Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-01

his pleasure, and that then his pleasure in the matter
would be communicated by Caprvi.
Smith said he would know his fate the next even
ing after the imperial dinner that when l should
escort His Majesty into the large salon contiguous
to the dining room, would find there about thirty
men Cabinet Ministers, Admiras, Generals and
other great officials of the Empire, that these
would be standing talking together in little
separate groups of two three persons; that the
Emperor would move from group to group and say
word to each, sometimes two words, sometimes ten
words and that the length of his speech, whether
brief not so brief would dictate the exact stand
ing in the Emperors regard of the man accosted;
and that by observing this thermometer an expert
could tell to half degree the state of the imperial
weather in each case,-that in Berlin as in the i'm
perial day of Rome, the Emperor the sun, and
that his smile or his frown meant good fortune
disaster to the man upon whom it should fall Smith
suggested that l watch the thermometer while the
Emperor went his rounds of the groups and added
that if His Majesty talked four minutes with any
person there present, it meant high favor, and
that the sun was in the zenith and cloudess
l mentally recorded that four-mnute altitude.
and resolved to see if any there that night
stood in sufficient favor to achieve it.
VERY we'll After the dinner l watched the En-
peror while he passed from group to group and
privately l timed him with watch. Two or three
altitude; but always he fell short little The last
man he came to Smith. He put his hand on
Smiths shoulder and began to talk to him. and
when he finished the thermometer had scored seven
minutes! The company then moved toward the
smoking room, where cigars, beer and anecdotes
would be in brisk service until midnight and as
Smith passed me he whispered:
That settles it The Chancellor will ask me how
much of vacation want, and l sha'n't be afraid
to raise the limit: shall call for six months"
vacation-in case he got vacation instead of the
other thing-n of the great capitals of the Con-
tinent-a capital whose name shall suppress at
Chancellor asked him how much
of vacation he wanted and
where he desired to spend it.
h Smith told him. His prayer was
granted, and rather more than
granted The Chancellor aug
mented his salary and attached
him to the German Embassy of
that selected capital, giving him
a place of high dignity, bearing an
imposing title, and with nothing
to do except attend banquets of
extraordinary character at the
Embassy, twice year.
The term of his vacation not
specified; he to continue it
until requested to back to
his work in the Foreign Office
This was in 1891. Eight years
later Smith passing through
Vienna, and he called upon
There had been interruption
of his vacation yet and there
likelihood that inter-
TX ruption of it would occur while
EI1 he should still be among the living
INA (D1crArED MONDAY DECEMBER H.
JeV AS l have already remarked,
]A"Old Times on the Mississippi"
got the Kaiser's best praise 1t was
after midnight when l reached
home. l usually out until
toward midnight, and the pleasure
of being out late poisoned.
!. every night, by the dread of what
must meet atmy front door an in
dgnant face resentfu face the face of the PORTER
The PORTER a tow headed young German, twenty
two or three years old; and it had been for some
time apparent to that he did not enjoy being
hon. Of l,;c to