Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-13

King Leopold, ana as the American StIOue
by he could not but notice that the monarch
scrutinized him with peculiar interest. The
second time round the royal interest was yet
more Marked and on the third turn the
King companion approached the American
Il beg your pardon, sir; but his Majesty
desires me to ascertain your exact height.
why" said the surprised Westerner, Il
guess I'm about six feet six.
The secretary thanked him, and the Amer
lean continued his interrupted walk. When
he again appeared the King himself rose.
Il am sure you will pardon me, sir, said
he: but it seems scarcely possible that you
can be taller than l am. Would you mind
standing back to back with me, and my adj
jutant here shall determine which of us is
the taller?"
So the Western ranchman and the Belgian
monarch stood up back to back, and the
equerry, climbing on chair announced with
some hesitation that the ranchman was two
inches taller than the King.
Hard Life of the Khedive
THAVE always had sort of sneaking SYM
pathy for Abbas Hilmi of Egypt; for,
ruler in little more than name, he leads the
most vexatious and aggravating of exist
ences. What with the dictations of his
British advisers and the complaints and que
ries of his suzerain the Sultan, to say nothing
of the gratuitous advice offered him on every
possible occasion by foreign ENJOYS, his life
is scarcely worth living at all.
If he wishes to appoint young Egyptian
as sublieutenant in Sudanese infantry regi
ment, he must ask permission of the British
dictator who is attached to him under the
guise of military secretary; if he would
repair the front steps of his palace or build
an addition to the royal stables, he must OBJ
tain the consent of his financial adviser be-
fore he can spend the money; and if he
would dismiss the postmaster of some third
class town. his action must meet with the
approval of the political adviser first. So
it is scarcely to be wondered at that the
Khedive occasionally displays a temper
that makes his subjects stand in fear and
trembling and is not readily forgotten by
foreigners who chance to offend him.
Until recent years it was his custom to
give a ball each year in his palace of Ras-el-
Tin, near Alexandria; but there was a
Slight unpleasantneSS on one of these Occa-
sions and the balls suddenly ceased.
The supper room at Ras-el-Tin is SMALL
altogether too small, in fact, to seat all the
foreign representatives and their wives
so when the supper hour came round the
Khedive thought to solve the difficulty by
inviting to dine with him only the women of
IIt ulpOllldliS NOl IL ~ iidPpSHCd CiieiG
when this arrangement was announced the
representatives of Austria and Germany
were in the buffet and did not hear of it..
When they came to look for their wives
later in the evening, they were informed
that they were with the Khedive in the
royal supper room. So these diplomats
made their way to the salon reserved for the
Khedve and his guests and hammered on the
door with their fists and hits, clamoring
loudly for admittance. Suddenly the door
swung open-and before them stood the
Khedive, white with indignation.
What is the meaning of this outrage,
gentlemen" he demanded angrily.
"W-w-e j-j-just wanted to know where
our wives were" stammered the diplomats,
flushed with cognac and confusion.
Your wives are here, gentlemen-quite
safe" answered the Khedive coldly. IL am
not a Bluebeard. as you seem to imagine. !"
The next morning the two undiplomatic
diplomats were recalled by cable, and the
Khedive vowed that he would never give
another ball in Alexandria.
Abbas Hilmi is not man of hobbies, and
motoring is one of his few amusements. In
deed. he has had wider experience in the
desert use of automobiles than any other
motorist. In the spring of 1907 two German
Eotbar o,,f,,,o,p anI E1rya11