Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-02-22
Letter from New Orleans.

agine how Aunt EN- and | felt
and also how amiable we were
after travelling thirteen hum
dred miles, and then on our ar
rival here to find that some
one else had the room we had
engaged before coming and we
didn't have a place to go, and
we both were so tired we
couldn't see. We had a per-
fectly delightful trip down
here, especially from Chicago
down. There were several fine
people on the Pullman and as
we both have the Harris faculty
for talking we succeeded in
meeting most of them. We
were greatly amused one night
at dinner in the diner. There
was a lady and gentleman sit
ting at the table opposite us.
She weighed about three hum
dred and he weighed about
ninety. They were talking to
some one else at their table and
all of a sudden she grabbed his
hand and said, dearest, you
don't loook like a hen pecked
man." and such a voice as she
had, too. Everybody in the
car laughed and he finally said,
"Well my dear, deceive my
looks if | do not" We met the
president of the Illinois Fish
commission and his wife and
they were mighty fine people.
saw my first team of oxen
in Mississippi and couldn't
figure out what they were until
the porter told me. Another
thing that surprised us so
much was the elegant palms
that grow wild. If we had
them at home in our house we
couldn't get them to even have
a leaf. We arrived here
Wednesday about noon and such
a jam. We finally made our
way up here to 634, but Mr..
Porter told us he didn't have a
room in the house vacant and
that everything in the city
was also taken. We walked all
afternoon and finally got a
room which was formerly a
bath room, but which had been
transformed into a bed room
for the Mardi Gras. We de-
|cided we would either have to
take that or sleep out doors,
but Mr.. Porter came over and
said he had a room for us and
so here we are fixed up dandy,
right across from Lafayette
square in the best part of the
city. All of the houses here
are either three or four stories
high and they all have bal
comics on each story and we
have been promised a place on
the first balcony here at the
house for the Mardi Gras par
AIDES, so we will have a chance
to see them in good shape.
New Orleans is certainly in
teresting, and all the more so
to the northerner because it is
all so different from the north.
Everything is so quaint and
unique. The streets are so
narrow and the store buildings
are so old fashioned and low
stored. That, of course, doesn't
hold true on Canal street, be-
cause that is as modern as any
street up north. Canal street
| is noted as being the widest
street in the United States, as
| it is wide enough for eight
street car tracks and pavement
on each side for traffic and car
riages. This morning we met
| the president of fish commits
sion and his wife and we all
took the "Seeing New Orleans"
automobile and we were out all
morning and had a delightful
"trip. We also went down and
visited the French market.
That is the part of the city that
was developed under the French
and Spanish rule. We had to
go through Royal street on the
way down and the stores along
there are certainly as much a
curiosity as anything here; so
many stores containing antiques
where you could easily spend a
day if you had the time. After
our arrival at the French mar
ket we simply stood around and
stared. The market contains
about three blocks, which are
all connected with arches and
commencing at one end you
can walk all the way through.