The herald., 1896-02-19

nue. where too at short intervals ran
mule cars and electric cars and the cars
Of a steam tramway proceeding slowly
through the throng and filling the air
with the clamor of gongs. In the
breeze that came over the housetopS.
decorations of purple and green and
gold gently fiuttered.
At noon on Monday the throng occu-
pying the avenue had been largely aug
mented. People turned their eyes TO-
ward the levee where because the
waters of the river could in no wise be
seen, the avenue seemed to be projected
into the air. In the Steel-colOred sky
some black smoke drifted upward. Then
at last the masts and two tan stacks of
steamer moved slowly into view. afar
off, over the multitude of heads in the
street. Later there could be seen the
glitter Of many approaching bayonets
and the steady beat of martial music
The crowds on the sidewalk underwent
an anticipatOry convulsion. Rex. his
majesty of the carnival time. had come.
There was a sudden Interpolation of
crimson color into the black masses Of
people down the avenue.
All Tuesday morning, the usual SOM
hre clothes of citizens in the street We're
Frightened by the gypsy hues of the
maskers. Small boys arraycd in wond-
rous garments TO represent monkeys.
Cnop1es, ilnps, parrots, anything but
small boys, paraded in bands and reap
ed deep delight when they found a
victim for their skill in badinage And
much older boys temporarily represent
ed as all manner of nondescript person
ages. ramblcd over the city i'm the full
joy of being at their own devices with
a sort of mild license to capcr and crack
Jokes into the air. At noon. Canal
street was Il river of human bodies NOV
Ing slowly. At dusk, it was a sea, in
which contrary currents indolcntly op-
posed each other. The fronts Of the
clubs and principal buildings suddenly
became outlined in the shine of electric
lights ana, in these brilliant frames. sypl-
bolistic initials appeared. The royal col
ors of green and purple and gold shone
forth in bunting and silk and glass. Be
tween curb and one of the horse car
tracks deep row of people had col
Iected and the small street cars came
along at regular and monOtonous inter-
vaiS and scraped some of them away.
The boxes and stands had already be-
gun to I'LL up and the people in them
turned their faces toward the darkness
OF the end OF the street In one of the
stands was space reserved for his
majesty, Rex, his queen and court.
From these stands, the avenue resem-
bled vast black sea save where here
and there cleaned the costumes of n
group Of maskers or where q street car
fought its irritatingly painful woy
through the throng.
Ultimately, the king, gorgeous in his
royal robes and his jewels, and with his
features behind a huge cossack beard.
came slowly down the sloping stand
with his queen, and followed by his
qlittering court. Instantly this vast
black expanse of the street became an
ocean Of faces. a great stretch of eager
human countenances in which the eyes
rolled slowly. A hoarse rumble of
voices arose; then, later, shout as if
Q rocket had been seen to ascend.
~A-a-ah!''
Then the patient crowd settled into a
profound and silent contemplation of
their carnival ruler. Occasionally. a
man stretched forth his neck to peer
down the street for the procession and
frequently maskers engaged in a tumul-
tuous frOlic. Too, as mentioned, the
street cars scraped sightseers from the
curbs that bounded the grass plots in
the middle of the street but, for the
most part, this great mass of people
O11aioed silent patient, motionless.