The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-03-02
DIPLOMATS LIFE
FULL OF WORRIES
BEING AN AMERICAN FOREIGN
MINISTER Is NOT ONE ROUND
or ENJOYMENT.

foreign court often has mis- work Gu
out for him by his fellow countrymen,
said the retired diplomat, land il any
body with diplomatic aspiration
thinks that the post of a minister 4
all bear and skittles, or champaign
and pate de foie gras, he has severa
more reflections coming his way.
"The American woman Is the on
that gives the trouble. She inevitabl,
turns up with some impossible request
and IL you don't at least make 1t APP
pear that you are trying to do VIVA
she wishes, she comes down upon yol
with threats. / fguratively lost my
JOB many times in this way. TIL,
american man who approaches yol
usually can be reasoned with.
Some years ago when / was repre-.
senting this country at the capital oil
one Of the smaller countries of Europe
was sitting in the inner office of the
legation when heard the outer door
slammed, and then the inner door was
torn open. I arose to confront a mid
dle-aged female, got up as a tourist,
with a Baedeker in one hand and a
lunch bag in the other.
Knew What She Wanted.
You the American Minister she
demanded.
Yes, madam / replied meekly.
Well, want to get into the palace
to look around
But madam, replied, that is i'm
possible. The sovereign is away. and
just now the palace is closed. Anyway,
1t is never open to the public
I don't care she returned, Here
I've come all the way to this here place
to see the sights, and the palace is one
OF chem. What is your job here. ANY,
way? Is 1t not to help Americans do
Things they want to do over here?
Now, know pretty we'll that If YOU
only wanted to you could get the KEY
To that palace door and take me up
there to see it.
well, she kept it up on these lines
for ten minutes, and simply wouldn't
accept my explanation. To get rid of
her l had finally to tell her that she
was wasting my time, and she went
out threatening what she was going
to have the president do to me when
she got home.
Man From Home" Is Dreaded.
But the man from home with
tale of distress is the great bane ~ the
American minister and consul. and If
they are sympathetic they can easily
get rid of lot of their salary nv en-
deavoring to respond to such appeals.
Fnere are lots of Americans in Europe
VINO make a business of living on the,
public. Generally they are not native
born Americans. either, but Europeans
who have lived over there long enough
to get passport.
BIT there was fellow who dropped
into my legation one day who said he
was from Virginia. He wore a hand
some overcoat and new kid gloves. He
showed me his instructions from q
mining company to proceed to Europe
and sell stock and telling that he
would find money in his name at
certain bank in that city.
But do you know, 1 went to the
bank, he said, and my money has not
arrived. Here am with a wife on NV
hands. She is Ill and we have abso-
lutely no money
Makes Stronger Attack.
His appearance impressed me. He
looked all right, but as I had found II
necessary to make a rule never to give
any money in such a case, I simply of
fered to pay for a cable to his com
pany in New York I did so, but there
was no response. Well, l then paid for
board for himself and his wife for two
or three days, and then this fellow
went to the secretary of the British
society of the place and enlisted his
sympathies. The Britisher came over
to my legation and said it was shame
that I did not do something to help
deserving fellow countryman.
"Tnis made me rather weary, but /
sent for the stranger and drew UP a
paper which / told him to circulate
among the Americans in the city with
the understanding that whatever mon
ely was raised should all be turned over
to me, and to be used to pay for the
of himself ana his wife to
New York. A few days later my fell
low countryman came back to me and
said that ne had succeeded in raising
$500, which was a pretty good sized
sum, considering that the American
colony there was small
Heard From Again.
"'Where is the money!? / inquired.
"'Why, my wife kept it, he replied. |
L.
that 1t should be brought to me and
that should buy the tickets Well, he |
left, promising to bring it, but he de-
parted from the town instead. He took |
the paper with my name on it and |
went to two nearby cities and worked |
them well. But he got afoul OF an |
American in one of those cities who |
generously gave him money, and then |
1nding that the man was working a |
game went to the police and
had him put out of the city.
"The only time / ever did get paid |
back for anything / did in case of
his sort was when I helped news
paper man out This man was un-
nistakably a gentleman in appearance.
He told me he had come over to Eu-
.ope as a stoker in order to write
magazine articles. He said he was
employed by a certain paper, but when i
le reached Europe he mad made a fool
II himself and had got rid of, all the |
money he had started with. He pro-
luced credentials, and said that he
would like to get somebody to advance
lin 800.
Agreeably Disappointed.
"It looked like a good sized sum to Il
ne, but / learned he came from the
anne city in the United States as our
onsul general so I told MIN to go
var and see the latter, and If the
onsul general would agree to let him
ave half of the amount / would make
q the remainder. He came back soon
nd reported that the consul general
a.d told him he could take no interest
d such case. He thanked me for the
ympatiay had expressed and was
owing himself ont when told him to