CARTAGE. 
a handle, standing in a blue willow pattern aancer, 
and a plate, in which was a quantity of cut cavendish 
tobacco. Beside the table was a chair balanced on 
three legs with one of the arms broken : close to the 
chair was lying a smoking fire-stick, just newly 
brought in from the cook-house, at which Mr. Brown 
had lighted his pipe and again laid it down for after 
use. It must not be supposed from this description 
of Mr. Brown’s refreshment that he was a teetotaller. 
Not he, but his beer was done, and the amount of 
his liquor in stock consisted of half -a- bottle of brandy 
stowed away in the cupboard* this must be kept as 
a stand-bj in case of any visitor or in event of his 
neighbour Jones looking in, to have a gossip. Mr. 
Brown was walking up and down the verandah 
smoking a pipe. Every turn he took he cast an anxious 
glance to the turn of the road, where it came in sight 
of the bungalow, occasionally looking at his watch. 
The t appal cooly ” {boy who went to the post ofiice 
for letters) was late. He bad left at 9 o'clock in the 
morning with letters to post, and was fully due in 
return with letters, if any, at 4 o’clock in the after- 
noon. Mr. Brown was muttering to himseb, ‘‘ I dl 
stop that fellow’s pay. I ’ll change the tappal man. 
“I’ll ” when suddenly round the corner comes 
troiting a smart active-looking lad, bale- legged, a 
white cloth round his waist, a blue ja< ket and a red 
turban round his shoulders; swung by a belt was a 
email tin oblong box, which, on arrival in front of 
the bungalow, he took off and handed to his mas er. 
“Well, you lazy fellow, what have you been about? 
It is five o’clock.” To which the' brisk reply was 
— whether true or not, it must be a cepted — “ Co- 
lombo tappal did n’t come till late, ” Mr, Brown still 
smoking opened the letter-box and took out one letter, 
it had the Colombo post-mark, and he knew the 
agent’s handwriting on the back. He opened the 
letter, which was a brief one, and read; — “Dear Sir, 
— We beg to advise you of having despatched tw^enty 
carts with half loads of rice, 250 bushels in all— carts 
bound to bring down return loads of coffee at 60 
bushels per cart, in .all 1,200 bashds. We would 
beg to draw your attention to the importance of 
loading these carts as speedily as possible^ as great 
complaints are made by the cartmen that a number 
of ourjestates detain them for unreasonable periods, 
which often cause us an extreme difficulty in pro- 
curing cartage; besides you must be aware that it is 
cf importance to the proprieto r to have his coffee 
despatched and shipped at as early a period of the 
:Season as possible. — Yours truly, A. B. C. & Co.” 
Mr. Brown threw down the letter on the table and 
