The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-10-15

YOn AAuCh. Ana l uallou AI DdCk 10 the Chief of Staff, but that fool was afraid to show it to the Emperor. Bah! God help Germany if he and hts sons ever lead our armies on the field"
 His Ragged Uniform
 Won Hindenburg had a profound contempt for the military display that delighted the Kaiser. When sum- | moned to the Neues Palais or the Imperial Schloss at Berlin to attend | the military parades and ceremonies that the emperor exulted in holding | he would always go to them attired | in the shabbfest uniform he had.
 In his dowdy regimentals he would | be a strangely conspicuous object | among the brilliant group of officers | that gathered about the Kaiser.
 Not since 1911. however, was von Hindenburg invited to these show functions. In that year. the Kaiser, l watching a ceremony that had lasted 1 all the afternoon, noticed the glum look on von Hindenburg's face.
 "General," said the Kaiser, You are getting little bit too old for field days of this sort. You are look ing tired"
 Now, Hindenburg is rather touchy about his age, for he is, as a matter of fact the oldest General on the active list. The Kaiser knew this, and what he said was uttered purposely to annoy von Hindenburg,
 Batting the Kaiser
 I noted the familiar malicious grin break out on the Generals face. He looked sneeringly at the group of of ficers surrounding the Kaiser and then squarely in the eyes of Kaiser, himself.
 "I am certainly old enough, sir" ne replied, land I think your Majesty is also, to have left off playing sci- dier." The Emperor glared at him but said nothing. Won Hindenburg, however, never attended another function.
 When the war broke out, it anus ed me immensely to read in the Ger man newspapers, the inspired story to the effect that Won Hindenburg had been called out from his "retirement'' to help the Fatherland by his special l ized knowledge in the prospective l theatre of war in Russia. It was q | pretty little legend; how the old 'war dog' was sleeping quietly in his den at i Mannheim" when his country was attacked; how the Emperor suddenly remembered that he knew every inch 1 of the great areas in which a Russian offensive would be waged and how the old warrior revived by the crisis 1 buckleG ell h;s long discarded armor and sallied forth to the fray. As a matter of fact, von Hinden':urg was in the war office at Berlin when the news came that England had de- clared war on Germany. I was in the office but unaware of von Hinder- 1 burg's presence in the council cham Der, which, of course, was forbidden to me.
 Herr Prodorf, the assistant secretary of war, suddenly emerged from the chamber. "I have told von HinIen- burg the news" said he.
 Well. we ought to have some fun with Englands pocket army!" said the General It was this utterance made his celebrated speech about "England's contemptible little army"
 I repeated that remark next day to Won Hindenburg's friend, General Ot- to Schoellendorf. The General shook his head.
 "Hindenburg" said he, "has a pro- found and absolute confidence in him. self when he is on the winning side; at maneuvers this confidence in him. self would lead him to take great risks and enabled him to carry out these risky movements successfully But on one occasion the risk went against him, and his side was then only saved from disaster by bit of good luck. Hindenburg, n1mse:r, lost his head and went to pieces. I have seen exactly the same thing happen to- him at cards and at chess. He is a good chess player when he is win ming, but very bad one when he is losing"
 Is a Bad Loser
 Indeed, at the Rhine Chess club in Berlin, where von Hindenburg ire quently played, I was told that the Generals favorite method of ending a losing game was to upset the board. But in war the game cannot be play ed in this fashion. It must be fought out to the end.
 Von Hindenburg impressed me as
 
 ever. At his home it was an ordeal to dine with him for there he flung aside all pretences at conventions. He would hold his knife and fork short and keep his head bent close over his plate.
 He is a glutton and makes no eff fort to repress his Gargantuan appe- tite. When he has finished one . | I,o 51 piratien that have gathered. on his expansive brow and face with a large , dark -colored pocket handkerchief, quaffs deep draught of his favorite Rhenish beer and is then ready for the net course.
 A Boor at the Table Nothing makes him more impatient than to be kept waiting for meal, 5 or for any particular course during a l meal. On one occasion he was din- ing with the Grown Prince and Prin- cess at the Marmor Castle when a slight delay oocurreI in the serving of one course-a dish of asapargus for , which the General has a special lik- ing.
 The Princess, knowing how ippa- tient a delay of this sort made the General, endeavored to attract his at tention by telling him some amusing II little anecdote.
 Every funny, indeed, Madame" said = Hindenburg when the Princess hat Q finished. Then glacing at the menl l. card before him, he said with grin r "but it's not asparagus, is it?'' t Hindenburg did not court ladies' so y ciety He frequently boasted to mt
 that he was not a ladies' man, and h' l. prided himself on his habitual rude Il ness to ladies, especiaIIY those of higl