Show bo davi tle tale of the turkey barbecue and nd the oil paint painting ing OUR miles south of new orleans FOUR across old man alan river in a section occupied by a population largely italian hermann leutsch Pe Dc author of that delightful book the incredible yan qui the life of lee christmas christinas a prince of adventurers lins has built for himself a retreat to which lie lees flees when the spirit moves and the mississippi misi sis I 1 sippi permits when lien in pursuit of his regular oc iOD hermann Is attached to the edito c ilal staff of the item tribune for which lie shines with star like brilliancy biancy detaching himself only when a northern scribe drops into 1 now new orleans upon such occasions repasts repast are on out at nelly belly acres anil and gastric juices are made to flow in hari harmony nony with song and story be it known that heywood faroun I 1 and 1 I attaining the crescent city on oil the same day eie invited to disario ill and wa wage ge battle with a barbecued tur 1 key yat at a deutsh family faintly reunion the lie first in 20 years whether merely overslept over slept or thought betler or r breaking bread etith a loathsome con Is still a nis rry III ID any case lie he failed to appear when the national bird in C bage abase leaves and cocked alnee and one e half hours underground in a large baking I pan ian an surrounded by hot rocks was lifted from the good earth I 1 began to understand how celly belly acres got alts itc euphonious euplio title really heywood should have been there it seemed proper here to draw th the e veil leaving the deutsch dynasty to turn the reunion into a private session tor for the discussion ot of those affairs that after two twos score eore years of separation takes precedence upon the tongue and so ponderously the drowsy g guest aest from the north craving the air took himself out upon the public bl highway liway under the wide and open sky leaves feast finds romance half a league onward close to the road I 1 came abreast of a cottage framed by a garden of cloers the owner obviously of italian halian strain ceased the labor of trimming a poinsettia and bade we me the time of day from irom lie rich tuscan tongue with which I 1 have a somewhat hat sketchy familiarity I 1 selected elected for ies nse bella glor nata two musical words meaning that all was bright anil and fair so to speak the effect stimulating resulted in an imitation to cross ills his threshold and have a glass of wine in IB self defense I 1 reintroduced the english tongue and stuck to it we talked of his native land that with a young wife lie had left 30 years a ago go and of america ills his adopted country which he preferred to all others ills was the roof over us above a fireplace in the living room hung the portrait lo in oil of a stately dark eyed creature in the full fill bloom of matchless womanhood to her luminous beauty I 1 lifted my glass the italian responded in kind silently your ancestor I 1 asked lie shook his head took another sip of chianti and told this strange story of theresa his signora si snora now gone there is not DOE room here to present the full nai with its infinite detail in brief the bride upon arriving in new orleans proceeded at once with plans for housekeeping on a small scale in the french quarter the signora found occupation with fishermen A treasure in oils A hearthstone was laid in a new land it was inevitable that sooner or later theresa should wander into ru rue e royal hoyal the avenue of the antique shops where gold silver crystal iron brass and liefter leacer and marble and bronze plaster la 19 arrayed between wills walls hung with paintings from the at ellars of the world and of all these things theresa chose this portrait now hanging over the fireplace on the barataria Bara Bar tarla ataria road why because it recalled a remote across the teas beas because it expressed her idea of beauty of yit a lineage woven into ancestral memories and when at fifty four theresa died it in this lier her own homo home whore where the e cos coaled eed portrait had hung tor for 12 years her clay reposing in state under the e eyes born of an artists brush it u was a as she wished that the curtain in might it fall fal I 1 and when I 1 looked tor for the lie last time upon my beloved th theresa said my italian host whose eyes penetrated the invisible even in death she was the fairer ot of the two an untold tale with the full intention of returning with this strange story of the sublime illusion to the household of iler iier madd deutsch I 1 bade the italian adieu and under the spell of it hurried down down the road oiled with the conviction that it would appeal to his bis mind hoever upon crossing the thres lures 1 I 1 no hold id there to be confronted with a I 1 scene cn e of unlimited gaiety gayety in fit the pres ence of a group of chialdi cli lidren en piled up on eicher er side of uncle hermann his clr mother ond and sisters holding forth in III joyous recitals dentin dealing alth intervene 1 I 1 ing ti time e I 1 come came to the file conclusion ang that at lin here r e was no place for a tragic bote or a single reference to the angel ot if the sable wing R copyright iv NU service lc |