The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-10-23
AN ANXIOUS MOMENT.
Scenes on Board Most America
Bound Ships.
Foolish Fears and Amusing Conduct of
Passengers Who Possess Dutinbie
Goods-The Unconcerned Indl-
yidual and What Dame
RumOr Said.


Goods-The Unconcerned Ind.-
yidual and What Dame
Rumor Said.
1t is safe to say that seven persons
in ten who cross the ocean as cabin
passengers add to their approximations
anew terror of the voyage in the form
OF the customs officer they are to meet
at the end of it. Nine in ten have
spent more than they meant to, and
have no desire to add to the expendi-
ture by paying duty on their pur-
cbases On the homeward voyage all
Americans are practical free-traders.
The story OF one midsummer voyage is
like the story of all The good ship
-, OF the GuiOn Line, made recent
trip with a typical cabin-load. The
women began to glisten with newly
purchased diamonds before the Jour-
ney was half finished, 'just to see if
they would attract much attention, "
they explained. The men appeared at
odd intervals in stiff new garments, in
order to say that they had worn them.
half the talk was about the dreaded
customs inspectors. Almost every one
who had undergone any experience
with these sentries of the coast re-
ported them more than half human.
and disinclined to notice ordinary
European purchases; but what these
veterans said had little weight beside
the startling narratives of those who
merely repeated anecdotes of what
bad happened to persons thew
had heard of. Some OF these were
tales OF hapless passengers who had
been obliged to retire and be searched,
or to spend days and hundreds of dol.
lars In satisfying the greed of our
protective policy. There was one
story OF great empressement about a
gentleman who, on being asked to paw
duty on two silver candlesticks, threw
them into the river rather than do so.
After seven days of such recitals a great
number of the cabin passengers were
rendered nervous to a degree that
made life wretched for those who had
to listen to the borrowed trouble that
Weighted all their talk. Shakespeare's
reference to that human possession
which makes towards of us all" was
never better understood or justified |
'han in that cabin company.
One black-haired woman, of girlisb |
frame and placid mien. exhibited no
in the otherwise all-absorbipg
'opic. Those who had gone over on |
the same ship with her declared that
she had appeared equally Indifferent
70 the ceaseless rocking of the vessel
rs 1t rode out one gale after another
Dill the way across. It seemed that
lothlng moved or affected her. Early
very morning she came up to her
leck chair with an unfinished quilt,
md the basket of patches, needles
ND silk, with which she was complet-
ng the pretty spread. All day
ong she sewed away, stop
ing only for her meals or her
up OF broth at eleven o'clock each
orenoon. Old Judge Dash, of Boston,
whose wife had purchased two pairs
lace curtains in Brussels, felt per-
onally outraged by the quilt-maker's
'laoidity. He and his wife thought of
othing except the customs inspector
mo was to examine their trunks.
very day both resolved upon a new
lode OF smug-that is to say, of get
ing the curtains through to Boston
'i'huu' paying duty upon them. 1t was
sually the Judges wife who hit mon
ach new plan, and the Judge com
lained that she always woke him I'M
nth these new conceptions at five
clock in the morning, after HAVING
ept him up till one o'clock the pre-
ious night with impracticable plans.
'etween loss of sleep and a troubled |
onscience the Judge was visibly vast.
ng away, but his wife as plainly i'm
'roved as each day sped along. In
liverpool she put the curtains under
paper in the bottom of her trunk. She
e0k them out aboard ship. and folded
'ach half curtain in with the skirt of
e dress after another. Then she de-
ssed to rip the lining out of his new
Ash ulster, and sew the curtains
ss'seen the lining and the cloth. She
;s'aally went so far as to rip the lin
~ loose, despite his excited assertion ,
10. .sas ne was not at all certain of $
a'ss4ag the ulster in duty free, since :
,na mo- midsummer. and there was no
4 s'oo'rological excuse for his having
s,,,s ulster at all She was only dis =
ss saea by finding that the curtains !
mi = soo thick to go in the coat with (
- = new and larger lining, accom-, S