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PARTISAN REVIEW
sold her there. Cass went south as far as Bowling Green, but lost track
of his man there. So, rather hopelessly, he wrote a letter to the trader,
in care of the market at New Orleans, asking for the name of the
pur–
chaser and any information about him. Then he swung back north
to Lexington.
At Lexington he went down to West Short Street, to the Lewi.'l
0.
Robards barracoon, which Mr. Robards had converted from the
old Lexington Theatre a few years earlier. He had a notion that Mr.
Robards, the leading trader of the section, might be able, through
his
down-river connections, to locate Phebe, if enough of a commission
was in sight. At the barracoon there was no one in the office except a
boy, who said that Mr. Robards was down river btlt that Mr. Simms
was "holding things down" and was over at the "house" at an "inspec–
tion." So Cass went next door to the house. (When Jack Burden was
in Lexington investigating the life of Cass Mastern, he saw the "house"
still standing, a two-storey brick building of the traditional residential
type, roof running lengthwise, door in center of front, window on each
side, chimney at each end, lean-to in back. Robards had kept
his
"choice stock" there and not in the coops, to wait for "inspection.")
Cass found the main door unlocked at the house, entered the hall,
saw no one, but heard laughter from above. He mounted the stai'rs
and discovered, at the end of the hall, a small group of men gathered
at an open door. He recognized a couple of them, young hangers-on
he had seen about town and at the track. He approached and asked
if
:rvrr.
Simms was about. "Inside," one of the men said, "showing."
Over the heads, Cass could see into the room. First he saw a short,
strongly made man, a varnished looking man, with black hair, black
neck-cloth, large bright black eyes, and black coat, with a crop in his
hand. Cass knew immediately that he was a French "speculator,"
who was buying "fancies" for Lousiana. The Frenchman was staring
at something beyond Cass's range of vision. Cass moved farther and
could see within.
There he saw the man whom he took to be Mr. Simms, a non–
descript fellow in a plug hat, and beyond him the figure of a woman.
She was a very young woman, some twenty years old perhaps, rather
slender, with skin slightly darker than ivory, probably an octoroon,
and hair crisp rather than kinky, and deep dark liquid eyes, slightly
bloodshot, which stared at a spot above and' beyond the Frenchman.
She did not wear the ordinary plaid osnaburg and kerchief of the
female slave up for sale, but a white, loosely cut dress, with elbow–
length sleeves, and skirts to the floor and no kerchief, only a band to
.
