The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-01-11

OF cheap brick sheds, one story high.
yellow ochred, with a pavement of
sorts. The roadway, once cobbled, is
mass of disgusting mire Peasant
carriers, in charge of inconsequent
teams hauling miscellaneous merchan-
disc, yell and bawl A jolting drosky
attempting to dash by splashes the
uniform of a Russian officer with filth
and as the Russian language is well
stored with explosives there is violent
cursing. Russian soldiers, unwashed
and in unkempt clothing, trudge sui
lenly in the gutter, carrying big loaves
of black bread under their oxters.
A cadayerous, long haired, black
gowned priest goes hurrying by. Old
women cross themselves and young
men spit on the ground A bunch of
porcine Chinese in blue Jackets and
Win swinging pigtails come over the
bridge from Chinatown, where all the
buildings have caves that leer, and on
the doors are painted rampant dragons
of fearful design, intended to brighten
away thieves-which they probably do.
Tinkle, tinkle and an awkward heave
and bump electric tramcar comes sizz-
ling along.
Some Moslems are facing the east,
fancying they look toward Mecca,
which they do not, and are performing
their devotions in the street. Moscow
merchants are in an adjoining cafe,
and q gramophone blares Il wouldn't
leave my little wooden hut for you"
There is the constant click of the
abacus-beads on wires, ON which we
learned to count as children, and with
out which the Russian, inheriting it's
use from Tartar ancestors, cannot
reckon how many two and three total.
A playful on the side eft a rickety
kiosk announces performance
Russian, Of course-of "The Geisha
Nowhere have l seen such a jostling
OF East and West.
One likes to think Mini Novgorod
fair is Oriental. 1t is customary to
associate the Orient with the dazzling
But there is nothing dazzling about
the fair. The Eastern practice is fol-
lowed of having all the shops selling
particular wares in one district.
looked for old silver and found cart
loads of crude Austrian electroplate
l sought antique rugs and got a head
ache looking at the vile, highly colored
and grotesquely patterned mats manu-
featured in German Poland. The only
embroideries were imitation rubbish
from Switzerland. In a dirty cafe |
did come across some melancholy Per-
slams who had turquoise and opal
stones to sell, and we spent rainy
afternoon in haggling.
Yet there is a fascination in the null
titude of articles. At times one can
imagine that all the manufactures of
shoddy articles have dumped their
things on Volga-side. Try to picture
a third Of a mile of tombstones for
sale-though, Hibernian like, most of
the stones are of wood. Here the
merchant from the far interior may
acquire really striking monument
which will make him the envy of his
neighbors who have never been to the
fair. A whole street is devoted to
the sale of ikons, pictures of saints
set out in Byzantine style in flaming
gilt, and to be found in every Russian
house in the right hand corner at the
UPPER end Of the room.
There are streets sacred to the sale
OF Russian boots-there must be mil
lions of them. Battalions of sacks
laden with raisins block one thorough
fare; another road is a maze of bales
Of wool. A row Of shops is given up
to the sale Of umbrellas, and there is
merriment watching the astonished
countenance of a simple peasant wo-
man having an umbrella opened in her
face for the first time. Miles upon
miles of cotton goods are here, with
no nonsensical half shades about them
but strong and unmistakable reds and
green's and blues and yellows. Half
street is given up to cheap German
toys
In the centre of the fair is a large
red brick arcade with shops selling
the usual tinsel and expensive things,
with the usual band playing in the
afternoon, and the usual row of wooden
faced individuals sitting on benches
aad stlidly enjoying the music. There
is the usual Fostering by importunate
dealers. And there are literally bill
lions Of postcards.
Last evening at shutdown I climbed
the hill Of the quaint walled fortress
which guards Mini Noygorod The
failing sun was furnishing the doomes
OF innumerable churches, a hundred
sweet toned bells, beaten with wooden
hammers, made the evening melodious.