Volume I Part 14 (1/2)

QUERIDO AMIGO,--Your words in regard to my former letter flatterable to be of the smallest service to you; and as to your unavoidable delays in writing, never allow them to trouble you, or permit your correspondence to encroach upon your study hours for my sake Indeed, it is a matter of surprise to me how you are able to spare any time at present in view of your manifold work

So _your_ literary career--at least the brilliant portion of it--commences in January; and htness or a solitary result worthy of preservation

My salary has been raised three ti, perhaps, but I do not suffer e in any literary speculations Since the close of the sickly season ht has been to free myself from the yoke of dependence on the whims of employers,--from the harness of journalism I hired myself a room in the northern end of the French Quarter (near the Spanish), boughtutensils and kitchen-ware, and kept house for ot my expenses down to 2 per week, and kept theh my salary rose to 20 Thus I learned to cook pretty well; also to save money, and will start a little business for myself next week I have an excellent partner,--a Northern h ready money to start for South America By that time I shall have finished my Spanish studies,--all that are necessary and possible in an Aood old Gods--play gipsy for a while in strange lands Many unpleasant things ood health I have no fear of failure, and the new life will enable ination by ical pursuits

[Illustration: LAFCADIO HEARN _In the '70's_]

How is that for Bohemianism? But I wish I could spend a day with you in order to recount the many wonderful and mystic adventures I have had in this quaint and ruinous city To recount them in a letter is impossible

But I came here to enjoy romance, and I have had my fill

Business,--ye Antiquities!--hard, practical, unideal, realistic business! But what business? Ah, _mi corazon_, I would never dare to tell you Not that it is not honourable, respectable, etc, but that it is so devoid of dreamful illusions Yet hast thou not said,--”This is no world for dreas which I shall not repeat?

Tell me all about your exotic musical instruments, when you have time,--you know they will interest me; and may not I, too, some day be able to forward to you various barbaric symbols and sackfuls from outlandish places?--froed islands of the Eastern sea, where even Nature dreams opiated dreams? Host thou but that I shall make the Guacho and llanero, the Peruvian and the Chilian, to contribute right generously to thy store of ress in the literature most dear to you; inasmuch as my time has been rather curtailed, and the days have beco Hoffmann (Eet a colish one); and I really believe he has no rival as a creator of an-Stop,” ”The Sanatus,” ”Lawyer Krespel” (a story of a violin, replete with delightful German mysticism), ”A Pupil of the Great Tartini,” ”Don Juan,”--and a dozen other stories evidence an enthusiasm for music and an extraordinary sensitiveness to musical impressions on the author's part You probably read these in Gerht you The romance of music must, I fancy, be a vast aid to the study of the art,--it see of a jewel, or the fra I also have observed in the New York _Times_ a warm notice of a lady who is an enthusiast upon the subject of Finnish music, and who has collected a valuable mass of the quainta quantity of Finnish music, however, I have no doubt that you knowlady than I could tell you

Prosper Merimee's ”Carmen” has fairly enthralled me,--I aedy of the story is marvellous I think I was pretty well prepared to enjoy it, however I had read Simpson's ”History of the Gipsies,” Borro's[6] ”Gypsies of Spain,” a voluet the naipsy roet fellow, George Eliot, Balzac, and a brilliant novelist also whose works generally appear in the _Cornhill Magazine_ Balzac's ”Le Succube” gives a curious picture of the persecution of the Bohemians in mediaeval France, founded upon authentic records Le Fanu wrote a sweet little story called ”The Bird of Passage,” which contained a reipsy secrets; but it is only within very recent years that a really good novel on a gipsy thelish; and I am sorry that I cannot remember the author's name I found more romance as well as information in Borro and Siether; and I obtained a fair idea of the artistic side of Spanish gipsy life fro of a e of the violin enabled hi people He played wild airs to theestures with such success that his gipsies sees I read that Miss Minnie Hauck plays Careous costume, which is certainly out of place, except in one act of the opera Otherwise fro herself on her hips, like a filly from the Cordovan Stud,” to the ludicrous episode at Gibraltar, her attire is described asof colour Dore describes and depicts If you see the opera,--please send e 205

You may remees--as to the derivation of the Ro of Borro reipsy dialects to the es; and Simpson naturally finds the Romany akin to modern Hindostanee, which succeeded the Sanscrit Now here is a curious fact Rommain is simply Sanscrit for The Husbands,--a doipsy races above all others, when the ties of blood are stronger than even a the Jewish people; and Borro asks tihty words, ”Rome” and the ”Roive the definition Surely all mysteries seem to issue from the womb of nations,--from the heart of Asia

I see that the musical critic of the New York _Times_ speaks of certain airs in the opera of _Carmen_ as Havanese airs,--_Avaneras_ If there be a music peculiar to Havana, I expect that I shall hear some of it next summer If I could only writematter for you

There is a New Orleans story in the last issue of _Scribner's Monthly_,--”Ninon,”--which I must tell you is a fair exereat cruelties of the old slave regilo-Saxon blood is not cruel If you want to find cruelty, either in ancient orthe Latin races of Europe The Scandinavian and Teutonic blood was too virile and noble to be cruel; and the science of torture was never developed a them

Before I commenced to keep house for myself, I must tell you about a Chinese restaurant which I used to patronize No one in the American part of the city--or at least very few--know even of its existence The oill not advertise, will not hang out a sign, and seems to try to keep his business a secret The restaurant is situated in the rear part of an old Creole house on Dumaine Street,--about the h a dark alley to get in I had heard so much of the filthiness of the Chinese, that I would have been afraid to enter it, but for the strong recommendations of a Spanish friend of mine,--now a journalist and a roer here in 1865 one night, and had to fly the country A few hot words in a saloon; and the Spanish blood was up The stranger fell so quickly and the stab was given so swiftly,--”according to the _rules_,”--that my friend had left the house before anybody knehat had happened Then the killer was stoay upon a Spanish schooner, and shi+pped to Cuba, where he remained for four years And when he came back, _there were no witnesses_)

But about the restaurant I was surprised to find the bills printed half in Spanish and half in English; and the room nearly full of Spaniards

It turned out that reat shock of black hair, wavy as that of a Malabaress His olian blood was scarcely visible But his as positively attractive;--hair like his own, a splendid figure, sharp, strongly marked features, and eyes whose very obliqueness only rendered the face piquant,--as in those agreeable yet half-sinister faces painted on japanese lacquerware The charge for a meal was only twenty-five cents,--four dishes alloith dessert and coffee, and only five cents for every extra dish one enerally ordered a nice steak, stewed beef with potatoes, stewed tongue, a couple of fried eggs, etc Everything is cooked before your eyes, the whole interior of the kitchen being visible fro could be cleaner or nicer I asked hi he had kept the place; he answered, ”Seven years;” and I a a fortune even at these prices of five cents per dish

The cooking is perfection

There is nothing here which would interest you particularly in the newspaper line We have a new French daily, _Le Courrier de la Louisiane_; but the ablest French editor in Louisiana--Dumez of Le Meschacebe--was killed by what our local poets are pleased to ter on nothing, now represents a capital, and I would have a fine prospect should I be able to content my restless soul in this town The _Deantic lotteryof New Orleans, and can crush every paper or clique that opposes him He was once blackballed by the Old Jockey Club, who had a splendid race-course at Metairie ”By God,” said Howard, ”I'll raveyard of their d----d race-course” He did it The Metairie cemetery now occupies the site of the old race-course; and the new Jockey Club is Howard's own organization

It just occurs to ypsy novel written by the Cornhill writer is ”Zelda's Fortune,” and that I spelled the na It has a ”w” Merifellow borrowed (excuse the involuntary pun) nearly all the gypsy songs in his ”Spanish Student” fro,----

”Upon a old inthe Spanish cavalier And thus his ditty ran: God send the gypsy lassie here, And not the gipsy ypsy”--don't knohich I like best) I wonder why Longfellow did not borrow the forge-song, quoted by Borrow,--_Las Muchis_, ”The Sparks”:----