El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-07
By Hjalmar soederberg.

to think that 1 had set of vest but
tons, consisting of five calcedons set
in silver Originally I had had six, but
one button had lost.
I went into the shop and ordered a
vest of the same kind of gray cloth, as
the one in the window, but without
buttons and with only five button
holes.
In a vest you must nave six but
tonholes,' said the tailor, five are on
of fashion"
Il know, bat 1 tell you I want five.
Five butten'Ioles, fuenf! Verstanden? %
With a face as if he had to give up
the principles Of moral to humor
crazy foreigner, the tailor promised 20
make me a vest with five buttonholes-
A week later he sent me the vest. It
had six buttonfloles. Of course the boy
got it back aid the same day 1 went
TO the tailor to explain why 1 could
not use the vest He suggested alter
ing it.
No I said. that won't do If you
take off the upper buttonhole the vest
will be cut lower than I care to have
1t, and if you cut off the lower button
hole it will be too short. Good after
noon" And SO 1 left him.
1t was a beautiful day and I took a
walk along the green Isar river. When
[ came nome 10 QT6SS 4 was IGCClN6Q
by my landlady, Frau Schuster, who
was on the verge of prostration with
despair.
/ Herr Zederperch.'' she moaned.
! They have made an execution here"
Execution" 1 said. Il feel very sorry
! for you, Frau Schuster, but I am sure
1 do not know what I can do"
mo, Herr Zederperch, you misunder-
stand me. 1t is your goods they have
carried off, not mine"
Yes, Herr Zederperchl There has
| been a Observation-Disclosures and tailor
here They wanted to carry off your
evening dress. but I said that you were
an author and that an evening dress
!. was necessary for your work. Then
: they could not take it, but they took
I your opera glasses and dressing gown.
I am so sorry, Herr Zede coerch, but
I really could not prevent tx
/ Il thank you very mucn. Frau Schus-
ter" I replied. "Of course, I do not
usually write my stories in evening
| dress. but 1t was very kind Of you TO
save It So that is the way they do
things here in Germany; it is rather
hard-handed justice. think. but 1t is
always interesting to learn something
about the customs Of wild and savage
tribes"
Days and weeks passed. Occasion
ally received in the mail an official
document from the Munich court partly
printed and partly written in old fash
toned Gothic letters, which I had sense
enough never to try to read.
About two months later 1 received
one, no two summonses, one from the
tailor and one from the court, the lat
ter with the reading. 'Ladung," which
Inv 70 ton Leo frx I
was invited" to a first verbal pro-
cedure 'in the case of Lewerandroffsk
VS. Zederperch in the Munich palace Of
justice the next Monday al a. m.
The night before the court proceed
ings I made notes on some scraps of
paper. for it is impossible for me to
say anything in German without
preparation The next morning I
was on the battlefield at o'clock
sharp. I felt sure that, armed with
my notes. my eloquence would result
in a brilliant victory. The palace Of
Justice is an imposing pile in modern
baroc style. When you have passed
through the gate you enter a large
covered court yard. DIE Ladung," the
simmons directed me to room IS, which
l finally succeeded in finding It
looked like a school room. On plain
wooden benches a number of suspicious
whom discovered the tailor. A few
moments later the judge. young man
with black beard and black skull cap
entered. The case was called and the
tailor and went to the bar. The
Judge asked me if I had anything to
say against the summons.
Yes Ireplied. ut begins all right
with the fact that 1 have ordered a vest
from the plaintiff. but"
tated to the clerk: Defendant admits
having ordered from the plaintiff the
aforesaid vest"
NO. I beg your pardon" I said, II
admit that I have ordered vest but
not the aforesaid vest 1 ordered a
vest with five buttonholes, but he made
one with six.
Here the tailor fell in: "All vests
have six buttonholes now"
The judge pondered. Then he said to
me: why did you insist on having
your vest made with five buttonholes? p"
Because 1 have a set of five calce-
don buttons. Originally 1 had six. but
have lost one. and that is why I or
dered a vest with five buttonholes"
What is calcedon?" asked the judge.
"Calcedon is a bluish-gray stone, a
semi-precious stone"
HIM." said the judge. land what
mas the plalnt1I1 TO say to thlSI
The plaintiff had nothing to say ex-
cept that he wanted me to pay for the
vest and the costs of the action
The judge looked at me sternly and |
asked: rs the defendant willing to pay
for the vest and the costs of the ac-
tion?"
looked at my scraps Of paper and |
replied: Your honor. 1 did not think |
that it was a question here in court |
Of what I am willing or not willing to |
do. I thought 1t was your duty as /
Judge to render a decision after listen |
ng to both sides, and of course. must I
submit to your decision whether I want
to pay or not"
For a moment he looked as if he
were going to fine me for contempt |
Of court, but in the next moment his
face beamed with good natured kind
ness, and he said: Then you insist on
getting a judgment2"
II thought that was the reason why