San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-10
CHAPTER |.
DEJEUNER A LA FoCRCHETTE.


A bright balmy morning of February,
ls66--its summary warmth tempered by
the breeze straight from the gulf-broke
over New Orleans, to find her people astir,
with even more than wonted Sabbath
hustle.
The day of rest is ever one of excite
ment in the Crescent city, beginning
with mass, or a visit to the famous
French market, filed in with outdoor
sports congenial to the semi-tropic eli
mate, and frightened as evening falls
by the lights of many theatres. For
good Romanists. having first done their
duty to Heaven. decline the wear of sack
cloth on the day of the Lord, and believe
innocent enjoyment equally healthful to
the spirit and to the flesh.
But this particular Sunday was red
lettered. as being the opening Of Carni-
val week-the first since the war; and
already preparation was apparent every
where, from Frenchtown to those dis
tant western districts then largely Amer
icanized, now almost wholly 80.
For the proclamation of the general
in command, that Mardi Gras might be
celebrated as heretofore, was eagerly
hailed by the masses
In eras of public stress the average
mind turns to pleasure with peculiar
zest: so, while the better elements Of
society-most Of them mourning lost
relatives, all of them mourning lost
friends and a lost cause--rejoiced little
over the official permit, the dear PEG
pie" accepted it as miniature bill Of
Rights ...
Not very popular was Gen. Sheridan
with any class in New Orleans, but the
bait was too tempting for average Creole
temperament to resist. In quiet, dark
ened drawing rooms the revival Of the
old time revel was discussed in contempt
as deep as the talk had been hot and
loud in some of the social clubs. 1t
would be but a saturnalia for the rabble
the ancien regime declared, until the
whisper grew to certainty that the al
ready famous Mystick Krewe of Comus
would add its beautiful masked pageant
by night. And even then some timid
merchants-just beginning to rise be
meath new and strange burdens, imposed
mainly by cupidity, or knayery, of minor
offcials-feared lest some overt act, I'M
der the license of carnival, might tight
en- still more the grip Of the military
gauntlet,
But the revel was to be; and, though
general masking was not permissible I'm.
til the next day. its infectious spirit was
abroad, showing here and there in a
fancy costume on trial. or even a rare
masker And this was specially noted
in the French portion of the city, to the
east, across Canal street. For that noted
boulevard, combining Broadway and
Fifth avenue in one, is u boundary line
in geography as distinct and as respected
as though confirmed by treaties.
It divides the land of the past from
the land Of the present, separating seq
ments of the people, as distinct as are
the English and the Irish, as clearly as
does the Irish channel Outlying east
ward, and well within the quadrilateral
of the four great streets, originally laid
out as lines of defense against Indian
foray, quaint old Orleans was then un
changed from colonial days. The ven
turesome "Yank" who penetrated its
labyrinth of narrow streets without some
knowledge of the French tongue was
liable to lose his way hopelessly, and his
temper helplessly in trying to find it.
Nor was it unusual, in those days, for
lady to be born and reared. marry,
and die at ripe old age, in the French
quarter, not only in absolute ignorance
of English, but without having once set
her slim slipper on the thither side OF
Canal street, ...
Verify unique race, compounded OF
fire, grace and prejudice, those Creoles
of the ancien regime-Americans only
in birth and good citizenship, but with
every taste, sympathy and habit OF life
as thoroughly French as though Chris
topher Columbus had never bored Fer
dinand and Isabella into backing his
more, OF less, successful venture
Only the top surface of all the sur
rounding excitement was caught by q
group of four United States officers just
trotting briskly away from the French
market. A veteran staff major with
gray mustauhe OF huge lavaortions was
evidently the cicerone-his right from
longer residence on the staff of the COM
manding general By his side, with eyes
and ears opened to all novelty Of sight
or sound, the single star on the shoulder
straps of his undress cavalry jacket,
showing the brigade command. rode
r.n.;,,o5 An Civtb po0e