New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-15

4
: white-aproned herd of shaggy. yelling,
/ struggling porters and you follow them
/ 10 a door. At each side of the threshold
stands heavily armed soldier clasping
/ loaded rife with fixed bayonet. You
/ eye them. feeling. with a sinking heart.
/ that YOU are going TO your own funeral
or YOU would II you had had the things
/ ] took there once-and pass within. ]
wanted to pop out and look around for
| few moments until the crush and the
| clamor should have abated. but this was
/ forbidden. Once past the gentlemen with
the bayonets and you were in for your
troubles
At the end of the hall stands a big
/ shrine, an altar with steps and brass
/ rails. domed with a canopy OF red plush
and framing an ikon of the Virgin and
the Holy Child. Almost directly be-
meath. surrounded by a knot of tall.
| broad shouldered officers, each with his
colored military cap. is a rude deal table
! and a set of scales. the scene Of the
weighing. The centre of the floor is oc-
cupied with piles Of heavy trunks and
crates and baskets that have come Ia
by freight car. Many Of the baskets arc
filed with flowers. narcissus and violets
from the hothOuses Of Prussia TO snow
bound society in Petersburg.
THE AWE-lNsPlRlNG OFFICIALS.
The number and the type Of the Off |
Gals i'm the hall are awe-inspirng. Ihey
are not the dirty-fngered red-faced. jan /
boring, gesticulating customs people OF
less rigorous chimes. They are impressive /
and slow OF movement. they have little I
20 say and they wear spouess suede
gloves. They wear several medals. You
feel as though you are intruding at n
council Of war OF going TO trial for some /
heinous plot against a major general.
Your passport is taken from you al I
most Immediately, and nervous luil en- |
sues. In a back room they are looking
Won M on Holy Russias Black List, to
see II YOU chance 10 be one of the nu- |
merous persona non grata In the empire
and they are entering your age ana /
height and the color of your eyes ana /
your business ali specified on your Amer |
lean passport I'm a police register
The first time | passed the Russian |
frontier the situation was lntensiheu pS |
unusual circumstances. Ny friend, Ken
ardson Wright was bound for siberia
Northumberland with us travelled our
fox terrier. Jack. We were rather rear
ing a quarantine for Jack. our DasBase
was odd. 10 say the least. consisting |
largely Of emergency medicaments lof
use I'm the Siberian wilds. and tricky Toys
and electrical apparatus for gifts TO the
natives. We were hay on just what was
dutiable. II caught taking certain thlnbs |
o,,er the frontier we were liable 10 me |
Of FIVE times their value and the arucies 1
themselves would be connscated. 1T we
had too many books for the nkinss Oh
the officials they would be taken OH 10
the censor and kept for months perhaps
SUSPICIOUS LUGGAGE.
Presently a bearded giant came stridlng
round the inner edge of the rectangular
barrier. a bunch Of passports In his mana
He cried. "Rickti Rickt"-as near as he
could get to Richardson Wright.
Wright claimed II. and then there gain
cred around two big mIlitary-uniiormeu
men much be-medalled. an alde-de-camp' !
a minor customs official and two search
ers Our bulging suitcases were I'M |
strapped. We felt glad that we had' az
anv rate. some quite blameless shirts ana
! SOCKS
sI,nners that brought pathetcally alien |
touch Of domesticity into play In aduI-
tfon IN other strange gear we had some |
five hundred Photographic MINIS IN cahis-
ters-a veritable spy and bomoihro"efs
baggage. forsooth! -,
Still. II IS a dark cloud that has no sh-
yer lining. We almost looked Forward /
IN heing ordered TO stay behind the CONF
mon herd TO render a satisfactory account
80 come of the intricaces OF our bag
f! gage TO a tribunal OF these erahu -ouAish
nersonaees You see we had: itern'
i.,,a - long snoon. with a rubber bowl |
=. 81 and of the handle. You clampeu |
: ,,ooo 30 naner over the bowl, and, al
The ,,atiQation of the EVIL One, swatteu
unsuspectipg persons over the bacK' Oh
the head. with a noise ike MAJ 'i.''
| elephant gun We decided TO deH'o"s"N."
the slapstick upon certain exceeoih5y
obese and fiery mustachioed orhcer !"
! green uniform, should demonstration NC
called for Then there was clock"o'h
crocodile that wiggled about the noor' anu
that would very easily buzz-sa" your
finger through at the joint II you weren
careful with the cogged wheels as you !
were winding him up. We decided 10
hand this creature 10 another potentate
whose looks we disliked. with the KEY |
J and without warning of the slipping coz
wheel
We had cute little bottles OF water that |
leaked down your sleeve when the cork
was pulled. We had inflated rubber
beetles that the unregenerate drop In |
half-duaffcd glass of beer and showing
| the contents TO the bartender. obtain an
other glass and an apology. And we had |
boxes from which wire spring serpents |
Ieaped at you when you lifted the lid. |
while Dick demonstrated the true IN