The morning call., 1891-05-03

turned to fencing and pistol-practiee. When
j. add that he was but y, and unmarried, the
rest might be guessed but Coleman was not
a Young man Of the world in the worst
sense; he had not turned to evil sources of
dissipation. Healthy, vigorous, full Of spirit,
he nevertheless had sentimental lOngngS,
as indefinite as they were persistent.
Youth is the sPfingtima when 'Iongen
folk 20 gOn on pilgrimages," as old ChauceT
words it, and II would be hard to- find the
Young man who has not felt the vaguely
outlined yet irresistible desire to wander
TO 90 over the horizon into strange, new
world. HepworUh Coleman, when he was
taken with this longing. felt no restraint
cast around him. He was absolutely free (;
had all the means necessary. Why should
lie not 90 where he pleased? II it seems
strange that he Should have been attracted
TO New Orleans rather than to the Old
World we must remember what New Or
leans was in 1920. No other city, not even
Paris. could at that time compare with it as
q center of genuine romance. Nor was this
romance unmixed with lawleSSneSS of the
most picturesque kind. Money poured into
il from a hundred sources more OF less lille
Ultimate besides the streams Of wealth pro-
dUCPd by cotton, sugar and rice industries.
Gambling was indeed a fine art, dueling ap-
peared more pastIme than anything else,
and what went on in the gilded halls and
melOdy-filed sales may be imagined, l sup
pose, though do not care 10 cast glance
that way.
Hepworth Coleman had heard much of
THE CAV city, of its warm, odOr0us atmos-
.phere,i its Hospitality, Its social charm, the
smack OF reckless romance in all It's ways.
. Somehow the desire to 90 there got hold of
his imagination and he went.
- The letter to Judge Fayart de Caumartln
: was given to Coleman by his banker, who
IN hand ng il to him said:
- don't know the Judge personally, never
saw him; but he has done lot of business
through US. BE is very rich, evidently very
Influential. and certainly will be Of use to
YOU ] feel that ! can take the liberty Of
sending you to him, because-well be is
under many obligations to the bank and IS
likely 10 want many more large favOTS l
fancy that you'll find him a tTEde eccentric,
but enthusiastically hOSpitabe. a Creole
~ Of the CreOles, judge him to be, and rep
TesPutatiye Of the nab0bs. 4"
Young Coleman considered himself lucky
to carry with hi N a document that would
give him Introduction to a person so re-
nOBned as Judge Favart de Caumartln, of
whom he had been recently reading a good
deal, owing to a duel fought between the
judge and one Colonel Sam Smith Of the
United States Army, In which the latter
had been killed. The duel had brought out
history from which it appeared that Judge
FaYart de CaumaTtin had fought before,
not once only, but many times, and always
70 Jue OedLh Oh his dRlaROblSt ID long Win
these facts were disclosed numerous pictur-
esQue details Of the Judges past life, with
more than hints that IN his young days he
had been pirate or something Of the sort
The account also made the most Of his
wealth. his almost reckless liberalitY his
eccentricity, and, most of all, the air of
mystery which still hung over his business
operations.
All this was rich food for an Imagination
already thoroughly saturated with the spirit
of romantic adventure, and during the voy-
age from New York to New Orleans Hep
worth Coleman found deep satisfaction in
anticipating what he felt was in store for