Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1905-06-30

moment to lose. When man repre-
sents the firm of Strong, Bulbul3 & Co,
who send out every week five Thousand
cases of their goods"
$50, go, Monsieur Ephrinell we viii
meet on board. By the bye, you have
not met our travelling companion|
What travelling compartment?
"The young lady who took my place
in the carriage"
WAS there young lady with usP'
'Of course"
"Well, you are the first to tell me So
Mr.. Bombarnac."
And thereupon the American goes out
of the door, and disappears. 1t is to be
hoped I shall know before we get to
Pekin what it Is that Strong, Bulbul &
Co. send out in such quantities. Five
thousand cases a week-what an out
put, and what turnover!
When it is two O'Clock I think had
better get down to the boat. l must call
at the railway station where l have left
my light luggage at the cloak room. Soon
ann off again, Fastening down one of
the roads leading to the harbor.
At the break In the wall, where access
Is obtained to the quay, my attention is
attracted by two people walking along
/ together. The man is from thirty to
thirty-ive years old the woman from
twenty-five to thirty, the man already
! grayish brown, with mobile face, lively
look, easy walk with a certain swinging
of the hips. The woman still a pretty
blonde, blue eyes, a rather fresh COM
plexion, her hair frizzed under a cape,
a travelling costume which is in good
taste neither In its questionable cut nor
in its glaring color. Evidently "a mar
ried couple come in the train from Tifiis,
and unless 1 am mistaken they are
French.
They are too much occupied to see me.
In their hands, on their shoulders, they
have bags and cushions and wraps and
sticks and sunshades and umbrellas. They
are carrying every kind of little package
you can think of which they do not care
to put with the luggage on the steamer,
have good mind to go and help them.
just as am walking up to them, Ephri-
nell appears, drags me away, and leave
the couple behind.
WELL" said / to the Yankee, chow
are you getting on with your cargo"
AT this moment, sir, the thirty-sev-
enth case is on the road"
And what may be in those cases, if
you pleaseT
I'm those cases? All! There is the
thirty-seventhw he exclaimed and he
ran out to meet a truck which had just
come on to the quay.
The Astara is loaded up. The hold is
not big enough, and a good deal of the
cargo is overlooked on the deck. The
stern is reserved for passengers, but from
the bridge forward to the top-gallant
forecastle there is a heap Of cases COW
cred with tarpaulins to protect them
from the sea.
There Ephrinell's cases have been put.
He has lent hand with Yankee energy,
determined not to lose sight of his valua-
BILE property, which is in cubical cases.
about two feet on the side, covered with
patent leather, carefully strapped, on
which can be read the stenciled words,
Strong, Bulbul & Co., New York"
Are all your goods on board Z" 1
asked the American
'"There is the forty-second case just
coming" he replied.
And there was the said case on the
back Of porter already coming along
the gangway. 1t seemed to me that the
RuIlCA WAS IdluSI bOLleIys
wait bit" shouted EphrineIl. Then
in good Russian, so as to be better I'M
derstood, he shouted: Look out! Look
outr'
1t is good advice, but it is too late.
The porter has just made false step.
The case slips from his shoulders, breaks
in two, and quantity of little packets
of paper scatter their contents on the
deck
What a shout Of indignation did Ephri- |
nell raise! What whack with his fist
did he administer to the unfortunate
porter as he repeated in a voice of de-
SPAR, MY teeth, my poor teethr"
And he went down on his knees to
gather up his little bits of artificial ivory |
that were scattered all about, while / |
could hardly keep from laughing.
1t was for manufacturing five thou
sand cases a week for the FIVE parts OF
the world that this huge concern existed!
The bell is ringing for the last time.
ALI the passengers are aboard. The As
tara is casting of her warps. Suddenly
there are shouts from the quay. l rec
ognize them as being i'll German, the
same as / had heard, at Tihis when the (
train was starting for Baku.
It Is the same man. He Is painting, he
runs, he cannot run much faster. The
yangway has been drawn ashore. and
The steamer is already moving off. Luck
ly there is a rope out astern which still
keeps the Astara near the quay. The
German appears just as two sailors ara
with the fender. They each
give him a hand and help him on board
About a quarter Of mile out there
S sort Of boiling, agitating the sur
ACE Of the sea, and showing some deep
rouble in the waters. / was near the
adj on the starboard quarter, and. smoL-
ng my cigar, was looking at the harbor
disappearing behind the point round Cane
Apcheron, while the range Of the Can
.asus ran up into the western horizon
)f my cigar there remained only the
md between my lips, and, taking a LAST
vhiff, / threw 1t overheard.