IN YOKOHAMA. 103

men steadily shoving. All four were humped and bowed as if working
prodigiously, and lost to everything but the occupation of cart-shoving,
but whoever did the shoving, the two men in front were dismally
groaning, and those behind replied, and a grunting time they had
of it. There were many of these man-carts in the streets, conveying
goods. There was a scarcity of horse-flesh, and the boys missed the
clattering of hoofs, and also the rumbling of heavy carts making
Boston-streets so noisy.

Ralph went back to his room at the International Hotel, saying
he must look up something on
Japan. Throwing himself back on
a comfortable sofa, he began to
read a book that Uncle Nat gave
him. When Ralph and Rick reached
Concord again, they arranged for
a lecture on Japan in their barn.
Rick took the tickets, five cents
for adults, two cents for boys of
ten, and half of the latter price for
still younger children. Three empty
soap-boxes piled one upon the other
made a lecturer's table whose
height of four feet was about as ain-

 

bitious as would accommodate the ocean aentcces
lecturer, and behind his barricade

stood Ralph reading from a manuscript. A barn-lantern suspended
from the roof shed a very, very thin light upon the audience, and
gave the lecturer only a tenth of a chance to read his manuscript.
The audience consisted of Gus Freeman, Joe Simes, Tom Eaton and
Billy Blaney, who for the consideration of two cents had been admitted