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Instant Download PDF Chemistry The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change 7th Edition Silberberg Test Bank Full Chapter
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Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
1. In neutral molecules, how many bonds are commonly formed by nitrogen? And how
many by oxygen?
A) 5 and 6 B) 4 and 2 C) 3 and 6 D) 4 and 6 E) 3 and 2
Ans: E Difficulty: E
A) A B) B C) C D) D E) E
Ans: E Difficulty: E
O S O
NO
O
SO32–
B) N E) Cl Cl
C Cl P Cl
Cl
HCN H
PCl5
C) O -
O
NO2–
Ans: B Difficulty: M
A) A B) B C) C D) D E) E
Ans: E Difficulty: M
Page 139
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
6. Hydrazine, N2H4, is a good reducing agent that has been used as a component in rocket
fuels. Select its Lewis structure.
A)
H N N H
H H
B)
H N N H
H H
C)
H N N H
H H
D)
H
H N N H
H
E) None of the above is correct.
Ans: C Difficulty: M
Page 140
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
F
B)
F N F
F
C)
F N F
F
D)
F N F
F
E)
F N F
F
Ans: A Difficulty: E
8. Select the correct Lewis structure for NOCl, a reactive material used as an ionizing
solvent.
A) D)
O N Cl O N Cl
B) E) None of the above is correct.
O N Cl
C)
O N Cl
Ans: B Difficulty: M
9. Oxygen difluoride is a powerful oxidizing and fluorinating agent. Select its Lewis
structure.
A) F O F D)
F O F
B) E) None of the above is correct.
F O F
C)
F O F
Ans: D Difficulty: E
Page 141
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
I P P I
B)
I I
I P P I
C)
I I
I P P I
D)
I I
I P P I
E) None of the above structures is suitable for P2I4.
Ans: A Difficulty: M
11. Thionyl chloride is used as an oxidizing and chlorinating agent in organic chemistry.
Select the best Lewis structure for SOCl2.
A)
Cl
O S Cl
B)
Cl
O S Cl
C)
Cl
O S Cl
D)
Cl
O S Cl
E) None of the above structures is suitable for SOCl2.
Ans: B Difficulty: H
Page 142
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
Te
Br
B)
Br
Te
Br
C)
Br
Te
Br
D)
Br
Te
Br
E)
Br
Te
Br
Ans: E Difficulty: M
13. How many electron pairs are shared between the carbon atoms in C2H4?
A) 5 B) 4 C) 3 D) 2 E) 1
Ans: D Difficulty: E
14. In carbon disulfide, how many lone pairs of electrons are on each sulfur atom?
A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D) 3 E) 4
Ans: C Difficulty: E
Page 143
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
16. In which one of the following molecules are all the bonds single?
A) O3 B) POCl3 C) CO D) COCl2 E) N2H4
Ans: E Difficulty: M
17. In which one of the following is the best Lewis structure a resonance structure? (central
atoms are bold)
A) CO2 B) ClO3– C) COCl2 D) NO2+ E) HCN
Ans: B Difficulty: H
18. In which one of the following is the best Lewis structure a resonance structure?
A) SO3 B) BF3 C) I3– D) SCO (C = central atom) E) SO32–
Ans: E Difficulty: H
19. In the nitrate ion (NO3–), nitrogen and oxygen are held together by
A) ionic interactions. D) electronegativity.
B) covalent bonds. E) network bonds.
C) dative bonds.
Ans: B Difficulty: E
21. In which one of the following species is the best Lewis structure a resonance structure?
A) NH3 B) CO2 C) SF6 D) O2 E) CO32–
Ans: E Difficulty: M
22. The best Lewis structure for sulfuric acid has zero formal charges, sulfur as the central
atom, and no bonds between S and H. How many single and double bonds, respectively,
are there in this Lewis structure?
A) 2 single, 4 double D) 6 single, no double
B) 4 single, 2 double E) 5 single, 1 double
C) 4 single, no double
Ans: B Difficulty: H
Page 144
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
23. Select the Lewis structure in which formal charges are minimized for the periodate
anion, IO4–.
A)
O
O I O
O
B)
O
O I O
O
C)
O
O I O
O
D)
O
O I O
O
E)
O
O I O
O
Ans: D Difficulty: M
Page 145
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
O P I
I
B)
I
O P I
I
C)
I
O P I
I
D)
I
O P I
I
E)
I
O P I
I
Ans: C Difficulty: M
Page 146
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
25. Select the Lewis structure for XeO2F2 which correctly minimizes formal charges.
A)
O
F Xe O
F
B)
O
F Xe O
F
C)
O
F Xe O
F
D)
O
F Xe O
F
E)
O
F Xe O
F
Ans: B Difficulty: M
26. In the following Lewis structure for ClO3F, chlorine has a formal charge of ____ and an
oxidation number of ____.
O
O Cl F
O
A) 7, 7 B) 7, –1 C) 1, 1 D) 1, –1 E) 1, 7
Ans: E Difficulty: M
Page 147
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
27. In the following Lewis structure for phosphate, phosphorus has a formal charge of ____
and an oxidation number of ____.
3-
O
O P O
A) 0, –3 B) 0, 5 C) 5, –3 D) 5, 5 E) 3, 5
Ans: B Difficulty: M
28. In which of the following does the nitrogen atom have a formal charge of –1?
A)
3-
N
B)
H
H N
H
C)
N -
C
O
D)
N -
O
E)
N -
O
Ans: C Difficulty: M
Page 148
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
29. The formal charges on Cl and O in the structure shown for the ClO– ion are, respectively
-
Cl O
A) 0 and –1
B) –1 and 0
C) 1 and –2
D) –2 and 1
E) none of the above
Ans: A Difficulty: M
30. In which one of the following structures does the central atom have a formal charge of
+2?
A) F D) Cl
F F
S Be
F F
F Cl
SF6 BeCl2
B) O 2- E) -
Cl Cl
Al
O S O Cl Cl
AlCl4–
O
SO42–
C) O
O
O3
Ans: B Difficulty: M
31. The formal charge on Cl in the structure shown for the perchlorate ion is
-
O
O Cl O
O
A) –2 B) –1 C) 0 D) +1 E) +2
Ans: D Difficulty: M
32. In the COCl2 molecule, carbon is the central atom. Based on the best Lewis structure for
COCl2, what is the formal charge on carbon?
A) 0 B) +1 C) –1 D) +2 E) –2
Ans: A Difficulty: E
Page 149
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
33. In which one of the following species is the central atom (the first atom in the formula)
an exception to the octet rule?
A) NH3 B) NH4+ C) I2 D) BH4– E) SF6
Ans: E Difficulty: E
34. In which one of the following species is the central atom (the first atom in the formula)
likely to violate the octet rule?
A) BF4– B) XeO3 C) SiCl4 D) NH3 E) CH2Cl2
Ans: B Difficulty: M
35. Which of the following atoms can expand its valence shell when bonding?
A) N B) C C) O D) P E) Al
Ans: D Difficulty: M
36. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX2 will have a ___
molecular shape.
A) linear B) bent C) trigonal planar D) tetrahedral E) triangular
Ans: A Difficulty: E
37. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX3 will have a
______ molecular shape.
A) linear B) bent C) trigonal planar D) tetrahedral E) trigonal
pyramidal
Ans: C Difficulty: E
38. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX4 will have a
______ molecular shape.
A) bent D) square planar
B) trigonal planar E) tetrahedral
C) trigonal pyramidal
Ans: E Difficulty: E
39. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX5 will have a
______ molecular shape.
A) tetrahedral D) trigonal bipyramidal
B) trigonal planar E) see-saw
C) trigonal pyramidal
Ans: D Difficulty: E
40. Considering all the bonds in a molecule with trigonal bipyramidal geometry, what are
the bond angles present?
A) 120° only D) 60° and 90° only
B) 90° only E) 90°, 120°, and 180°
C) 180° only
Ans: E Difficulty: M
Page 150
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
41. How many faces and how many vertexes (corners), respectively, are there in a trigonal
bipyramid?
A) 4 and 4 B) 5 and 5 C) 5 and 6 D) 6 and 5 E) 6 and 8
Ans: D Difficulty: M
42. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX6 will have a
______ molecular shape.
A) tetrahedral D) hexagonal
B) trigonal planar E) octahedral
C) trigonal bipyramidal
Ans: E Difficulty: E
43. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX2E will have a
______ molecular shape.
A) bent
B) see-saw
C) trigonal planar
D) T-shaped
E) trigonal pyramidal
Ans: A Difficulty: M
44. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX2E2 will have a
_____ molecular shape.
A) linear B) bent C) trigonal planar D) tetrahedral E) see-saw
Ans: B Difficulty: M
45. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX2E3 will have a
_____ molecular shape.
A) bent
B) linear
C) trigonal planar
D) T-shaped
E) trigonal pyramidal
Ans: B Difficulty: M
46. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX3E will have a
_____ molecular shape.
A) bent
B) trigonal planar
C) trigonal pyramidal
D) tetrahedral
E) triangular
Ans: C Difficulty: M
Page 151
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
47. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX3E2 will have a
_____ molecular shape.
A) trigonal pyramidal D) T-shaped
B) trigonal bipyramidal E) see-saw
C) trigonal planar
Ans: D Difficulty: H
48. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX4E will have a
_____ molecular shape.
A) bent B) see-saw C) trigonal planar D) T-shaped E) square planar
Ans: B Difficulty: H
49. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX4E2 will have a
_____ molecular shape.
A) tetrahedral D) octahedral
B) square pyramidal E) see-saw
C) square planar
Ans: C Difficulty: M
50. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX5E will have a
______ molecular shape.
A) tetrahedral D) octahedral
B) trigonal bipyramidal E) see-saw
C) square pyramidal
Ans: C Difficulty: M
51. What is the molecular shape of N2O as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
N N O
A) trigonal pyramidal
B) trigonal planar
C) angular
D) bent
E) linear
Ans: E Difficulty: E
52. What is the molecular shape of the thiocyanate anion, SCN–, as predicted by the VSEPR
theory? (Carbon is the central atom.)
A) linear B) bent C) angular D) trigonal E) none of the above
Ans: A Difficulty: M
53. What is the molecular shape of ClCN as predicted by the VSEPR theory? (Carbon is the
central atom.)
A) linear B) bent C) angular D) trigonal E) none of the above
Ans: A Difficulty: M
Page 152
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
54. What is the molecular shape of BeH2 as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) linear B) bent C) angular D) trigonal E) none of the above
Ans: A Difficulty: E
55. What is the molecular shape of NOCl as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
O N Cl
A) linear
B) trigonal planar
C) bent
D) tetrahedral
E) trigonal pyramidal
Ans: C Difficulty: E
56. What is the molecular shape of BCl3 as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) linear
B) trigonal planar
C) bent
D) tetrahedral
E) trigonal pyramidal
Ans: B Difficulty: M
57. What is the molecular shape of NO2– as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) linear B) trigonal planar C) bent D) tetrahedral E) resonant
Ans: C Difficulty: M
58. What is the molecular symmetry around the carbons in CCl2CH2 as predicted by the
VSEPR theory?
A) linear D) tetrahedral
B) trigonal planar E) trigonal pyramidal
C) V-shaped
Ans: B Difficulty: M
59. What is the molecular shape of ClO3F as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
O
O Cl F
Page 153
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
60. What is the molecular shape of HOF as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) trigonal pyramidal B) trigonal C) tetrahedral D) linear E) bent
Ans: E Difficulty: M
61. What is the molecular shape of NH2Cl as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) trigonal pyramidal D) see-saw
B) tetrahedral E) trigonal planar
C) T-shaped
Ans: A Difficulty: M
62. What is the molecular shape of XeO2F2 as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
O
F Xe O
F
A) square planar D) see-saw
B) tetrahedral E) octahedral
C) square pyramidal
Ans: D Difficulty: M
63. What is the molecular shape of ClF2– as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) linear B) bent C) see-saw D) T-shaped E) L-shaped
Ans: A Difficulty: M
64. What is the molecular shape of SCl3F as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) linear B) bent C) see-saw D) T-shaped E) trigonal pyramidal
Ans: C Difficulty: M
65. What is the molecular shape of SiF62– as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
F 2-
F F
Si
F F
F
66. What is the molecular shape of ClF4– as predicted by the VSEPR theory?
A) square pyramidal D) octahedral
B) square planar E) tetrahedral
C) see-saw
Ans: B Difficulty: M
Page 154
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
67. Which one of the following molecules and ions will have a planar geometry?
A) PCl3 B) BF4– C) XeF4 D) BrF5 E) H3O+
Ans: C Difficulty: H
68. Use VSEPR theory to decide which one of the following ions and molecules is likely to
be planar. (The central atom is always first in the formula.)
A) BrF3 B) H3O+ C) PCl3 D) SO42– E) SF4
Ans: A Difficulty: H
69. Use VSEPR theory to decide which one of the following molecules and ions will have a
trigonal pyramidal geometry. (The central atom is always first in the formula.)
A) PCl3 B) BF3 C) SO3 D) BrF3 E) CO32–
Ans: A Difficulty: M
70. Use VSEPR theory to predict the electron group arrangement around iodine, the central
atom in the ion IF2–.
A) octahedral D) trigonal planar
B) trigonal bipyramidal E) bent
C) tetrahedral
Ans: B Difficulty: M
71. Use VSEPR theory to decide which one of the following molecules and ions will
definitely have at least one 90° bond angle in it. (In each case except water, the central
atom is the first one in the formula.)
A) AlCl4– B) NH3 C) PCl5 D) CO2 E) H2O
Ans: C Difficulty: M
72. Predict the ideal bond angles in GeCl4 using the molecular shape given by the VSEPR
theory.
A) 90° B) 109° C) 120° D) 180° E) < 90°
Ans: B Difficulty: M
73. Predict the ideal bond angles in AsCl3 using the molecular shape given by the VSEPR
theory.
A) 90° B) 109° C) 120° D) 180° E) between 110 and 120°
Ans: B Difficulty: M
74. Predict the ideal bond angles in FNO using the molecular shape given by the VSEPR
theory.
A) 90° B) 109° C) 120° D) 180° E) between 120 and 180°
Ans: C Difficulty: M
Page 155
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
75. Predict the ideal bond angles around nitrogen in N2F2 using the molecular shape given
by the VSEPR theory. (The two N atoms are the central atoms.)
A) 90° B) 109° C) 120° D) 180° E) between 120 and 180°
Ans: C Difficulty: M
76. Predict the ideal bond angles around carbon in C2I2 using the molecular shape given by
the VSEPR theory.
A) 90° B) 109° C) 120° D) 180° E) none of the above
Ans: D Difficulty: M
77. Predict the ideal bond angles in IF2– using the molecular shape given by the VSEPR
theory.
A) 60° B) 90° C) 109° D) 120° E) 180°
Ans: E Difficulty: M
78. Predict the actual bond angle in SeCl2 using the VSEPR theory.
A) more than 120° D) exactly 90°
B) between 109° and 120° E) less than 90°
C) between 90° and 109°
Ans: C Difficulty: H
79. Predict the smallest actual bond angle in BrF3 using the VSEPR theory.
A) more than 120° D) between 90° and 109°
B) exactly 120° E) less than 90°
C) between 109° and 120°
Ans: E Difficulty: H
80. Predict the actual bond angles in SF3+ using the VSEPR theory.
A) more than 120° D) between 90° and 109°
B) exactly 120° E) less than 90°
C) between 109° and 120°
Ans: D Difficulty: H
81. List all possible molecular geometries (shapes) for a nonpolar molecule with the
formula AX4.
A) tetrahedral D) either tetrahedral or square planar
B) seesaw E) any of the above shapes
C) square planar
Ans: D Difficulty: M
Page 156
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
84. Which one of the following molecules has a zero dipole moment?
A) SO2 B) HCl C) CS2 D) CO E) Cl2O
Ans: C Difficulty: E
85. Which one of the following molecules does not have a dipole moment?
A) CS2 B) H2S C) CH2Cl2 D) PH3 E) CH2O
Ans: A Difficulty: M
Difficulty: E
Page 157
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
87. Draw Lewis structures, showing all valence electrons, for the following species:
a. S2–
b. CO
c. SO2
d. CH3OH
Ans:
Difficulty: M
88. Draw Lewis structures which obey the octet rule, for the following atoms, molecules,
and ions, showing all valence electrons. Central atoms are shown in bold.
a. NH3
b. O3 (Hint: O3 is not cyclic)
c. HCN
d. SO3
Ans:
Difficulty: M
Page 158
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
89. For the chlorate ion, ClO3–, draw two different valid Lewis structures, as follows:
a. a structure in which the octet rule is obeyed
b. a structure in which formal charges are minimized
Ans:
Difficulty: M
90. Name and outline the concept which is introduced when more than one valid Lewis
structure can be drawn for a given molecule or ion. Use appropriate diagrams of the
formate ion (HCO2–, carbon is the central atom) to illustrate.
Ans: The concept is resonance. In this situation no single Lewis structure can
adequately represent the bonding in a molecule. An average of the different Lewis
structures is a better representation of the bonding than any single structure. The
two important resonance structures are shown below.
Difficulty: H
91. Draw all important resonance structures of the nitrate ion, NO3–
Ans:
Difficulty: M
92. Using SO2 as an example, describe the sort of experimental data which might suggest
that no single Lewis structure is an accurate representation of its bonding.
Ans: In the SO2 molecule, the two sulfur-oxygen bonds would be identical in length
and strength, and these values would be intermediate between those of
sulfur-oxygen single and double bonds. A single Lewis structure would show two
different types of bond in the molecule, one single and one double.
Difficulty: M
Page 159
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
93. List the three important ways in which molecules can violate the octet rule, and in each
case draw one Lewis structure of your choice as an example.
Ans: Electron-deficient molecules have fewer than 8 electrons in the valence shells of
atoms, e.g., boron in BF3. Odd-electron molecules cannot obey the octet rule.
Examples are NO, NO2, and ClO2. Atoms from period 3 and beyond can expand
their valence shells to exceed the octet count. Example: SF6.
Difficulty: M
94. The Lewis structure of formaldehyde, CH2O, is shown. Use VSEPR theory to predict
the molecular geometry and the H–C–H bond angle. Outline your reasoning.
Ans: There are three electron groups around the central atom, carbon. These are a
double bond and two single bonds. The molecule is thus of the AX3 type, and its
geometry will be trigonal planar. The bond angles will be 120°.
Difficulty: M
95. What is the shape of the PF3 molecule? Explain your answer, using VSEPR theory.
Ans: The Lewis structure has a lone pair on the phosphorus atom, and the VSEPR
formula is thus AX3E. There are four electron groups, giving a tetrahedral electron
group arrangement. The molecular shape is trigonal pyramidal.
Difficulty: M
96. Draw the Lewis structure of XeF4. Use this structure, in conjunction with VSEPR
theory, to predict the shape of this molecule. Outline your reasoning.
Ans: The Lewis structure is shown below. The VSEPR formula is AX4E2, and the
electron group arrangement is therefore octahedral. The lone pairs will lie at
opposite vertices, resulting in a square planar molecular geometry.
Difficulty: M
Page 160
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
97. a. Draw and name three molecular shapes for molecules having the VSEPR formulas
AX3, AX3E, and AX3E2, respectively.
b. If the three X groups in the above formulas are identical, which of the three shapes
would result in a molecule with a dipole moment?
Ans: a. The three structures and their molecular shapes are shown below.
X
X
A X A
A X
X
X X X X
b. The trigonal pyramidal and T-shaped molecules will have dipole moments.
Difficulty: M
98. Explain what is meant by “dipole moment”, and give an example of a molecule which
has polar bonds but which does not itself have a dipole moment.
Ans: A dipole moment arises in a molecule when the “centers of gravity” of the
positive and negative charges do not coincide. There is thus a separation of
charge. The dipole moment is the product of this charge and the distance of
separation. Carbon dioxide has two polar carbon-oxygen bonds. However,
because the molecule is linear, the two bond dipoles are exactly opposite in
direction, and they cancel each other out. The CO2 molecule has no dipole
moment.
Difficulty: E
99. All possible resonance structures contribute equally to the resonance hybrid.
Ans: False Difficulty: M
100. When resonance occurs, the bond lengths in a molecule fluctuate rapidly.
Ans: False Difficulty: E
101. In a Lewis structure for a molecule or ion, the sum of the formal charges on the atoms is
equal to the charge on the molecule or ion.
Ans: True Difficulty: E
102. In formaldehyde, CH2O, both the formal charge and the oxidation number of carbon are
zero.
Ans: False Difficulty: M
Page 161
Chapter 10: The Shapes of Molecules
105. Bond angles of 180° only occur around atoms which display linear molecular geometry.
Ans: False Difficulty: M
106. In order for a non-cyclic triatomic molecule to be bent, VSEPR theory requires that
there must be two lone pairs on the central atom.
Ans: False Difficulty: M
107. According to VSEPR theory, a molecule with the general formula AX3E2 (where E
represents a lone pair on A) will be trigonal planar.
Ans: False Difficulty: M
108. The molecule AX2, where A and X are different elements, will have a dipole moment if
the molecule is bent.
Ans: True Difficulty: E
109. A molecule which contains polar bonds will always have a dipole moment.
Ans: False Difficulty: H
Page 162
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visit, was destroyed by fire, and the debonair ladies, prancing steeds
and all went up in one great holocaust.
The new house that rose over the ashes was aptly called
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will see you; notice, whichever way you turn his eyes will follow you.”
I was mortally afraid of that old spook till little black Comfort told me,
“Laws! if dem eyes could hurt we’d all be’n daid in dis house.”
At “The Oaks,” Dr. Patrick’s plantation, the wall paper illustrated
scenes from China, in colors not gorgeous, like the last mentioned,
neither was the house so pretentious. There was no broad, high
ceilinged hall to ornament with startling figures that seemed to jump
at you. The orderly processions of pigtailed Chinamen in sepia tints
could not by any possibility get on one’s nerves. Whole processions
wended their way to impossible temples, wedding processions,
palanquins, and all that; funeral processions dwindled away to a
mere point in the distance, all becomingly solemn, until some of the
irrepressible Patrick children, with black pencil, or charcoal, or ink,
put pipes into all the mouths and clouds of smoke therefrom spotted
the landscape. Moral suasion was the discipline of the Patrick
children, so that freak was not probably followed by after-claps, but
the Chinese were promptly marched off, and the inevitable white
walls were the result.
Family portraits came forth to brighten the room. One notable one
that superseded the Chinese wall paper was a full-length portrait of
Gov. Poindexter’s (everybody knows “Old Poins” was the first
Governor of the State of Mississippi) first wife, who was a sister of
Mrs. Patrick. She was a vision of beauty, in full evening dress.
Facing her was the glum, “sandy complected” Governor, not one bit
fascinated by the sight of his wife’s smiling face.
The fashionable portrait painter of the time was Moïse; it was he
who painted the author’s portrait shortly after her marriage. He was a
dashing, improvident genius, and many of his portraits were
executed to cancel debts. At one time he designed and had made for
my husband, in settlement for a loan, a handsome silver lidded bowl
with alcohol lamp beneath. It was known as a pousse café and was
used to serve hot punch to after-dinner parties. I am glad to say it
has survived all the family vicissitudes, and is an honored heirloom,
in company with a repoussé silver pitcher, which we won as a prize
for cattle at the Louisiana State Fair, described in a later chapter.
At John C. Miller’s place the house was only one story, but it
spread over what seemed to be a half acre of land. A square hall,
which was a favorite lounging place for everybody, had wall paper
delineating scenes from India. Women walked toward the Ganges
river, smilingly tripping along with huge water jars on their shoulders,
in full view of another woman descending the steps of a temple, with
a naked baby, poised aloft, to be thrown into the sacred Ganges. A
crocodile ruffled the blue (very blue) waters, with jaws distended,
ready to complete the sacrifice. That sacred river seemed to course
all around the hall, for on another side were a number of bathers,
who appeared to be utterly oblivious of their vicinity to the mother
and babe, not to mention the awful crocodile.
The culmination of landscape wall paper must have been reached
in the Minor plantation dwelling in Ascension parish. Mrs. Minor had
received this plantation as a legacy, and she was so loyal to the
donor that the entreaties of her children to “cover that wall” did not
prevail. It was after that style of mural decoration was of the past,
that I visited the Minors. The hall was broad and long, adorned with
real jungle scenes from India. A great tiger jumped out of dense
thickets toward savages, who were fleeing in terror. Tall trees
reached to the ceiling, with gaudily striped boa constrictors wound
around their trunks; hissing snakes peered out of jungles; birds of
gay plumage, paroquets, parrots, peacocks everywhere, some way
up, almost out of sight in the greenery; monkeys swung from limb to
limb; ourang-outangs, and lots of almost naked, dark-skinned natives
wandered about. To cap the climax, right close to the steps one had
to mount to the story above was a lair of ferocious lions!
I spent hours studying that astonishing wall paper, and I
applauded Mrs. Minor’s decision, “The old man put it there; it shall
stay; he liked it, so do I.” It was in 1849 I made that never-to-be-
forgotten trip to jungle land. The house may still be there; I don’t
know; but I warrant that decorated hall has been “done over,”
especially if little children ever came to invade the premises. Upon
the departure of landscape wall paper, the pendulum swung to
depressing simplicity of dead white walls or else “pillared and
paneled,” which is scarcely one degree better.
Old portraits and any kind of inartistic picture or print were brought
forth to gratify the eye unaccustomed to such monotony. Only a few
years ago I asked: “What became of that military epauletted portrait
of old Major Messiah that always hung in your mother’s hall when we
were children?” “Oh, it was hanging twenty or more years ago in the
office of a hardware concern down town. Don’t know where it is
now.”
After the war, inquiring for a lot of portraits of various degrees of
merit and demerit that disappeared when the Yankees left, we heard
that some were in negro cabins in West Feliciana. So they come and
are appreciated, those images of loved ones. So they often go, and
are despised by those who follow us, and who, perchance, never
knew the original. Now the questions arise, will landscape wall
papers really return? And in their pristine splendor? Surely the scope
in brilliancy and variety could not be excelled. The limit was reached
almost seventy years ago, and naturally (I was a child then) comes
as vividly to my mind as the counterfeit face of my ancestor with
eyes following me all around the room. The tigers and ourang-
outangs, even the den of lions and the crocodile of the Ganges,
never made my little soul quake like the searching eyes of “my
Cousin Christopher.”
XI
THOUGHTS OF OLD
We missed the train! and here we were in the old Bayou Sara
Hotel, looking for some kind of locomotion. We had eighteen miles to
make, and if the Belle Creole had made the run we would have been
all right, but the Belle Creole was not a flier; it had no time for arrivals
or departures; it just jogged along at its own good will, answering
every call, running all sorts of antics up and down the river. Dick
started out to see what he could do.
I sat on the dirty porch, looking through November china trees
towards the river. Is there anything more depressing than a view of
china trees in November? The pretty, fragrant, blue flowers long
gone, and the mocking birds (nobody ever heard of English sparrows
then!) that had drunk their fill of intoxicating liquor from the scattering
china berries were gone too. The train we had missed, the dear old
Belle Creole always missed, was a kind of private affair. The whole
outfit, about twenty miles of track, the lumbering cars, the antiquated
engines, and I think, too, the scattering woods that supplied the fuel
were all the private property of the McGehees. The McGehees had a
cotton factory in the neighborhood of Woodville, twenty miles from
the river. They had one train, cheap and dirty, that made one trip a
day, going with freight very early in the morning, returning later, with
freight and one small passenger car for the owner’s use. This
concern stopped for wood and water and nothing else, and was the
only means of transport for “casuals” like ourselves from the river to
Woodville. Ladies going back and forth and gentlemen of leisure
used their own conveyance, a turtle-back affair that was entered by a
row of steps. The dear Belle Creole was too much of a convenience
to have a time table, so it was useless to construct a time table and
plan to “connect” with that equally free and easy train. Some
disgruntled chap chalked on an unused car, left on the rails as a
depot, “We belong to the McGehees, and go when we please.”
Well, to make the matter short, though it was long to me, on that
dirty porch by the china trees, Dick found a man with a turtle-top
coach, and a harness mended by cords and stakes and bits of
rawhide. The man had a mended look, too, but he was sober, and for
a good, round sum agreed to take us to Laurel Hill. Laurel Hill, where
we proposed to go, was a post office station, about ten miles from
Woodville and four miles across country. We meandered along, tired
and out of all patience. At the date of this tramp I was a little girl and
not given to moralizing. When we arrived at Laurel Hill we were told,
“Creek is up; been a big rain somewhere; not even a horseman has
crossed all day.” There was no accommodation for man or beast at
the queer little depot, no place to sit and nothing to sit on. It was long
after dark, and there was no one to tell us the story of the high water
but a negro man, who was shutting up the one door of the building.
There was nothing left us but to go to the nearest plantation house
and ask for lodgings.
I was so tired I felt we had gone ten miles further when we
reached Major Dick Haile’s, though it really was only a few miles.
The tired horses and the sleepy driver made slow work. There was a
gate and an opening, but the house was pitch dark, every door
closed and everybody apparently asleep. The nags were willing to
stand, unhitched, beside the fence; not an automobile or flying
machine could have scared them; they were asleep, too.
After much knocking and calling at what seemed to be the door of
entrance, an old gentleman, candle in hand and very scantily
dressed, demanded to know what was wanted. My brother called
that we were on our way to the General’s, and we could not cross
the creek, so we begged the privilege of a lodging for the night.
“General’s for the wedding? Come right in.” A brighter light was
procured, and before we were seated in the reception room we
heard the hospitable voice, “Put your carriage under the shed, give
those horses a good feed, then come to the kitchen and get a bite for
yourself.” The two young daughters came in, hurriedly dressed
(people did not have bathrobes and wrappers seventy years ago). I
was awfully tired and awfully sleepy, and I began to think our
lodgings were to be parlor chairs, long before the dining room door
was opened, and the genial old gentleman, in night shirt and
trousers, led the way to the table. We had fried chicken, hot
cornbread, coffee, cakes, and I don’t know what else. It would take
me back forty years to see a cook roused at midnight, to prepare
such a meal. I presume she even took herself to the roost and
caught her young chicken by the legs and wrung its neck before she
reached the newly-made fire. Major Haile knew we had not broken
our fast at the town hotel.
It was late the following day when we all assembled to just as fine
a breakfast, and heard the major say, “Your ‘turnout’ is gone. I sent
to see about the condition of the creek; it goes down about as fast as
it rises. When you are rested my carriage is at your disposal. Your
driver was not used to these roads, but mine knows every crossing
in the creek.”
It was a four-mile drive, even after we had crossed the waters. The
wedding house we found in commotion. There were no caterers or
experts even in New Orleans in 1846. The wedding supper was in
process of preparation, under the superintendence of a noted old
cakemaker from Woodville, nine miles off. Everybody was busy; only
General McCausland, the dear old master of the house, was quietly
seated by his parlor window, a very old man, but a soldier withal,
who could rise to emergencies when required. I drew up a chair and
explained our delay, and told him how grandly hospitable his
neighbor was. The two old men were the last remaining ones of their
company of the battle of New Orleans. Their homes were in payment
from the Government for their services. The dear old gentlemen said
they were neither general nor major; they were simple soldiers who
had discharged their services and accepted their pay. Both the men
were Irish, both poor boys. They worked hard, soon exhausted the
old red soil of their neighborhood.
Later the General moved his workmen to the river bottoms, so
that, while living for health’s sake in the old home, the house of
which he originally helped to build, his income came from Bayou
Fordoche, many miles away.
Time flew; neighbors had arrived, the table was spread in the long
back porch. The guests, many of them, lived miles and miles away,
in common country roads, often through dense woods—a long drive
under best circumstances, a perilous one at night, everybody
waiting, everybody in a hurry, everybody getting tired and fretful. It
was long after the appointed time, and the New Orleans preacher
had missed the train! Old Dilsey in the kitchen was mad because her
pig was getting too brown; Elfey in the porch worrying that her ice
cream was waiting too long; ladies in the parlor trying to kill time;
men wandering around the front yard in restless groups. Carriages
had been to the depot; no appearance of Mr. Jahleel Woodbridge,
the New Orleans minister. He was endeared to the family, had been
for years their minister at Woodville. Bride, in all her regal attire,
upstairs in tears; no Presbyterian preacher nearer than ten miles
away. So we waited and waited. At last the General sent for his
especial groom, ordered him to take the buggy and go four miles
through the woods, where there was a Methodist itinerant, and tell
him to come without delay to marry the couple.
The accommodating preacher came, just as he was. He had been
plowing his field, and his wife, off to see a sick child, had carried the
keys with her. He could not even get a clean handkerchief, but he
came in his workaday suit. The company hastily assembled. He
performed the ceremony, gave them his blessings, and
congratulated her on her “escape from the quicksands and shoals of
celibacy.” Recognizing his own condition at the time, he begged to
be excused from refreshments, and took a rapid and hurried
departure. The kindly man was scarce gone when Mr. Jahleel
Woodbridge arrived in a coach, most astonishingly like the one we
had used the previous day. Only a year or two later the hospitable
Major passed away; shortly after the General followed him, and the
dear old homes have passed away also from the face of the earth.
XIV
THE BELLES AND BEAUX OF FORTY