The evening times., 1899-01-25

whole thing was hauled UP short, and /
! heard somebody In the coach sing out in
good American, Hello, Doc Then | saw
who ii was-a man had known out Wsst
HE asked me TO get into the carriage and
ride up 10 his lodgings with him. II there
was any more stylish turnout in Moscow
l didn't happen 10 see il just then. and
was glad enough to have such a ride for
the very l:ok of Russian signboards has
tendency TO make man feel more lone
some than any other mortal thing So I
| hoped in. and dream in calves and
epaulettes and silver trimmed livery closed
I the door after me, and my friend r, IN rx-
ed to this superior person the single word.
Home He did it Just as natural as If
he was Russian prince, and had been
doing it all his life
And that was the funny part. he Was
just an ordinary American medical prac-
titioner from somewhere out in Wyoming,
/ had got to know him at me- tiaez Of
medical societies in St. Louis and Omaha
When ! knew him he was surgeon under
contract with a coal mine out there,
drawing probably not more than Sl5J a
month. and obliged TO take care of all the
miners, and it's scandalous the way
those mines use up their miners Wen
we drove through SOFT of a park ami
up toward . big building which had been
pointed out TO me as one of the Cars
palaces. We drove up all right into a
porte-cOchere, and the soldiers presented
arms with snap and rattle of Their
trappings. that same vision in livery
opened the door, and we went into ne
palace between a double row of similar
gorgeous creatures bowling down before
us. Then We walked along those mag
nifcent marble halls real marble, and |
could see whole rows Of vassals and serfs.
drawing salaries Just 10 be part o. a
this magnifcence.
This fairly took my breath away but
l followed my medical friend wherever he
was going. Even If it was his palace /
felt ! could stand it just as long as any coal
mine surgeon from Wyoming Pretty soon
we went into most elegant set of apart
ments, parlOr and bedroom and dining room
and everything complete. Then he hand
ed me his card and ne had the cheek TO
ask me how this was for snug quarters for
rising medical man. | looked at the card
and saw that in addition to his name and
the statement that he was physician and
surgeon TO the Black Diamond Coal Minins
Company, of Wyoming, he had had a new
lire engraved, Suite q, Imperial Palace of
the Car.
We'll, you could have knocked me down
with feather. As soon as ! felt myself
reviying l had few questions to ask
Oh. that's dead easy ne explained
this rising young medical man from coal
mine Ill wyoming. The superintendent OF
our mine is sort of colonel; there's a
regiment of militia spTinkled over q few
counties-they would be a regiment il they
could get together. So | told him want
ed to be surgeon of that regiment. with
uniform and a commission. He fixed me
up all right. made me Il surgeon of the
regiment, and pretty soon l got big sheet
OF paper, with seal in red down in one
corner. That was pretty good for a begin
ming, but 1t seemed to me that the seal
could be improved on. | was sure thew
came in bigger sizes. | mentioned that to
my old friend. the Governor. and he saw
the point. He had most imposing docu-
ment prepared authorizing me to leave and
enter the State as often as | pleased and
he signed ii himself and got the secretary
of state to sign it and to slap on the big
gest seal there was about the capital, the
great seal CT the State of Wyoming they
call it.
That was something like | can tell
you. Then | got my passport from Wash
inston. with another seal~on it, and that
completed my outfit, Then, when | got
along as far as Berlin, | took count of
stock to see that l was all right for you
read lot about what happens to peep
in Russia when their papers are not i'll
order; but | was all right. with as DR. tty
a collection Of seals and signatures as
youd d want to see. When | got here in
Moscow and went TO register | pulled out
the whole museum. They were all in
big blue envelope. together IN Il band
of red tape around that. First thing they
struck was my passport, with its little
seal Next they got my regimentai com
mission, with its much larger seal. Last
of all they finished of with the great seal
of Wyoming. That got them they tO0k
me into private room, and il didn't seem
as If they could do too much FOR me
In q short while set of high-laced Off
cials came in and made a series OF apollo
gies for their remissnesS in not meeting
me and making proper arrangements fol-
my reception but they explained that il /
would only consent to overlook their fau
the Gar had commanded A set OF apart
ments to be made ready for me in this
palace, with many regrets that he was
taken by surprise and many apo'ogies
that they were no better.
Perhaps the Car could have done bet
ter if he had had notice. but it strikes me
that this set of rooms. with a bath and
meals on the European plan will do on a
pinch.
Now, mind you concluded the physi-
clan. this is what was done for a mere
contract surgeon TO a hole in the ground
out in Wyoming. But DR.. Sternberg, sur
geon general of the army-well, late that
afternoon you might have seen US two chas-
ing around Moscow in a Russian hack.
what they call drosky. trying to find the
second-rate boarding house, which was the
best they could do for US. So it was all
through; the surgeon general of the army
wasn't seven high to a nervy coal practi-
toner from out in Wyoming.