone from the shore just
beyond the cedar thicket.
The girl waved her paddle in the air
and replied with a yodel that sent its
silvery ripples to every dreamy nook
of the bayou.
/ know not how TO suggest the feel
ing that cane over me IL was AS il /
had a glimpse OF old Arcadia, AS if a
watt of perfect peace and quiet Joy had
reached me from some land Of eternal
apple blooms,
Overhead some wild fowl were
blowing their dangerous pipes; and
although | did not look up knew
hat their wings were shining against
the sapphire sky. In my mind locks
of poems, like strange singing birds,
rustled their silken phrases and flooded
me with unutterable melody.
Very soon the pirogue touched shore
at some distance from me, and | saw
the tall girl spring out and loop the
little painter around a stake; then,
springing up the bluff, she was lost to
my view. Icould not clearly make out
her features, but | felt that she was not
i'll looking; her form was litheness IL
self and the very embodiment of wild
grace.
Quite sure Of finding a house on the
other side Of the cedar thicket, turned
my horses head that way and rode
through. To my surprise | came upon
An orange orchard Of perhaps 500 large
trees, beyond which the low, broad
roof of a vine covered cottage showed
dim and gray under the wide boughs
Of an enormous live oak. The picture
struck me as one of remarkable ex-
preston sort Of vignette from some
old omance
Riding around the angle Of the or
chard | came in front of the house and
halted. A clump Of pear trees grew at
one side and a great bower Of scupper-
nong vines flanked a little rose gar
den. In front of a wide veranda q
magnificent oleander spread its glossy
grsenery. A spacious, open hall ran
.-a.-I,, ,l..n.1, Al. ln,r an,a.a.slu