Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-05-29


look, easy walk with certain swinging
Of the hips. The woman still pretty
blonde. blue eyes, a rather fresh COM
pexion, her hair frizzed under cape.
travelling costume which is in good
taste neither in its questionable cut nor
in its glaring color. Evidently mar
ried couple come in the train from Titlis.
and unless l 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 AID 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 sew
enth case is on the road"
And what may be in those cases, If
you please?'
I'm those cases? All. There is the
thirtyseventh" 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-galant
forccastle there is 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" l
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
porter was rather lottery
"Wat bit" shouted Ephrinel. Then
in good Russian so as to be better I'M
derstood, he shouted: Look out! Look
out"'
1t is good advice, but it is too late.
The porter has just made a false step.
The case slips from his shoulders, breaks
in two, and a quantity Of little packets
of paper scatter their contents on the
deck.
What shout of Indignation did Ephri-
nell raise. What whack with his fist
did he administer to the unfortunate
porter as he repeated in voice of de-
spair. "My teeth, my poor teeth!'
And he went down on his knees to
gather up his little bits of artificial ivory
that were scattered all about while l
| 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.
1t was for supplying the dentists of the
old and new worlds; it was for sending
teeth as far as China. that their factory
required fifteen hundred horse power.
and burned a hundred tons of coal a
day! That is quite American!
The bell is ringing for the last time.
All the passengers are aboard. The AS.
tara is casting off her warps. Suddenly
there are shouts from the quay. l rec
ognize them as being in German. the
same as l had heard at Tifis when the
train was starting for Baku.
1t is the same man. He is painting he
runs. he cannot run much faster. The
sangway has been drawn ashore. and
the steamer is already moving off. Luck
lily there is a rope out astern which still
keeps the Astara near the quay. The
German appears just as two sailors are
nj m rbn, al,
give him hand and help him on board.
About a quarter of a mile out there
is sort Of boiling, agitating the sur
face of the sea, and showing some deep
trouble in the waters. l was near the
rail on the starboard quarter, and, smok-
ing my cigar. was looking at the harbor
disappearing behind the point round Cape
Apcheron, while the range of the eau
casus ran up into the western horizon
or my cigar there remained only the
end between my lips. and, taking a last
Whit, l threw it overheard.
In an instant a sheet of flame burst
out all around the steamer. The boiling
came from a submarine spring Of naph-
tina, and the cigar end had set it alight.
Screams arise. The Astara rolls amid
sheaves Of fame, but a movement of the
helm steers us away from the flaming
spring. and we are out of danger. The
captain comes aft and says to me in a
frigid tone:
THAT was a foolish thing to do"
Really. captain. | did not know"
"You ought always to know, sir"
These words are uttered in dry, can
tankerous tone, few feet away from
me.
turn to see who it is. 1t Is the Eng
lsh woman who has read me this little
lesson.