Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-06-04

Rnlinron 80 1. II he enrinn n Is.
/ wen. Nrs. Robinson doesn't IKE ne 90
~ low long ~ hnpe bean MARKED but
| II Ii several veaan nR0. At That tine
travelling ID Europe was hedged about
with many difficulties from which nov Is
Il. thank Heaven, comparatively lree.
Passports were % be provided and
what not; and - short, 4 vas TIE end
and object o. every petty pEincipa
| this was beR0re go and sovereign
princes were Is plenty ms black egxiea II
| mid Europe 20 make IL 10. unpleasant
- possible Tor any traveller not properly
accredited g bis o. their senrena Hi9h-
ness.
ssHoWever. this has little a nothing
| 20 do with my story. which relates ex-
clusfvely "a nv experience With The
Custom House officials, except it - 10
explain how everybody was suspicious
OF everybody else and where diamond
cut diamond was the order of the day.
/ thieves and adventurous generally
passed the frontiers triumphant. while.
| otherwise. honest folk FREQUENTLY naid
| the penalty Of being CAUGHT "a "a &C.,
eional breach of khe uoralitlea
ssNow NV wife. lfke All her aex. hal
peculiar notions on the subject 81 con.
| fraband goods. She held-in common.
I ana bound to say, with many otherwis
sCrupuloualy honest solkG-that Custom
House officials were only invented Tor
the annoyance Of travellers, and q such
/ L was moi only allowable but praise
worthy TO Circumvenk them In every
possible way,
ssTn shorf. IL was q case % at being
| fair A love OF war. They were there %
| detect and prevent the passage OF Ger
| tain articles. IL vas obviouslY the duty
AZ every richt-uinded person % resent
this arbitrary conduct on their part by
| carving from one country 20 another e
many Of the said articles, concealed more
or less ingeniOusly upon their persons,
as the nature Of the case permitted
ssL on the contrary, not only had
serious uuaIms as 20 the honesty Of the
proceeding IN question. but being then
as now Of g naturally timid disposition
I conceived that the pleasure Of evading
the payment Of few dollars on q piece
Of lace or box Of cigars would be dearly
purchased by the anxiety which / should
endure when / perceived the eve 81 4
| etern-visaped official flxed mon me. and
felt that / looked ike 3 murderer. and
shouId politely be detained on suspicion.
and ,,arhana eearched
ssTsven the fenor Of tbis laak appeal
i A her reaaon failed Ia ccnvince NV
| w;ea
WsT,m rnya M ona wonld aver want ID
aaarch :. "a az ara ~ inniatai sAnd I raaIlv
5c,,st 80 fI,e harr, ;
ssTo which 1 REPLIED IN the words =.
8 well known novelist. that q had neveD
known but one woman who could under.
/ stand reason. and abe wouIdn'k listen
TO it.
oWell ca make long story short wa
| argued the question ont untii both az "A
became quite warm. and I ended by ab-
| solutelv forhiddfn0 INV wife ~ eayvv
ANYTHING Of 4 contraband nature on her
person. She made no reply. and I. fond
man. supposed The matter setkled. had
only been married 4 few months. and /
had the most absurd ideas-as nv wife
win ten vou--or the subject 81 dutv and
obedience. and 40 forth. YOu aea L aid
not know the sex.
ssWe had q delightful run through
Europe without any special disaster, and
my wife's air of injured innocence
pressed for the most part IN very indif-
ferent French, but making up in express
eion what IL lacked in dion When asked
10 declare any dutiable articles. was
positively beyond description.
sIt was &C Brussels, i think, that
read In one Of the English papers Of the
arrest Of two French women ct Dover
charged with smuggling over q quantity
Of lace which they had wrapped around
their persons under their clothing.
and which was only discovered an their
being searched by The oficiala.
saThe writer added that regular corps
Of female had been added to the
department. and that suspicious charac.
ters were invited to step ia and interview
these ladies with view to vindicating
their appearance or falling under the
tenure Of the law.
81 showed the paper to my wife,
whose only comment was, More fools
they
81 suppose she meant to express her
II ~ M %f4aEfck1