be a crime! And also she coul'n' never
be 'appy that way; she's too good and high-mind' to be marrie' to any
white man wha'z willin' to marry a nigger.'

"So, then, it come to be said in all those card-club' that my father
he's try to buy Fortune so to marry her. An' by that he had a quarrel
with one of those young Lefevre', who said pretty much like his mother,
only in another manner, pretty insulting. And, same old story, they
fought, like we say, 'under those oak,' Metairie Ridge, with sharpen'
foil'. And my father he got a bad wound. And he had to be nurse' long
time, and biccause all those shop' got to be keep she nurse' him more
than everybody elze.

"Well, human nature she's strong. So, when he get well he say, 'Papa,
I can' stay any mo' in rue Royale, neither in that _vieux carre_,
neither in that Louisiana.' And my grandpere and all that coterie they
say: 'To go at Connect-icut, or Kanzaz, or Californie, tha'z no
ril-ief; you muz' go at France and Spain, wherever 'tis good to study
the iron-work, whiles we are hoping there will be a renaissance in that
art and that businezz; and same time only the good God know' what he
can cause to happen to lead a child of the faith out of trouble and
sorrow.'

"So my father he went, and by reason of that he di'n' have to settle
that queztion of honor what diztress all the balance of the coterie;
whether to be on the side of Louisiana, or the Union. He di'n' run
away to ezcape that war; he di'n' know 'twas going to be, and he came
back in the mi'l' of it, whiles the city was in the han' of that Union
army. Also what cause him to rit-urn was not that war. 'Twas one of
those thing' what pro-juce' that saying that the truth 'tis mo'
stranger than figtion.

"Mr. Chezter, 'twas a wonderful! And what make it the mo' wonderful,
my father he wasn' hunting for that, neither hadn' ever dream' of it.
He was biccome very much a wanderer. One day he juz' chance' to be in
a village in Alsace, and there he saw some chil'ren, playing in the
street. And he was very thirzty, from long time walking, and he
request' them a drink of water. And a li'l' girl fetch' him a drink.
But she was modess and di'n' look in his face till he was biggening to
drink. Then she look' up--she had only about seven year', and my
father he look' down, and he juz' drop that cup by his feet that it
broke--the handle. And when she cry, and he talk' with her and say
don' cry, he can make a cem-ent j