﻿THE 
  FAR 
  EASTERN 
  REPUBLIC 
  

  

  571 
  

  

  GOING 
  TO 
  THE 
  WEDDING 
  

  

  A 
  bridal 
  party 
  is 
  nearly 
  always 
  gay 
  in 
  Chita, 
  despite 
  the 
  hardships 
  and 
  poverty 
  which 
  exist 
  

  

  in 
  every 
  home. 
  

  

  Georgians, 
  with 
  putty-like 
  soap 
  and 
  des- 
  

   perate 
  home-made 
  candy 
  ; 
  Russian 
  shops 
  

   for 
  tea 
  and 
  cakes, 
  with 
  unkempt 
  waiters, 
  

   and 
  all 
  the 
  hawkers 
  and 
  traders 
  habitual 
  

   to 
  where 
  commerce 
  is 
  primitive 
  and 
  un- 
  

   licensed. 
  

  

  A 
  HEARTACHE 
  WITH 
  EVERY 
  SALE 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  soft, 
  sandy 
  

   streets, 
  where 
  the 
  stores 
  and 
  stands 
  

   spread 
  apart, 
  the 
  barakholka 
  stretched 
  for 
  

   two 
  blocks. 
  These 
  merchants 
  did 
  not 
  

   have 
  the 
  luxury 
  of 
  roofs 
  over 
  their 
  heads, 
  

   and 
  their 
  stocks 
  were 
  spread 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  carried 
  in 
  a 
  basket 
  or, 
  if 
  their 
  

   offering 
  was 
  limited, 
  held 
  in 
  an 
  out- 
  

   stretched 
  hand. 
  

  

  To 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  bartering 
  was 
  a 
  new 
  

   experience 
  — 
  a 
  nutter 
  of 
  hope 
  when 
  a 
  

   glance 
  fell 
  their 
  way 
  and 
  a 
  heartache 
  if 
  a 
  

   sale 
  were 
  made 
  and 
  another 
  family 
  treas- 
  

   ure 
  gone. 
  Like 
  the 
  wares 
  they 
  offered, 
  

   they 
  were 
  of 
  all 
  ages 
  and 
  sizes, 
  some 
  prac- 
  

   tical 
  and 
  others 
  hopeless, 
  hard 
  and 
  worn 
  

   or 
  shy 
  and 
  embarrassed 
  by 
  the 
  adversity 
  

   which 
  was 
  new 
  to 
  their 
  lives. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  an 
  epitome 
  of 
  Siberia 
  today 
  — 
  

   industrially, 
  commercially, 
  and 
  socially. 
  

  

  The 
  interpreter 
  could 
  get 
  a 
  silk 
  shirt. 
  

   In 
  fact, 
  he 
  could 
  get 
  anything 
  he 
  wanted, 
  

   either 
  useful 
  or 
  ornamental. 
  All 
  had 
  

   been 
  used 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  it 
  so 
  long 
  used 
  that 
  

   it 
  had 
  passed 
  the 
  useful 
  stage 
  — 
  carts, 
  

   pianos, 
  music-boxes, 
  furniture 
  of 
  all 
  de- 
  

   scriptions, 
  clothes 
  for 
  every 
  size 
  and 
  sex, 
  

   soiled 
  collars 
  and 
  cuffs, 
  shaving 
  sets, 
  

   tooth-brushes, 
  family 
  albums 
  with 
  photo- 
  

   graphs 
  of 
  bewhiskered 
  men 
  and 
  old-fash- 
  

   ioned 
  women, 
  unknown 
  and 
  valueless 
  ex- 
  

   cept 
  to 
  the 
  owners, 
  mouse-traps, 
  lamps, 
  

   books, 
  paintings, 
  candlesticks, 
  soldering 
  

   irons, 
  tools 
  in 
  many 
  varieties, 
  silverware, 
  

   jewelry 
  enough 
  to 
  stock 
  a 
  loan 
  bank, 
  and 
  

   locks 
  off 
  cabin 
  doors. 
  When 
  everything 
  

   is 
  sold 
  a 
  lock 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  needed. 
  

  

  The 
  tragic 
  merchants 
  of 
  the 
  barakholka 
  

   waited 
  patiently 
  in 
  two 
  lines 
  down 
  the 
  

   broad 
  street. 
  Around 
  them 
  crowded 
  the 
  

   curious 
  and 
  the 
  speculative; 
  for 
  some, 
  

   mostly 
  Chinese 
  and 
  thrifty 
  sons 
  of 
  Abra- 
  

   ham, 
  had 
  money 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  buy 
  bar- 
  

   gains. 
  

  

  THE 
  TRAGEDY 
  OE 
  A 
  WEDDING 
  SHAWL 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  nondescript 
  line 
  

   stood 
  a 
  young 
  woman 
  in 
  her 
  early 
  twen- 
  

  

  