Tarnished Gold (Landry 5)

Orleans and enjoyed having so attentive an audience

as me and, later, Mama. In fact, he ended up talking

more with her about Louisiana's history than he did

with me.

Late in the afternoon, the hunting party

returned. Pierre's father had more than two dozen

ducks, as did their friends. Before they reached the

dock to disembark the pirogues, Pierre went into the

shack and retrieved his clothing. Mama had ironed

everything, as well as dried it, and it looked at least as

good as it had been.

"No reason to tell your father about our spill

into the canal," Pierre whispered to me as the men

shouted from the dock. I nodded. I knew Mama

wouldn't say anything.

Even in his hunting clothing, Pierre's father

looked the distinguished gentleman with his full head

of stark white hair and his matching goatee. His

cheeks and forehead were pink from the sun,

deepening the wrinkles around his bright, emerald

green eyes. I guessed from the expression on Daddy's

face that he was giving Daddy a sizable tip. He then

gazed at me for a long moment before approaching

Pierre.

"How's your headache, son? Did you try some

of Madame Landry's secret potions or," he added,

smiling in my direction, "find another way to cure

yourself?"

"I'm fine, Father," Pierre replied curtly. "I see

you did well."