The Washington herald., 1908-06-14
Ellis SAND-SELLING CARAVAN
Bedouin of the British Highways
Who Always Excites Interest.
Ten or Twelve sturdy Donkeys in
slow Procession File Down
the Village Streets.
Fpm the London Globe.

From the London Globe
Let Il not be thought that the caravan
i'm question was the brightly-painted house
on wheels In which the Snowman and the
hasket-hawker journey through the land.
Eli II we recall his character Alright.
would have scorncd such luxury. His
caravan. 20 quote the dictionary. was "a
company Of travellers juurneying togeth-
err" and though the word may perhaps
recalI-errOneously. 50 FAR as Ell is con-
cerned-a line OF grunting velvet-fOoted
camels pacing under Eastern skies. the
old mans company was not 20 be despised
Ia point OF picturesque utility. Ten or
twelve sturdy dODkeys formed his cara
van: on one occasion some fifteen. no less,
filed slowly through the village just at
dusk; but this was an unusual sight and
one which brought the most incurioUs
20 their doors 10 welcome the old traveller.
Eli was a travelling merchant, and his
sole commodity was gand-red sand. fine
silver sand for household use. and sand
Of coarser grain for service in the gar
dener's potting shed. Each donkey bore
a long and closely woven sack the mouth
of which was placed, not at one end. but
In the middle so that a few handfuls OF
the contents could be taken from the
store without the sack being lifted of the
dOnkey's back. matter Of no small con-
venienCe TO one who hawked his mer-
chandise from door 90 door and sold as
small a quantity as might be wished
Where Ell and the sand had travelled
from IS still a matter Of surmlse Ger
tainly from some distant quarter OF the
land. for In the limestone country, in
the midst Of which our village lay. he
could hardly have laden one Of all his
Q. H.
sumed. incurious folk. being like Old
Leisure happy in our inability 20 know
the causes Of things. preferring the
things themselves" AMI though our
mental eye can conjure up the figure Of
Old Eli still haranguing a surrounding
group Of villagerS-OUrselvcs sometimes
included-on some strange tale OF his ex-
periences. no definite locality was 70 our
knowledge. ever named. Such things had
happened over there" or way back
yander' the direction being vaguely In
dicated with a jerk Of his gray head.
Perhaps there was reason in this mys-
terry; Eli had the monopoly on sand I'm
our parts. and meant TO keep Il: he
had no intention Of letting possible COM
peutors into the secret Of his sources Of
supply. Ell Is OF the past by many a
year. and now We buy our sand from
neighboring town-an innovation which.
convenient as Il may be. lacks all flavor of
the picturesque. In the matter Of TO-
nance IL would have been hard to find a
worthy substitute for Eli as he stalked
into the village beside the Struggling line
OF patient beasts. lie was a tall and
gaunt old man, and everything about
him matched his height; the comical and
wide-brimmed hat upon his head. the
gray beard falling almost to his waist
the seven-fOot iron-shod pole of ash he
always carried IN his hand, not for cor
reCtiOn of the dOnkeys. on whom none
ever saw him lay a hand except in kind
ness and for each OF whom he had a
name. Our village was a halting place
on his long trail" Ell himself put up
at its one inn; the main body Of the cara
van was eased of the sacks and turned
into a field. while for several days Eli
with one or two donkeys tramped the
lanes till the district was supplied
For those who cared to hear he had
enhancing tales Of natures rarer sights
and sounds; of mad March hares and
badgers watched for long hours by moon
light in the fields and woods or otters
whistling by the brookside I'm the sum-
mer night. For though with us he made
the village inn his lodging place. he
oftener pitched his simple camp beneath
the open sky, choosing some hospitable
stretch OF roadside turf, a common. or a
friendly farmers field where he might
feed and rest his beasts and build his
evening fire Of sticks. And II was from
such camp that tidings reached the
village Of the old wanderers death. His
trade was slipping from him gradually.
his caravan was shorn OF half its
strength; age and infirmities were creep
ing on. But still this Bedouin Of the Eng
lish highways held his course. tin. in
distant county. he was found az break OF
day beside stream his unseeing eyes
upturned as If to greet the rising sun.
three Gonkeys standing with lowered
heads around the master who would new
er lead them on the morning march
again.
Investment Note.
From Td-Bits
with Ona execution ax-or,-tt,g,1. r..