Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 54: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Se Ce Me es Rey le A 396 ARGOSY AND RAILROAD MAN’S MAGAZINE. everywhere, and myriads of varicolored lights shone on the gorgeous floats and the merry maskers. We watched this wild revelry—this sea of surging, pushing, laughing, swaying hu- manity, from the balcony of-Pickwick Club, which is reserved for the families of mem- bers. Other balconies are improvised to seat thousands across the front of every business house; but the streets catch the great overflow. I was watching a masked knight<in the “Cave of the Winds,” who waved gaily to us. All at once his arm dropped, and he seemed to draw himself up taut as steel under the head of a monster serpent. At that moment Mr. Burns bent ‘ever Nita, and her pointed nails cut sharply into the flesh of my arm. The now-disappearing knight did not look our way again. Nita’s hands were like ice, and her nerves were aquiver. “Who was the knight in the Cave of the Winds?” I asked. ““Amédée,” she whispered. After the parade we made our way to Rex’s ball. Even the queen in all the crown jewels was not more radiant than this exquisite little creole in a gown of orange tissue and old lace. When the grand march was over we slipped out to attend a private reception given in honor of the royal visitors. I had grown accustomed to Nita’s sud- den changes; but I could not make her out to-night. She was glorious! Dazzling! Gay! But with a gaiety that made me feel like tears; and twice I caught her studying her hands. “May I have a dance?” asked a pleasant voice at my elbow, and I handed my program te young Randolph. He looked very handsome in evening dress, his fair head showing to advantage among so many dark ones. ‘Nita,’ he said hesi- baliugly to my hostess, who stood Brace me, “ mayn’t I have one?” She seemed to waver. I looked away as though interested in a distant couple.- “Tt is ten years since.” He spoke very low, for her ears only. There was another instant of hesitation; then the music struck up, and I heard her say: “Come.” There was a note of reck- lessness in her voice. Randolph’s arm closed around her as if hungry for the feel of her slim form, and IT wondered what they would say to each other in the public privacy of the dance— these two, who had loved so greatly and had not spoken together in private for ten years. De Charleu claimed me for that dance. He was? abstracted, silent; and I realized for the first time that -he was actually homely; that only his splendid animation made him appear handsome. His brilliant, black eyes and flashing teeth distracted one’s attention from the chin and lips that were unpleasant in repose. It was nearly four o’clock when he es- corted Nita and me home. He went back to the club. Mammy met us on the first landing. “Ah had de water on for an hour, honey, an’ Ah started drippin’ you coffee jus’ as soon as Ah heard you-all comin’ down de street.” “You don’t mind if I come up with your” Nita asked as Mammy left us. There was an exhilaration in her eyes and voice—a sort of high-tensioned, reckless happiness. ‘ By all means come up,” I said. Soon Mammy bustled into my room with the coffee things. A door slammed some- where in the house, and Nita started up in fright; then settled down again, “The family ghost,” she laughed. “I hope she has not disturbed you.” I thought of my first night in that room; but I felt that she was watching me, and answered: “ Not at all, I hope she will pay me a visit before I go home.” “Don’t say that,” she whispered. The eyes she turned on me showed how horrible to her was even the thought of a visit from the spirit lady. ‘“ You think me foolish,” she smiled in an effort at self-recovery. ‘“Has Susan come in yet, Mammy?” she asked absently. ‘““No’m, honey. Dat nigger gal ain’t got no sense 0? time nor nuttin’ else when de Mardi Gras am gwine on. She done lef’ Tom and got a new man. She git a new one every Mardi Gras God send.” comicbooks.com