Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1925-04-23

uey "ouiu ssanu M twenty-five or
thirty to pound. Tommy believed
him and invested every penny he pos
sessed In German marks. I do NOT
know how many he actually bought.
but the number was considerable, and
the sum he stood to gain would have
been a nice little fortune. An invest.
ment which promises to multiplv
your capital by eleven or twelve is
very attractive, even IL 1t pays no In.
terest for a while
AS everybody knows. the financial
experts, Tommy's friend among them.
were disastrously wrong, even more
hopelessly wrong than experts usual
ly are. The marks deprecated rapid-
ly and in the spring Of 1922 II took
one thousand four hundred OF them to
buy pound. Tommy realized he was
the victim, one OF many victims. of
gigantic swindle. But being n man
Of cheerful and buoyant disposition.
he did not wiring his hands or curse
fate. He thought that though marks
were of little use In England, they
probably had some value In their ma
tive land; that Is to say. that he
would be able to buy a good many din
ners bottles Of wine. theater tickets
and such things with his marks In
Germany. He asked for a holiday,
packed his entire store of marks In
dispatch box and went to Berlin.
tie meant to stay there as long as
the marks lasted and to have as good
time as he could. Tommy was q
fool to buy the marks originally. He
was wise in his plan for getting rid
OF them. Things Of the sort he want
ed really were very cheap In Berlin
In the early part of 1922.
He had never been abroad before
and he did not know a word Of Ger
man. He started with a return tick
ct, a Baedeker's Guide to Berlin and
a German-English phrase book, which
professed to give him. spelled phonet-
ically. all that traveller could pos
sibly want to say.
1t must have been a good phrase
book, much better than most of its
kind. Tommy, on the morning after
his arrival, was able to ask a cham
bermaid for hot water, a waiter for
breakfast and another man to clean
his boots. Most phrase books are no
use for that sort Of thing. They only
tell you how to say Good morning
honored sir. WIN you give me the
pleasure Of dining at my house to
day, bringing your gracious lady with
your and things like that which the
tourist seldom wants.
While he drank his coffee and ate
the wretched little roll which the
German hotel-keepers give to guests
who breakfast In their bedrooms, he
opened his dispatch box and counted
his money.
1T was the first time In my life,'
he told he. that I'd been a million
aire. and liked the feeling. In fact
l gloated.'
do not wonder. The German note,
are most opulent looking and impress
sive things. far superior In size AND
texture to the fiimsy little scraps Of
paper which England has to be con
tented with. There are large gray
notes. as big as half sheets Of note
paper. worth q thousand marks each
There are beautiful thick notes for
one hundred marks. Even the little
''funr' markers are impressive. All
Tommy's notes were perfectly new
and spotlessly clean. Nobody could
have helped lingering them lovingly
and reverentIy. IL was a delight TO
count them.
But II Is poor fun feeling that you
are a millionaire all by yourself In
a hotel bedroom. Tommy realized that
he ought TO be out-of-doors enjoying
himself and getting some solid good
for his money. He finished his cof-
fee, swallowed the last morsel OF
bread, and began to shave.
Then came a knock at the door.
Tommy said Herein" His face was
covered with thick lather Of soap, and
he did not care for opening his
mouth very wide; but he spoke quite
distinctly. And he was sure that
Herein" was the German for "come
In" He had said II six time already,
twice for each Of the three servants,
and II had been understood. This
time the man outside simply went on
knocking Tommy went TO the door
and opened II.
He saw Count Casimir beautifully
dressed smiling and bowling politely.
CasInir IL always beautifully and APP
propriately dressed. have seen him
NJ the start Of q boar hunt In Lys-
trln with a tall red feather sticking
40 In the front ~ his cap and boots
that would have suited one of Prince
Ruperts cavalier troopers. have
seen him IN evening clothes. and
nothing more perfect could be found
In q drawing room comedy on the
London stage did not sees him that
morning In the Adlon hotel. But
Janet Church has given me- q descrip-
ton ~ his cietbss He wore . pale
gray sul, with o faint blue line In II.
and cr.ase. IN all the right places.
q ,nsuve tle harmonised with the blue
line. q wsisicoat-ai must leave .
hlanh here and get Janet 20 tell me
about the waistcost again. Tommy
vas In gfumpled gray patsmna and