The San Francisco call., 1910-10-09

his house and it was there that / met
Anfesia the Russian girl of IA.
"Anfesia," continued Ross Buell., go
ing back to the day of the Yankee ship
in the Siberian port, "Anfesia was IA
years of age and the most beautiful
girl that ever lived. She was a
brunette, small, with big brown limpid
eyes. While we were in that bleak
port she and l were ever together, but
so sweet and modest was her demeanor,
so spirituelle was her face, that she
moved the hardened crew of the Anas-
tasia eastman to profound respect and
not a word was uttered against her.
and not a gibe was made concerning
her obvious affection for me.
YES, she wanted to marry me.
was 15 years old then, and she was A..
while we were in that port, pre-
pairing for our later depredations
against the Siberian seals, the sailors
and the Russions fraternalized. We
had difficulty in making each other
understood, but the languages of hos
pitality and gratitude are universal,
and as they spoke the one ani we
answered with the other, we got along
famously. There were only 500 peo-
pie in the town, but they were the
most sociable in the world. We had
dances every night. and / and Anfesia
always danced together.
When it was time for US to leave
the crew wanted to do something for
the people, to entertain the town folks.
But we had little with which to en-
tertain. 1t happened, however, that we
had a wonderful cook. He had been
waiter at the Palace hotel in those
days when all the walters were black,
but on one ghastly occasion he dropped
tray of fine china on the tesselatej
floor of the dining room. He did not
go back into the kitchen to explain.
Our schooner was waiting at Mission
street wharf No. for such as he. He
signed about 10 minutes after the
crash. To that incident we owed our
thanks for having a real cook with
US.
'@rhis cook saw that there were
cranberries growing in the marshes
near the shore and he suggested that
we make cranberry tarts for the Rus
slams. We had only a half barrel of
sugar with US and it would take all
of that to make the dish. The men
on deck took a vote on the subject.
Should we use all our sugar to treat
the Russians and continue sur trip
with unsweetened dishes, or should we
make no return for their hospitality?
The generous side won We voted for
the sugar and the cranberry tarts.
1T was a merry berry party that
/. set out from the snip Tor the cram
berry marshes. We filled everything
on board with the scarlet fruit. Then
we gave our party on shipboard.
When we sailed away the pilot took
us out of the bay. When the boat was
being lowered to take him to shore
again the captain was sweeping the
bluffs with his glasses. As the boat
was manned he called to me.
Ross he said, help with the boat
THAT was an unexpected command,
but L readily complied.
AS we neared the shore I saw why
l had been selected. Waiting on the
sand at the foot ofathe BLUM was An
fesia. We had a parting. moment to-
gether
Come back she said to me in the
little English she had picked up. Come
back to me and we'll marry
Yes will said l. believed that
1 would. / was 15 and she was IA and
had large, limpid brown eyes. and she
was crying. I was sure that I would
return to that Russian settlement.
Positive of It. But here am now, and
God knows where Anfesia is or if she
ever remembers a young Yankee sailor
j who sat with her on the beach at KAN
chatka and was ali but ready to desert