Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1905-07-01

a moment to lose. When a man repre-
sents the firm of Strong, Bulbul & Co.,
who send out every week five thousand
cases of their goods
go. go. Monsieur Ephrinell, we will
meet on board. By the bye. you have
not met our travelling companion"
What travelling companion?"
1.-THE young lady who took my place
in the carriage"
WAS there a young lady with us?'
"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 1 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 a turnover!
When it is two o'clock 1 think l had
better get down to the boat. l must call
at the railway station where 1 have left
my light luggage at the cloak room. Soon
L am 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
together. The man is from thirty to
thirty-tve years old, the woman from
twenty-five to thirty, the man already
grayish brown, with mobile face, lively
look, easy walk with 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 Tihis,
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.
l have a good mind to go and help them.
Just as l am walking up to them Ephri-
nell appears, drags me away, and l leave
the couple behind.
WELL" said 1 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 pleaseY
'In those cases? Ali There is the
thirty-seventhr 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 overfowed 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 Ephrinells cases have been put
He has lent a 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?" 1
asked the American.
There is the forty-second case just
coming" he replied.
And there was the said case on the
back Of a porter already coming along
the gangway. 1t seemed to me that the
porter was rather lottery.
"Wait a biti' shouted Ephrinell. Then
derstood, he shouted: Look out. Look
outl'
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 a quantity of little packets
of paper scatter their contents on the
deck.
What a shout of Indignation did Ephri-
no wi oh h fcti
did he administer to the unfortunate
porter as he repeated in a 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
The bell is ringing for the last time
ALI the passengers are aboard. The AS
tara is casting off her warps. Suddenly
there are shouts from the quay. 1 rec
ognize them as being in German, the
same as 1 had heard at Tifiis when the
train was starting for Baku.
It is the same man. He Is painting he !
runs, he cannot run much faster. The |
gangway 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
maneuvering with the fender. They each
give him a hand and help him on board. |
About a quarter of mile out there
Is a sort of boiling, agitating the sur
face of the sea, and showing some deep
trouble in the waters. l was near the