The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-20

"It's a splendid idea" said. "I wouldn't mind buying thirty cents worth of iulag- ination from you now, cash down. I need imagination In my business, and can use some of 1t this very day" ''very well. sir" replied the Baron. Here's a thirty cent Idea that Is worth q fortune, or rather will be before you get through with it.. Do you know what great man Tennyson was7'
 "Yes," said l. .l. ''And do you know how large a vocaou- lary he had7' he asked.
 ''No," he answered. Well if has been stated to me that at the outside he did not use more than a.675 separate words In all his work. Now in the latest dictionaries there are In tho neighborhood of 300,O0O words, capable of an infinite number of variations, If you will advertise tomorrow that you will Suply vecabularies of 5.000 words each to every applicant who enelosee five dollars in money or postal order by which he or , she can win fame as great as Tennyson's without leaving home, your harvest will be rich" I scratched my head in perplexity.
 T don't see how I can guarantee Ten- uygon's fame to those who would puf- chase my vocabularies." ventured.
 'You can't. That would be>a swindls. After they get your vocabuIaries. It's up to them, of course. to do the rest" said Munchausen. "It is only the way Ten nyson arranged his words that brought him his success and it will be only in the way these patrons of yours use the larger vocabularies which you furnish that will bring them theirs. In any event, if you sell as few as thousand vocabularies at five dollars apiece that's live thousand dollars. which strikes me as a pretty good return on the thirty cents you pay for the idea.1
 Munchausen Dividends.
 "Heavens," cried. its i66.ees per cent. --they send men tv jail in this country when they get up as high as 520 per cent"
 Mot the same thing at all" said the Baron. Those 520 per cent chaps never give the public anything for their money. They went in for pure imagination undi- luted. You, however, do give something in return. You give a man a vocabulary that's worth every cent he pays for 1t. If he can't use 1t, that's not your fault. If a chap comes to mo and buys a set of carpenters tools. I'm not swindler be- cause he doesn't know a saw from tontnpick or a jack plane from tack hammer. and is. therefore. unable to use what sell him.
 T stiIl think I should be answerable to the law for imposing upon human cre- dulity." said I.
 well. it's easy enough to get around that" said the Baron. with each vo- cabulayy send along a copy of Tennyson. in one volume, and call 1t How to Use 'Em; or. a Handbook to q Tennyson Vc- cabulary' Then you have done every thing you could do to give quid pro quo" 'sWeII. anyhow, Baron," said I, 'the idea is worth thirty cents and here is my check for the amount. You'n have to get somethIng better, though. if you want to get on in New York. It's deeds, not words. that count"
 q know that" said the Baron. That's why I want to get started and hoat my United States Ambergris Company, to de- velop the aTnbergris mines of South Da~ kota."
 a.Is there ambergris in South Dakota"
 swhat's that got to do with itg' que ried Munchausen. ''I don't say that there is, but there's no reason why we shouldn't start a company to be ready for such mines if they are ever discovered" I shook my head sadly.
 Never mind" said the Baron. You needn't be unhappy about me. know what I am about, and understand this age pretty thoroughly. When I lived in Bodenwerder made the awful mistake of devoting my fancy to tho mere enter taInment of the public. Now I'm going In on a different basis. Imagination Is my asset, and I'm going to work it for all 1t is worth--incorporate 1t. organize 1t. de- vote 1t to the enrichment of my own pockets, and take my place among the Captains of Industry.
 "As my cousin nine billion, seven hun dred and slxty-eight thousand, nine hum dred and hfty-stx times removed, but still dear to me. shall be glad to have you come in and participate in the pro- fits But if you fear 1t and are unwilling to take risks that alone insure millions in the future. far be 1t from me to try to persuade you. Meanwhile, can you get me a job to tide mo over?''
 Whereupon I bethOught me that my friend Harlaway. of the Folly Burlesoue Opera Company of Santiago, was in need of press agent, and I gave my new found cousin letter of introduction to him but, 1t was never presented have since learned that the Baron's reason for not applying for the position was that on his way to Harkaway's ofice he met MT. Parker s. Watson, president of the Muill-