Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1905-06-30

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"
60, go, Monsieur Ephrinell. we will
meet ON board. BY the bye, you have
not met our travelling companionY
What travelling companionT
''The young lady who took my place
in the carriage"
Was there young lady with usT'
''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 ] shall know before we get to
Pekin what 1t is that Strong, Bulbul &
Co. send out in such quantities. Five
thousand cases a week-what an out
put and what a turnoverl
When 1t is two o'clock l think l 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
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
attracted by two people walking along
together. The man Is from thirty to
thirty-fve 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, 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
ned couple come in the train from Tihis,
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.
l have 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 l TO the Yankee, chow
are you getting on, with your cargoT
AT this moment, sir. the thirty-sev-
enth case is on the road"
And what may be in those cases, If
you pleaseY
I'm those cases? Ali There Is the
thirty-seventh" 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 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 Ephrinell's cases have been put.
He has lent hand with Yankee energy,
determined not to lose sight of his valua-
bic 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?"
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
wait a bit?' shouted Ephrinell. 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 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 shout OF indignation did Ephri- |
nell raise! What whack with his fist |
did he administer 10 the unfortunate |
porter as he repeated In a voice of de-
spair, my teeth, my poor teethg
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 week for the five parts of |
the world that this huge concern existed!
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. I rec
ognize them as being in German, the
same as l had heard at Tinis when the
train was starting for Baku.
Il 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 hand and help him on board
About quarter Of mile out there
is sort Of boiling, agitating the sur
face Of the sea, and showing some deem
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 Cane
Apcheron, while the range Of the eau
casus ran up into the western horizon