tirmation of the theory which I broached just now—namely, that the
trouble with the Southern reporter is Women: Women* supple-
mented by Walter Scott and his knights and beauty and chivalry,
and so on. This is an excellent report, as long as tbe women stay
out of it. But when they intrude, we have this frantic result—
* It will be probably a long time before the ladies' stand presents such a
sea of foam-like loveliness as it did yesterday. The New Orleans women an*
always charming, but never so much so as at this time of the year, when in
their dauity spring- costumes they bring with them a breath of balmy fresh-
ness and aa odour of sanctity unspeakable. The stand was so crowded with
them that, walking at their feet arid seeing no possihility of approach, many
a man appreciated as he never did before the Peri's feeling- at the Gates of
Paradise, and wondered what was the priceless boon that would admit him
to their sacred presence. Sparkling on their white-robed breasts or shoulders
were the colours of their favourite knigbtss and were it riut tbr the fact that
the doughty heroes appeared on uoroinautie mules, it would have been easy
to imagine one of King- Arthur's gala-days.'
There were thirteen inules in the first heat; all sorts of mules,
they were; all sorts of complexions, gaits, dispositions, aspects. Some
were handsome creatures, some were not; some were sleek, some hadn't
had their fur brushed lately ; some were innocently gay and frisky ;
some were full of malice and all unrighteousness; guessing from looks,
some of them thought the matter on hand was war, some thought it
was a lark, the rest took it for a religious occasion. And each mule
acted according to his convictions. The result was an absence of har-
mony well compensated by a conspicuous presence of variety—variety
of a picturesque and entertaining sort.
All the riders were young gentlemen in fashionable society. If
the reader has been wondering why it is that the ladies of New
Orleans attend so humble an orgy as a mule-race, the thing is ex-
plained now. It is a fashion-freak; all connected with it are people
of fashion.
It is great fnn, and cordially liked. The mule-race is one of the
marked occasions of the year* It has brought some pretty fast mules
to the front* One of these had to be ruled out, because he was so
fast that he turned the thing into a one-mule contest, and robbed it of
one of its best features—variety. But every now and then somebody