Tarnished Gold (Landry 5)

"I eat in the finest restaurants in New Orleans,

but I don't think I ever enjoyed a meal more," he said,

gazing around the small kitchen. "My cook has a

kitchen to rival the best restaurants, and your mother

does so much with so little."

"Where do you live in New Orleans,

monsieur?" "Please, call me Pierre, Gabriel. I live in

what's known as the Garden District."

"What is it?"

"The Garden District? Well, it began as the area

for the rich Americans when New Orleans became

part of the U.S.A. These people were not accepted by

the French Quarter Creoles, so they developed their

own lavish neighborhood. My grandfather got our

property in a foreclosure and decided we weren't

above living there. Elegant gardens visible from the

street give this section of the city its name. Tourists

visit, but there are no buses permitted. There are some

famous houses in the Garden District, such as the

Payne-Strachan House. Jefferson Davis, president of

the Confederacy, died there in 1889.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like a tour

guide," he said, laughing at his own enthusiasm. "Is your house very big?"

He nodded.

"Is it bigger than any house you've seen in the

bayou?" He nodded again.

"How big is your house?" I demanded, and he

laughed. "It's a two-story Grecian with two galleries

in front. think there are fourteen or fifteen rooms." "You think? You live in a house so big you're

not sure of how many rooms?"