The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1923-02-08
CHAPTER III

CHAPTER III
Next day the Leona reached New
Orleans. To Drace his first look into
the countenance of the famous old city
was disappointment; it had not the
quick throb; Its pulse was slow and
rhythmic. The levee was too broad
and diffuse to appear active. The
buildings looked mean and low. Ro-
nance and history had painted for him
picture too lively to color. But soon
the charm of this halliday delta life
began to reveal itself to him. The
town was ruled like true French city,
1t sang. Paris minuetted in the terror
of the Revolution, and her youngest
daughter in America, singed with
powder and with bloodstains on her
dainty feet, danced to the music of
her own improvised gayety. BRACE saw
the carpetbag governor driving through
the street, surrounded by an escort of
black and mulatto cavalry From
balcony came Il gunshot and an enor-
nous negro in white gloves, sitting
beside his Political master, tumbled
out upon the ground but the carriage
did not halt in its speed, and the hoofs
of the cavalry beat upon the murdered
wretch. In doorway an old man sat
fiddling for his grandchildren to dance
on the flagstones.
''Oh, you'll find drama enough here
tI,,+
Shottle as they turned toward the old
st. Charles.
"They appear to have set the stage
for us" Drace answered him, wonder
ing if ever again he should find the
girl with the torch of roses.
In connecting rooms and amidst the
luxury of old French furnishings they
We're quartered.
Leaving Drace writing a letter. Shot
tie went out, but he soon returned with
more of light than usually beamed
from the sad stretch of his counte-
nance.
"Well, sir" he cried with astonish-
ing enthusiasm, II want to tell you
that life us not composed entirely Of
ingratitude. Last year when l was
down here l saw an old fellow about
to get into trouble with a Mexican
roustabout on the levee. | wasn't In
any particular hurry, so l stopped,
took up Il piece of scantling and
knocked the Mexican down. 1t was no
particular trouble on my part, but the
old man took it as favor and urged
me to eat dinner with him, which |
did, being broke at the time. Now
what does he do? met him out there,
and he gives me two tickets for the
French ball at the st. Louis tonight"
"All right We'll take it in"
81 should say we will ! Why, there's
likely TO be half dozen duels ar
ranged for. We can see them burst
ing into bloom. But you'll have to
liven up, you know. You are just a
trifle stern. it strikes me. There is
too much of-of your mission showing
in your face. | don't know. of any
thing better calculated TO correct 1t
than I'm hour at the roulette wheel.
Suppose we go over and give 1t a
whirl."
"Hope springs Internal In the human
breast" Drace paraphrased the poet
"Just as we'll curb yourself, old feb
low. Pm not going to feed your pas
sion.'
A tap at the door and Colonel Josh
announced himself from the outside.
Invited to enter, he came in with
sweeping bow, his beard and mustache
waxed. his hair darkened with dye,
giving to it tinge of blue He bore,
and with ceiemonious hesitancy, an
from Miss Lucy. She was
Mt the delightful old home of a rela-
tive where choice guests would as
sembe that evening to hear Prof. l..
Bannock Pettlgrcw read paper on
the origin and character of the an
cient Scythians.
aim very sorry Colonel" brace
cheerfully lied, "but we have another
engagement"
The Colonel gleefully replied that
he was put into position of deep re-
Ct. iiC hiltM tiitl tdplttlil ifiu't
would so much enjoy the professor;
his paper would not take up more than
three hours Of the evening. He would
impart to Miss Lucy that Captain
Drace found it impossible to come. The
Captain assured hiIG that such was
the true situation and frightening, the
Colonel gladdened himself out of the
room.
Inc ballroom which BRACE entered
That night was as fantastic ms n gyp
sys vision. 1t seemed that all ciyiliza.
hon had lifted the lids of its worm
eaten chests to array in whimsic re
minder of its former self. There was
evident poverty making itself neat in
OLD linen. and war victims proud in
threadbare coats. In rags there is his
tory, but no ancestry attached to cloth
fresh from the mill. No unfriendly
eye was supposed to look upon this
gatherlng, no antagonistic politics per-
mitted to view It, The walls were
draped In the colors of France. and
enshrined in a corner was n Confed
crate banner, its staff splintered, Its
folds darkened with sacred blood
AS shottle no longer held the hope
or raising speculative table-stake, he
bent himself to the less interesting life
OF the dance. But not without mis-
nap The floor was smooth with wax
from the ends of marriage-altar can
nfes; and Liberty's feet, more accus,
.omed to the rough mating, and