The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1885-09-05

OtnerWlSe honeSt 1OlKS frequently palu
the penalty of being caught in an oeca-
sional breach of the moralities.
''Now my wife, Ike all her sex, had
peculiar notions on the subject of con-
traband goods. She held-in common,
l am bound to say, with many other
wise scrupulously honest folks-that
Custom-house officials were only in
vented for the annoyance of travellers,
and as such it was not only allowable
but praiseworthy to circumvent them
in every possible way.
SIN short, it was a case of all being
fair in love or war. They were there
to detect and prevent the passage of
certain articles. 1t was obviously the
duty of every right-minded person to
resent this arbitrary conduct on their
part by carrying from one country to
another as many of the said articles,
concealed more or less ingeniously upon
their persons, as the nature of the case
permitted.
81, on the contrary, not only had
serious qualms as TO the honesty of the
proceeding in question, but being then,
as now, of a naturally timid DISPOSE
ton, conceived that the pleasure of
evading the payment of few dollars
on piece of lace or q box of cigars
would be dearly purchased by the anx-
iety which should endure when / per-
ceived the eye of stern-visaged official
fixed upon me, and felt that | looked
like murderer, and should politely be
detained on suspicion, and perhaps
searched.
'Even the tenor of this last appeal
to her reason failed to convince my wife.
am sure no one would ever want
to search me, sh, insisted. And /
really don't see the harm
ITO which / replied in the words of
well-known novelist, that i had never
known but one woman who could I'M
derstand reason, and she wouldn't lis
ten to it..
swell, to make long story short,
we argued the question out until both
of us became quite warm, and / ended
by absolutely forbidding my wife to
carry anything of contraband nature
on her person. She made no reply,
and /, fond man, supposed the matter
settled. had only been married few
months, and L had the most absurd
ideas-as my wife will tell you-on the
subject of duty and obedience, and so
forth. You see did not know the sex.
I'VE had delightful run through
Europe without any special disaster,
and my wife's air of injured innocence
oppressed for the most part in very
Indifferent French, but making up in
expression what it lacked in idiom-
when asked to declare any dutiabIe ar
ticles, was positively beyond descrip-
ton.
1T was at Brussels, 1 think, that
read in one of the English papers of
the arrest of two French women at
Dover charged with smuggling over a
quantity of lace which they had
wrapped around their persons under
their clothing, and which was only dis
covered by their being searched by the
officials.
1.-THE writer added that a regular
corps of female. searchers had been
added to the department., and that sus-
picious characters were invited to step
in and interview these ladies with
view to indicating their appearance or
failing under the tenure of the law.
II showed the paper to my wife,
whose only comment was, More fools
they
81 suppose she meant to express her
contempt for women who were foolish |
enough to look suspicious. / thought
ut the time she intended to convey her |
opinion of the folly of attempting to !
outwit her Most Gracious Maiesty's |
servants, and felt relieved at the idea |
that my arguments had prevailed upon |
ler at last.
''Once more, Brown, old fellow, / |
showed my ignorance of the sex.
Ny arguments had had precisely the
'ame weight with her as my COM
hands.
Mrs. Robinson spent good deal of
money in Brussels. Indeed when, on
'ur way to Ostend, came to add up
he amount had given her during our
hort stay, | felt, must confess, little
taggered to find how much. But it
eemed little early to allude to such
mundane matters, and held my peace,
'nly considering what the dickens she
lad got to show for it all.
ION the steamer, as in duty bound,
drs. Robinson paid that tribute of re-
pect which Father Neptune demands
# the majority of those who venture
pon his dominions. In word, Mrs.
robinson was awfully seasick. And, I
nay add, not in the best of humor.
md when, in asking for her keys, l
onfessed the hope that she had fol-
owed my wishes and abstained from
ringing over anything dutiable in her
runks, she was very injured-and tell
not to Gath-rather cross.
% Il think you might have more con-
Iteration, Henry. than to bother me
t such time. Let the wretches look
Or themselves. They'll find nothing
q my boxes, | can tell YOU
IL went on deck again with the keys,
nd had plenty of time to get little
ut of temper myself by the time we
cached the pier. Still, should have
cen more than appeased by the vision
t my wife's suffering, but to my as
when sho did arise up the
ladder, she was positively
adiant. She had taken the utmost
aims with her personal appearance,
nd managed somehow never knew
ow-to fight down the least traces of
er nausea.
''She was very cool, however, to me
and indignant, Thought,
{ my suggestions about the custom