The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-10
The Back Yard Thrift
Garden A Great Benefit

On Board the Abbass.eh on Pr
raeus. Greece. March S.-The Abas-
sieh is the ship which. since Deem
Der 18th, has housed all the Entente
Legations accredited to King Con-
stantine. save the Italian mission. A
small boat, once a yacht. she is a
lar from comfortable dwelling for so
many diplamtists and their families.
The various cabins have signs on
them indicating that one or the
] other is the British Legation, the
French Legation the Serbian. Bel
gian. Russian or Rumanian Legation.
| The main saloon at meal times is a
common dining room as international
In character as that of any Swiss
hotel in the tourist season. BY dint
of long. enforced residence at close
quarters, some of the little niceties
of life have gone by the board.
4 French, the common diplomatic
tongue. is here solely the language
of the French. Each group sticks to-
+ gether and converses in its native
speech. save at the formal confer
ences
After the common breakfast. the
tables are cleared and the reading of
the Athenian morning papers is the
order of the day IA task usually fall
ing 10 Mr.. Filidor. the Rumanian Min
lister. the readiest translator from
Greek. The task is rather a thank
less one, as the Athenian newspapers
have little good to say of the Entente
Powers these days of blockade The
comments of the listeners. however.
are generally of similar tenor, albeit
from the other side. The news of
the day digested. there is the first
conference and discussion on the
days program Once the conference
each to occupy a set of tables of its
own for its work--when there is any
to do.
The British and French Legations
are the busy ones. The Rumanian
Minister, almost entirely cut off from
his government of whose scat he is
never quite sure is forlorn figure,
pacing the deck while his colleagues
labor. The Russian Minister is some
what husier. especially since he acts
as his own cock The Serbian Min
lister disappears, frequently quietly
to Athens. to return only late in the
evening. spending the night aboard
as pure matter of form.
At one table Sir Francis Elliot,
the British minister in shirt sleeves
is tapping the typewriter himself
al another one Of his secretaries is
lost among a maze of papers that
with every roll of the ship slip to the
DOR Nearby at another table two
j. other British secretaries are playing
chess In corner, four of the diplo
matte ladies have organized day
long game of bridge The Belgian
J. charge watches the bridge sadly, his
;. thoughts far away on the sand dunes
/ that are all that remains of his ma
= tive land
l. On the opposite side of the cabin
Jean Guillemin. the French minister
Il holds sway. Nervous and restless, h
y is constantly up and down. rushing
q back and for tn from his cabil
(, or breaking in on his British colleague
n who listens to comment or discussion
IS impassive. returning to poking on
finger of each hand at the typewrite
n KEYS when the storm has passed
p Capt de Roquefeuille, the Frenc
1t naval attache. hurries in with tn
ID latest reports from the Athena
Is cafes. filled with the lurid color chal
is acteristic of the orient The cage
h French gather about to drink ther
le in. with many "Ohs," and Abs
o and How Dreadfuls!"
Afternoons those who do not slice
Of 90 ashore for walks on the island {
e. Salamis. or climb the barren Aegaleo
be heights