Evening star., 1911-06-11

defense lent some stir. The old revenue
cutter Washington, a graceful craft. all
wings, no steam, came and went from
the foot Of Canal street. She was lying
there when Farragut's topmasts hove In
sight across the low land at English
Turn.
Near by, on her starboard side, lay
. sunbozt, moored near the spot where
the 'lower coast packet landed daily, to
which spot the crowd used to rush some
times to see Maj. Gen. Mansfield
Lowell Commander Of Confederate De-
partment No. 1, with headquarters at
New Orleans) ride aboard. bound down
the river to the forts jackson and st.
Philip. which guarded the approach to the
city from the gulf). Lowell was q 1.-the.
brovn-haired man. of forty-odd. a very
attractive figure. giving the eye. at first
glance, a promise Of much activity. He
was . SNOWY horseman, yisibly fond of
his horse He rode with SO long a stir
rup-leather that he simply stood astride
the saddle, as straight as spear, and
the idlers of the landing loved to see him
keep the saddle and pass from the wharf
to the steamboats, deck on her long. mar
row stage-plank without dismounting.
Such petty breaks in the dreariness got
to be scarce and precious toward the
last. Not that the town seemed SO desc
late then as 1t does now. as one tells OF
it; but the times were GRIM Opposite the
ployed-for 1t fronted in Common street
and stretched Through to Canal-the huge.
unfinished custom house reared its lofty
granite walls, and used to go up to it's
top now and then to cast my eye over the
broad city and harbor below. When /
did so, looked down upon town that
had never been really glad again after
the awful day OF Shiloh tApril 8-1O. 1892
Ghn N
to help Beauregard, and some of them so
young-her last gleaning--that when, on
the day of their departure. they marched
with solid column and firm-set unsmil-
ing mouths down the long gray lane
made by the open ranks of those old
Confederate guards, and their escort
broke into cheers and tears and waved
their gray shakoes on the tops Of their
bayonets and seized the dear lads hands
as they passed In mute self-devotion and
steady tread. while the trumpets sang
Listen to the Mocking Bird that was
the last time: the town never cheered
with elation afterward; and when the peo-
pie next uncovered II was in silence. to let
the body of Albert Sidney Johnston, their
great chevalier, pass slowly up st.
Charles street behind the mufhed drums.
while on their quivering hearts was writ
ten as with knife the death roll of
that lost battle One Of those-a former
schoolmate of mine-who had brought
that precious body, walked beside the
on him from head to foot. The war was
coming very near.
Many Of the towns old forms and hab-
Its Of peace held fast The city, have
said, was under martial law; yet the city
management still went through its old
routines The volunteer fre department
was as voluntary and redundantly riot
GUS as ever. The police courts, too.
were o. cheerful as OF old. The public
schools had merely substituted Dixie =
the "Marseiliaise' and the Bonnie Blue
Flag" for Hail Columbia and the Star
Spansled Banner" and were running
straight along. There was one thing be-
sides, OF which many OF US knew nothing
at the time--a system Of espionage, se-
cret, diligent and fierce. that marked
down every man suspected Of sympathy
with the enemy In book whose name
was too vile to find place on any page.
This was not the military secret service
that u to be expected wherever there is