The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-23

'COLllldllu VI lnOHey, uuduO uol
schemes of peaceful penetratio-
1 WIS fortunate as soon as 1 set my
foot upon the boat at Bremen. 1t was
the Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse, one
of our own fine ships which the Eng
lish have driven from the seas.
1t belonged to the Nord-Deutscher
Lloyds, and our government paid the
company a big subsidy every year to
run their boats to Australia and steal
the English trade.
With the subsidy, the company
could afford to give cheaper passage
and better food, and many English
travelled on these ships for that rea-
son. 1t was a good idea that; Ger
mans building up a shipping business
with English passage money and Eng
lish freights. After the war, no
doubt, we shall do it again.
One of these passengers. who trav-
elled by a German boat to save his
money and enjoy our good German
cooking, was a certain Sir Percy
/ Plummer, recently ennobled on &C
count of his great wealth.
He was not the sort of person
who would be made hof-fahig (pre-
sentable at court) in Germany, but in
England it is, of course, different.
Captfvated My Rival
Very soon this red-faced English
man began to make eyes at me. I
have said, I think, that wore widows
weeds. I was young and wealthy
! widow recently widowed, travelling
with my maid in order to forget my
bereavement. That made it possible
for me to travel without escort, you
see, and it made me interesting as
well.
Before long this Sir Percy would
come to speak to me, where sat knit
ting in my deck chair. He would
praise the ship and the food, of which
he ate such a great deal; and he
would wonder why British ships were
not so cheap, and SO well managed.
1 found it the same wherever 1
went, that the English envied us our
Kultur and our organization; though
now they pretend it is not so.
Sir Percy talked a great deal about
himself afterwards. while I sat and
looked at him with my eyes wide open
with what he supposed was admira-
ton and awe at such clever man.
Sometimes it was hard to keep
from laughing in his face, especially
when he began to make love. This
q he did like a clumsy yokel, and l
found it the easiest thing, when I
= wished it, to change the subject and
make him tell me more about his i'm
portant self.
Misplaced Confidence
At last he told me the errand thai
was taking him to Australia "I am
going to our colony, dear countess
he said, 'to examine a very important
and a very lucrative proposition, il
may be. 1 am afraid I shall bore vol
If 1 enter into the details; they are
technical in the extreme.
"Ah but no." 1 cried. Tell me al
about it. Hove to have big strons
man talk about their wonderful bus
mess to poor little me-"
''Well you see, these Australian
fellows have a lot of rough metal
they don't know how to handle. I
Is only tinpot place, from what
can make of it, and when they hav
a really big proposition on hand the,
have to come to England for tn
money. Regular incubus they ar
sometimes. However:
These metals-tin, zinc, lead cop
per and silver-eXist in very compli
Gated ores. To handle them satisfac
torily an enormous plant of machin
cry is needed and a very great capita
$4,000, 900 Capital
IA concern in which L am Target
interested has been approached by a
inventing Johnny, who claims to hav
discovered a process by which all thi
metal stuff can be handled at a grea
profit. So we have put up a big lc
of money, something like $4,000, 00t
and 1 am going out there to max
personal Investigations before we en-
~ bark in the enterprise"
''Why do not these Australians g
to your government for the money?
I asked, for want of something bette
ito say.
''The government! Good HEAVIER
what has the government to do wit
it? The government would nevt
dare to interfere with private entel
prise in that fashion,
He got quite red and angry abo1
it, so I said no more. OF course,
our country, the government wou
have been only too glad to advan,
money for such important work, as
well know. Why else was I goiI
to Australia?
I was trembling with leasure WHIT
he left me! for. as you have guesse
it was about these very metals that
was going to Australia.
/ had to prevent their falling in
the hands of the English, and to S
that they all came home to the fat
erland, where the profit of treatil
them, and more especially the meta
themselves, were much desired.
Deeper in the Tolls
I sat on my berth that night a.
laughed a little at this good Sip Per
but most of all 1 wondered at r
great good fortune in meeting him
quickly, where 1 could work to sor
advantage.
Believe me after that night we /
came better friends than ever, so tn
the people on the boat began to SIN
a little.
/ did not care, and this red-fact
newly-made noble was naturally pro
to be so closely associated with Cou
tess Hildo Won Schaumberg. Befc
we reached Australia I could tw
him round my little finger.