"Everything changes, my friend," Louis remarked as he looked around thetown.

"Now even the Negroes have slaves. There are gamblers, thieves, peopleplotting against the Spanish, against the Americans."

"I know, but today everything seems quiet enough," Sally said,determined to enjoy the proceedings.

"Let's go to the French Market and buy a sweet."

"What makes you think I can afford spending all this money?" Louis asked, in his most serious voice.

"Now, Louis," Sally said, "between you and Patrick, you could probablybuy and sell the entire city. You've made a fortune from the sale of pearls and tobacco, and Patrick is the biggest cotton producer in theterritory."

"She's right, my friend. With that gin your friend back in Petersburginvented and your new sugar mill, Rainbow's End is a pot of gold. Let us go where the ladies want."

"Not just yet," Catherine said.

"The first order of the day is a stop by the governor's office."

"Why, Catherine? The ceremony doesn't start until later."

Patrick didn't like the satisfied gleam in his wife's eye, but asalways, if she wanted to go, they'd go.

Inside the famous structure where all the laws were enacted and carried out, they were shown to the Spanish governor's office, where he wasexpecting them.

"Ah, my friend, Patrick, and the beautiful Mrs. McLendon. I very muchappreciate your coming. I have one last act I wish to perform beforeleaving office."

Patrick and Louis looked at each other curiously. Though Patrick and the governor had a working relationship, none of the other three hadever been inside the government building.

The governor cleared his throat.

"Friends, citizens, this day, December thirtieth, 1803, I have signed this document ofpardon for the infamous pirate. Stone. All crimes are forgiven andremoved from public record. Stone is forever hereafter a free man. " He leaned forward to blot the signature, folded the paper and handed itto Patrick.

"I trust you will see that Senor Stone receives this document?"

Patrick could only nod his head. He didn't trust himself to speak.

Although he'd known that Catherine carried on a busy correspondencewith the governor, he'd never expected this. But then when had Catherine ever done what he expected?

"Thank you, Governor," Catherine said quietly.

"Will you join us for a walk around the square?"

"I'm afraid I have official duties that will keep me here, but I hopeI'll see you at dinner this evening?"

"We'd be delighted," Catherine said.

"Now, Patrick McLendon, I'm ready for some excitement. What about you?"

He was ready. Patrick was always ready for whatever new adventureCatherine planned. He was still speechless as they left the Cabildoand stepped outside into the Place dAmes.

"Who was the pirate. Stone, Papa?" Beth asked, tugging on herfather's arm.

"He was just a man I once knew," he answered.

"A very brave man," Catherine added, "who also liked pigs."

They passed a woman hawking flowers on one corner, and made their wayto the French Market where they inspected wiggly crawfish, and eggswrapped with Spanish moss. Sally stopped at that counter andquestioned the freshness of the eggs, whereupon the seller broke one onhis stand and let it slide to the street.

There were meat vendors, hunters with fowl and turtles. Chickens squawked and birds screamed. There were Germans, Indians, Frenchmenand blacks all together in one place, in harmonious confusion.

Everywhere there was laughter and music and people. Suddenly a verydark-skinned man stepped in front of Beth and threw something to theground. It burst into blue and red flames. Beth stopped and staredinto the flames, then turned and looked around in confusion.

"Oh, Papa!" she said.

"What's wrong, cherie?"

"Who was that man?"

"What man?"

"The tall Indian with the plumes on his head. He was right there,looking at me with dark evil eyes."

Catherine felt a shiver of cold wash over her. She, like Patrick,searched the crowd for any sign of a tall man with plumes, but they sawnothing.

"Don't be afraid, Beth. He was probably just one of the slaves,celebrating the occasion."

Nothing more was said and the child seemed to accept the explanation.

But for the rest of the day Catherine found herself searching thecrowd, looking for him, the tall dark Indian wearing plumes.

Simicco.

But there was no sign of him and eventually she put it out of her mind.That was in the past. This was the future.

The American troops moved toward the city gates, their band playing themusic of France and the United States. The Spanish troops met them andescorted them inside the Cabildo on the Place dAmes, where the Americanrepresentatives presented their credentials to the governor.

The contents were read to the officials who'd been invited to listen,and the delivery of the province to the United States was proclaimed.

The keys of the city were handed over to Governor William Charles ColeClaiborne, who welcomed the people as American citizens.

They then moved to the windows that looked down on the Place dAmes,where six nationalities of new citizens mingled in the courtyard. The tricolor was lowered and the Stars and Stripes slowly raised until theymet midway on the staff where they were saluted. The American flag wasraised and the French flag brought down and delivered into the hands ofthe French officials.

Catherine felt her heart swell. Perhaps it was Beth's sighting a manwith plumes that made her remember Simicco's prediction that her childwould play a part in the future of a new land. He'd been right. She would. They all would.

Patrick slid his arm around Catherine's waist and squeezed her astightly as he could. He was free now, his name finally and forevercleared. There would never be another Stone; there'd be no need. He and Catherine had found their heaven and their life was good.

* in * * * Author's Note Little is known about the Indian tribes called the Mississippians, orthe Mound Builders who occupied the Mississippi Valley.

Seventeenth-century French explorers provide some of the writteninformation about one tribe known as the Natchez.

They were successful farmers, who lived in permanent villages withsharply drawn laws governing religion and society. They made friendswith the early explorers and settlers. At the same time they werefierce warriors who, when treated unfairly, killed their enemies andplaced their heads atop the poles that marked the corners of theirceremonial grounds.

Their history also includes the legend of the appearance of a messengerfrom the Great Spirit called the Great Sun.

In a time of much chaos and uncertainty, the Great Sun was proclaimedthe absolute ruler of the Natchez. He was aided by a powerful femalecalled the White Woman. Nothing is known of the origins of eitherruler, only that they established a new structure of society, creatinglaws and customs by which the tribe was to live. It was believed that so long as the Sun King and the White Woman were honored, the Natchezwould prevail. But the Sun King was captured by the French and sent toHispaniola, or Saint Domingue, as the island was often called, to be aslave. There is no reference to the fate of the White Woman. In fact it is not known that she was white. The title may have referred to theway she painted her face. But the Natchez knew that chaos would remain until the Sun King and the White Woman returned.

There are references to both slaves and freed men fleeing the slaverevolt on Santo Domingo to seek safe haven in New Orleans. It is known that these refugees set up the first theater in New Orleans. Some of the members of this group were said to have been slaves who weretrained as entertainers on their native islands. For the purposes ofthis story, I have taken the liberty of expanding this segment of NewOrleans history. If it didn't happen in exactly this way, it couldhave.

We do know that in 1729 the French governor of the Louisiana Territoryordered the Natchez to vacate their main village so that he could builda plantation for himself.

The Natchez complaints met with no success. Finally, in a desperateattempt to hold on to what was theirs, they attacked the French andkilled more than two hundred people, including the governor.

The French retaliated by sending troops who, with the assistance oftheir Choctaw allies, overran the Natchez, and except for a few whoescaped into the bayous, captured the entire tribe. The Indians who weren't burned at the stake included the ruler of the Natchez people,called the Sun King, and his cornier, known as the White Woman; they were shipped away to become slaves onthe sugarcane plantations of Santo Domingo. With this act the tribe known as the Natchez, and much of the Mississippian culture, came to anend.

end.