CHAPTER XXXIX
LOUISIANA STATES HER WANTS
"'Sieur Frowenfel'," said Raoul as that person turned in the front doorof the shop after watching Agricola's carriage roll away--he hadintended to unburden his mind to the apothecary with all his naturalimpetuosity; but Frowenfeld's gravity as he turned, with the paper inhis hand, induced a different manner. Raoul had learned, despite all theimpulses of his nature, to look upon Frowenfeld with a sort ofenthusiastic awe. He dropped his voice and said--asking like a child aquestion he was perfectly able to answer--
"What de matta wid Agricole?"
Frowenfeld, for the moment well-nigh oblivious of his own trouble,turned upon his assistant a look in which elation was oddly blendedwith solemnity, and replied as he walked by:
"Rush of truth to the heart."
Raoul followed a step.
"'Sieur Frowenfel'--"
The apothecary turned once more. Raoul's face bore an expression ofearnest practicability that invited confidence.
"'Sieur Frowenfel', Agricola writ'n' to Sylvestre to stop dat dool?"
"Yes."
"You goin' take dat lett' to Sylvestre?"
"Yes."
"'Sieur Frowenfel', dat de wrong g-way. You got to take it to 'PolyteBrahmin-Mandarin, an' 'e got to take it to Valentine Grandissime, an''_e_ got to take it to Sylvestre. You see, you got to know de manner tomake. Once 'pon a time I had a diffycultie wid--"
"I see," said Frowenfeld; "where may I find Hippolyte Brahmin-Mandarinat this time of day?"
Raoul shrugged.
"If the pre-parish-ions are not complitted, you will not find 'im; butif they har complitted--you know 'im?"
"By sight."
"Well, you may fine him at Maspero's, or helse in de front of deVeau-qui-tete, or helse at de Cafe Louis Quatorze--mos' likely in frontof de Veau-qui-tete. You know, dat diffycultie I had, dat arise itsefffrom de discush'n of one of de mil-littery mov'ments of ca-valry; youknow, I--"
"Yes," said the apothecary; "here, Raoul, is some money; please go andbuy me a good, plain hat."
"All right." Raoul darted behind the counter and got his hat out of adrawer. "Were at you buy your hats?"
"Anywhere."
"I will go at _my_ hatter."
As the apothecary moved about his shop awaiting Raoul's return, his owndisaster became once more the subject of his anxiety. He noticed thatalmost every person who passed looked in. "This is the place,"--"That isthe man,"--how plainly the glances of passers sometimes speak! Thepeople seemed, moreover, a little nervous. Could even so little a citybe stirred about such a petty, private trouble as this of his? No; thecity was having tribulations of its own.
New Orleans was in that state of suppressed excitement which, in laterdays, a frequent need of reassuring the outer world has caused to bedescribed by the phrase "never more peaceable." Raoul perceived itbefore he had left the shop twenty paces behind. By the time he reachedthe first corner he was in the swirl of the popular current. He enjoyedit like a strong swimmer. He even drank of it. It was better than wineand music mingled.
"Twelve weeks next Thursday, and no sign of re-cession!" said one oftwo rapid walkers just in front of him. Their talk was in the French ofthe province.
"Oh, re-cession!" exclaimed the other angrily. "The cession is areality. That, at least, we have got to swallow. Incredulity is dead."
The first speaker's feelings could find expression only in profanity.
"The cession--we wash our hands of it!" He turned partly around upon hiscompanion, as they hurried along, and gave his hands a vehement drywashing. "If Incredulity is dead, Non-participation reigns in its stead,and Discontent is prime minister!" He brandished his fist as theyturned a corner.
"If we must change, let us be subjects of the First Consul!" said one ofanother pair whom Raoul met on a crossing.
There was a gathering of boys and vagabonds at the door of a gun-shop. Aman inside was buying a gun. That was all.
A group came out of a "coffee-house." The leader turned about upon therest:
"_Ah, bah! cette_ Amayrican libetty!"
"See! see! it is this way!" said another of the number, taking twoothers by their elbows, to secure an audience, "we shall do nothingourselves; we are just watching that vile Congress. It is going to tearthe country all to bits!"
"Ah, my friend, you haven't got the _inside_ news," said stillanother--Raoul lingered to hear him--"Louisiana is going to state herwants! We have the liberty of free speech and are going to use it!"
His information was correct; Louisiana, no longer incredulous of herAmericanization, had laid hold of her new liberties and was beginning torun with them, like a boy dragging his kite over the clods. She wasabout to state her wants, he said.
"And her don't-wants," volunteered one whose hand Raoul shook heartily."We warn the world. If Congress doesn't take heed, we will not beresponsible for the consequences!"
Raoul's hatter was full of the subject. As Mr. Innerarity entered, hewas saying good-day to a customer in his native tongue, English, and socontinued:
"Yes, under Spain we had a solid, quiet government--Ah! Mr. Innerarity,overjoyed to see you! We were speaking of these political troubles. Iwish we might see the last of them. It's a terrible bad mess; corruptionto-day--I tell you what--it will be disruption to-morrow. Well, it is nowork of ours; we shall merely stand off and see it."
"Mi-frien'," said Raoul, with mingled pity and superiority, "you haven'tgot doze _inside_ nooz; Louisiana is goin' to state w'at she want."
On his way back toward the shop Mr. Innerarity easily learnedLouisiana's wants and don't-wants by heart. She wanted a Creolegovernor; she did not want Casa Calvo invited to leave the country; shewanted the provisions of the Treaty of Cession hurried up; "as soon aspossible," that instrument said; she had waited long enough; she did notwant "dat trile bi-ju'y"--execrable trash! she wanted an _unwatchedimport trade!_ she did not want a single additional Americain appointedto office; she wanted the slave trade.
Just in sight of the bareheaded and anxious Frowenfeld, Raoul lethimself be stopped by a friend.
The remark was exchanged that the times were exciting.
"And yet," said the friend, "the city was never more peaceable. It isexasperating to see that coward governor looking so diligently after hispolice and hurrying on the organization of the Americain volunteermilitia!" He pointed savagely here and there. "M. Innerarity, I am lostin admiration at the all but craven patience with which our peopleendure their wrongs! Do my pistols show _too_ much through my coat?Well, good-day; I must go home and clean my gun; my dear friend, onedon't know how soon he may have to encounter the Recorder and Registerof Land-titles."
Raoul finished his errand.
"'Sieur Frowenfel', excuse me--I take dat lett' to 'Polyte for you ifyou want." There are times when mere shopkeeping--any peacefulroutine--is torture.
But the apothecary felt so himself; he declined his assistant's offerand went out toward the Veau-qui-tete.