The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16

L grow" A man with the shaver face
and mobile lips of an actor Immediately
said: Great Scott. / know that breed!
What's he doing away down here?"
The strains of a march came plainly. The
haze grew brighter and varied its color
In the background could be seen the form
of one of the floats. but in the incOherent
shadows it resembled a striding giant. A
row of negro babies in their eagerneSs
reered out too far and toppled from the
curb: The gutter contained about two inch
es of water.
The solitary mounted policeman who
formed the extreme advance guard was
gaily assaulted by an Indian chief a pi-
rate and some apes. His horse reared and
plunged and he Wrenched his arm free of
them. He rode on laughing good natured-
ly. After him came others. insstent and
perfectly serious in their business of clear
ing the street, but apparently always good
natured and civil.
After the police, the procession slowly
came through between the two black lines
of people From the high stands il re-
sembled a long monster of golden fire up
on which CLEANED frequently dazzling
spots of purple and green. The glittering
floats Creaked slowly over the stones and
the shining and enormous emblems in
wood and paper and cloth gently vibrated
with persistent and endless motion. The
luminous figures upon them hung on with
enc hand while they waved the other gai-
ly at the crowd.
The floats looked in the distance like
vast CONNECTIONS. Some were of a fine
cool green like spring water seen in the
sunlight, while others were of the hue of
ViOletS These soft cOlOrs impaired to
the great moving masses a fairy-like quail
ity, as if a wind might blow them, light
and unresisting, high into the sky. In
long lines at either side, marched negroes
in blcod-red gnome cloaks and bearing
torches with refiectors which shed a strong
and continual orange glare upon the floats
And dragging slowly at the traces, the
mules, too, were hidden in red clOaks
although occasionally a thoughtful and
Indifferent countenance appeared, and up
on il an expression of deep and PARKWAY
frI Iaa1p ar1fee 4
shouted: "Ah. there's Comusl There he
is Comus, Comus, look this wayl'
This nights prince; high in air and
the cheers. One found ones self staring
at the mask and wondering, not of the
features. but of the emotion, and feeling
exasperated at the battling cover
Further down the gorgeous line the float
of the great god Pom started from a half
with a sudden jerk and almost precipi-
tated him from his high estate
A masker in red and green expressed
in pantomine from his perch on a float
his great anxiety to present a certain
box tied with ribbons to some young men
in the street The young men yelled:
''Yesi Go ahead Letter come" The
tonished young men lodged. But the
masker had a string to it and it returned
to his hand A derisive howl came from
the crowd. AS the float moved on, the
masker gestured mockingly. It seemed
wonderful in some way that throughout
this incident that mask should remain
expression of extraordinary ferocity with
which it had been created.
Vivid fires of red, yellow, purple, white
sputtered forth their luminous smoke.
Bands clashed interminably. And be-
/ cause of the glare of light the faces of
/ the crowd became pallid, and in the i'm
| mobility of expression. death like. save
/ for the eyes, which glinted in the light.
| In the balconies near the king and
| queen, ladies leaned forward intently.
! Upon the floats, the glittering maskers
/ turned at once toward this array of ST
! lent, deeply observant women. The dis
/ play here found itself out-displayed And
| the occasional, the temporary royalties
| gazed at the eternal royalty of beautiful
! women. Occasionally from these high
| stands. a gloved hand lifted a handker-
/ chief and waved it.
AS soon as the procession had passed,
| the crowd swirled in one mass over the
avenue as the waters close after the pas
/ sage of aVesSel.
Down in the French quarter the narrow
! and gloomy street that leads to the ia
/ nous opera house suddenly achieved all
! the radiance of light and splendor of hue
! which had illuminated Canal street.
| From the profoundly dark side streets
! the procession, as it passed the corners,
/ bore the appearance of a wide and shin
! ing frieze upon which were painted mar
| light green. In font of the solemn pill
lars of the opera house each float was
| suddenly made a bare splendor, as its
imps, its knights and its flower girls clam
| bered hastily down. Later, the tiny glow
| of carriage lamps was seen up the streets.
| Thsir majesties were coming to their
| grand ball.
In other gloomy streets, the negroes,
| still in their blood-red gnome cloaks,
| could be seen urging the mules in front
! of the deserted floats which cleaned
like frost in the darkness.
Stephen Crane,