Evening star., 1909-06-06
CHAPTER VII.
The Tobacco Parliament

worth depicting, because or
its bearings on the persons of whom
this history treats, and because it
was one of multitude of similar
scenes enacted during the reign of
this half-mad, stormy King
Near the hour of seven o'clock,
those who had been invited to the
Tobacco Parliament began to drift
into the long, low room in the north
wing of the palace, where The Tabagie
usually assembled. There were in
this motley crew philosophers in rags
and fools in uniform There were
old men, young men, sober men and
drunk They would all be more or
less drunk before the Parliament
adjourned, since no man had Fred
erick William S entire respect who was
not capable of turning himself into
a beer vat and walking home with
the beer.
When the King arrived, he went to
his chair at the head of the table.
struck the table with his cane a
sounding blow, and the members of
the Parliament scrambled into chairs:
that is, those who could get chairs
took them One who failed to secure
a chair stood, during the session,
against the wall When the King
was seated, lackey handed him a
pipe and large box of tobacco, from
which his Majesty helped himself
Another lackey carried a box of ig-
nited peat and offered a light Can
dies and wax tapers were too ex-
pensive to be used in lighting pipes,
to suit the frugal taste of the Prus-
sian King, and peat, which held fire
we'll, was substituted, notwithstand-
ing its offensive smell
On the Kings right sat Grumkow
At his left sat General Seckendorf.
Near the center of the room against
the wall stood our friend from
Schwedt He, being clumsy and
slow of movement, had failed, in the
scramble for seats. to secure a chair.
Scattered about the room and seated
at the table were few men of some
slight degree of virtue; but there
were more of every degree of vice.
Most of the members of The Ia
bagie were men who hoped to profit
in some way by imposing upon the
Kings credulity, caJoling his preju-
dices, or pandering to his violent
whims. One sure road to his favor
was to abuse the Crown Prince, and
to encourage him in the belief that
little Fritz was traitor to his father,
consequently to his country, and de-
served to be beheaded as any other
traitor Many of the Tabagians were
spies sent to Berlin in the interest of
other nations.
No other monarch was ever SO
great a dupe as this Frederick Will
liam; yet no other man ever accom-
plished SO much as he by the sole
use of the triple vices, stubborn
ness, violence, and greed. Another
way to please him, when he was easil
to talk about his Grenadiers.
SEE your Majesty has a new recru
ment," said slim little minister of
Church, who sat next to Grumkow an
to introduce pleasing subject Of con
Puff, puff! Majesty did not care to
the Grenadier Regiment did not intere
thing had gone wrong Silence ensue
line, the King not being ready to ia
minutes Of rapid putting, during VIII
beams were nearly obscured in smoke
Tobacco"
A lackey sprang to his side with b
from which he refillled his pipe. Otht
ried to help the guests, and in mor
shouted
"Beer!"
Then the stone mugs began 20 cl
table. After the King had emptied
stones, or stems, as they were called
hin, ca1f IF one brilliant THOUGH ipco,n,