Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-03

The big ocean liner was nearing
Sandy Hook. Steamer trunks Uttered
the corridors in every conceivable
state of disarray, while the one topic
.of conversation on the boat was that
Of the Inevitable customs. TO de-
clare or not TO declare" was unde-
niably the question
On deck sat four up and coming"
ladies whose baggage was stripped
ready for landing. The spokesman of
the group was a little widow i'm SOM
Der black, with an interesting face
and a voice and accent that betrayed
her southern ancestry.
This Is the time to test ones pa
triotism," she said, wrinkling her face
into a grimace of annoyance. "By
the time you are through the customs
you teel like forsweariug your coun-
try forever. I'll never forget my first
experience-never. 1t was ten years
ago, and | was coming home, after
working for year at Julien's, to teach
art In southern seminary. While
in Paris | had bought q lot of espe-
cially good plaster casts and before
leaving had them packed for trans
portation mt shop near the Louvre
Then I went to the American consul
ate and secured Il paper stating that
the casts were the tools of my trade
and had been used during a years resi-
dence in Paris. When the time came
for me to make my declaration |, OF
course, specified the casts. The in
spector passed the contents of my
trunk, found nothing dutiable, and
then called for an appraiser to decide
upon the value of my box of casts.
j always do have bad luck with Gus
toms officials, and this particular ap-
praiser was the meanest white man
ever struck. He was just plain low
down. He ordered me to take out all
the contents of the box. Can't you
fancy the picture. as all my lovely
Apollos and Psyches, my Winged Vic
tory and some Donatello replicas
strewed the dock? Out they all came.
every treasured one, and then he
stalked off to the office, leaving me
to pick my way after him, speechless
with Indignation, for I'd shown him
my receipted bills and had declared
the exact value of the casts.
But that was not all l had to en-
dure. When l got to the office a dis
courteous official who did not even
have the manners to turn round in his
American consul into my hand and
said roughly:
This isn't worth the paper it's
written on. You'll pay so per. cent
duty or leave your goods
'How perfectly dreadful" came in
murmured sympathy from the listen
ers. Did you pay?" asked the young
est.
Did / pay? My dear, it's very ap-
mn, T., ,ic te +,,;,,
course 1 paid, every single cent. My
feeble protests did no earthly good,
and besides 1 was in a hurry to take
a late afternoon train to Richmond.
So l almost emptied my pocketbook
to pay the duty. I'll never forget my
feelings as 1 left that room. I was
mad clean through at the discourteous
treatment 1 received. Right over the
door l noticed a sign Don't sweari'
Of being a southern lady, I certainly
did feel like swearing right then and
there.
when 1 got back to my scattered
treasures 1 begged the man who helped
me with the packing, almost on my
knees, to be careful for fear anything
should be broken. 1 feed him well and |
watched him nail on the cover with
many misglvings. Three days later |
- N' 'NAA ~ Ai"ANS q ouu
story short, not one cast was whole
and most of them were reduced to
powder"
Once again a groan of indignant
sympathy testified to the interest
aroused by this tale of woe.
Il should never have recovered from
that blow" said the senior member
of the party.
'I never have. I hung on the wall
over my desk a scratched and broken
copy of the Donatello st. Cecilia and
vowed then and there when my cry
ing spell was over, not to rest until
was even with the government l
waited many years for my chance, but
1t came at last and-but that's another
story and I won't tire you all trying
to tell it."
"Oh, please go on" urged the chorus