The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1908-10-24

world. On the afternoon of our mar
rage day we started on long, lei
surely journey through the south.
The eve of the Mardi Gras festival
found us in New Orleans after lazy
ride upon steamboat from Mem
phis.
Luckily had written some weeks
previous for apartments which / had
occupied once before upon similar
occasion, and we experienced none OF
the annoyances incident to packed
hotels. The house where We were to |
stay was q long. irregular, struggling |
mansion, set back from the street up |
on the Bayou St. Jean. Along the
front ran a wide yeranda supported
by round brick pillars. now somewhat
crumbled, on which rosevines massed
In wild luxuriance It was house
o; the cid city, which, being aban-
doned, had fallen into decay. Ten
years before an old, white-haired Gre
ole had patched up one end of it, dry
ing the rooms and furnishing them
comfortably. As the building was
piped for gas, and the old man had
put in electric bells, it was just the
romantic sort of a place / loved.
The larger part of the mansion. I'M
| touched by the present owner, re-
manned in the same dilapidated state
in which he had found it. A sense
of potential mystery lurked in the
dark, low passages and damp, moul-
| dy rooms. But since the old creole,
Matt Favreau, told US himself that
| that part of the house was solidly
| locked and the windows barred. 1
smiled when my wife looked down one
passage that ran from our hall into
it, and told her there was nothing to
| fear. The house had not even the
reputation of, sheltering spooks.
The afternoon we spent in driving
about the city, already gay in antici-
patton of the evening when King Ko-
mo should come with his Krewe.
OF the suite which we had, one OF
the rooms served as dressing room
and its dainty little mahogany table
and long pier-glass had caused my
wife} upon entering it to burst into
raptarous exclamations. +.
The room next to it, and the from
one ,of the apartments, looked out o.
the house where the tangled garder
lay, and down the street. This stree
ended at the wall of the garden, fol
the bayou had made further advances
impossible, and from the window WI
could look along the street for severa
squares to where it Joined at RICH
!, angles one Of the buster thorough
!. fares.
After finishing our dinner we en-
tered the dressing-room to dress 70
the evening. Upon one of the littl
tables, covered with piece of Mex
can framework, my wife laid tn
jewels she was to wear at the bal
The chief of these was magnificen
necklace of pearls. given her upo
her wedding day by her father; an
beside this she placed my own gift Q
diamond clasp, and three or fou
, rings, among them large, hear
shaped opal. burning with incessan
, changes of rainbow color. When sh
took this last from her jewel cas'
, she pursed her lips thoughtfully fc
. q moment, and then said she did nc
: know whether to wear it. 1t woul
bring bad luck, she knew, for whel
ever she had worn it before somethin
, had always happened.
YES" I laughed, Didn't you hav
;. it OH when asked you to marry me!
THE idea." she exclaimed, Il ha
on only a turquoise. Well. I'll Yves
II. It's such a beauty-but lock tn
door, dear. This old house-wh
knows" She continued, opening h
, eyes ominously. land then there q
. darkies around"
= / laughed again. But she persiste
and locked the door leading fro
our rooms into the hall. A sma
transom, above the dressing-roo
door, / closed, but as there was !
screw attached to the rod l cou
not fasten it more securely. tn
caused her some unrest, until poir
ed out that not even child cou
crawl through 1t.
We began to chat of the ball and Il
carnival. After a while there drift
through the windows of the 9th
room the noise of the first revele
and the crash of a band. We DO
rushed to the front, like excited Oh
dren. At the interval where {
thoroughfare Joined our quiet sire
we could see the fiare Of torches a
dark, moving pictures. a tumble
= people and lights
But GOMEZ" l cried finally. THE
!. 10 our carriage and we must fini
!. dressing" For at that instant
one which had ordered pulled I
:. gathering. before the gate. We turn
" back to the dressing room. My wi
who preceded me. gave a scream a
- cried II knew it. knew it VOL
c. tring bad luck!"