no less tedious, my attention was drawn to attractive Chinese attaché. It was in idiotwo of them. There had been some kind matic French. Nothing could be more of absurd demonstration that day in one admirable as regarded either matter or of the principal European parliaments, manner, and many of the older members and coming upon my two colleagues, I of the conference came afterward to conalluded to it. “Yes," said Baron Jauru of gratulate him upon it. The ability shown Brazil, " that comes of the greatest lie by the Chinese Minister Wu at Washington prevalent in our times—the theory that the would also seem to indicate that China majority of mankind are wise. Now it is has learned something as to the best way an absolute fact, which all history teaches, of maintaining her interests abroad. and to-day even more than ever, that all This suggests another incident. In the mankind are fools.” “What you say is year 1880 the newspapers informed us true," replied M. de Quade, the Danish that the wife of the Chinese minister at minister, “but it is not the whole truth. Berlin had just sailed from China to join Constitutional government also goes on her husband. The matter seemed to arouse the theory that all mankind are good. Now general interest, and telegrams announced it is an absolute fact that all mankind are her arrival at Suez, then at Marseilles, then bad, utterly bad." "Yes," said Jauru, "I at Cologne, and finally at Berlin. On the accept your amendment; mankind are evening of her arrival at court, the diplofools and knaves.” To this I demurred matic corps were assembled awaiting her somewhat, and quoted Mr. Lincoln's re- appearance. Presently the great doors mark: “You can fool some of the people swung wide, and in came the Chinese all the time, and all of the people some of minister with his wife: he a stalwart manthe time; but you can't fool all the people darin in the full attire of his rank; she a all the time." This restored their good gentle creature in an exceedingly pretty humor, and I left them smilingly pondering Chinese costume, tripping along on her over this nugget of Western wisdom. little feet, and behind her a long array of

Interesting to me was the contrast be- secretaries, interpreters, and the like, many tween my two colleagues from the extreme in Chinese attire, but some in European Orient. Then and since at Berlin I have court costume. After all of us had been known the Japanese Minister Aoki. Like duly presented to the lady by his Chinese all other Japanese diplomatic representa- Excellency, he brought her secretaries and tives I have met, whether there or else- presented them to his colleagues. Among where, he was an exceedingly accomplished these young diplomatists was a fine-looking man. At the first dinner given me after my man, evidently a European, in a superb arrival in Berlin he made an admirable court costume frogged and barred with speech in German, and could have spoken gold lace. As my Chinese colleague introjust as fluently and accurately in French duced him to me in German, we continued or English.

in that language, when suddenly the secreOn the other hand, Li Fong Pao, the tary said to me in English: “Mr. White, I Chinese representative, was a mandarin don't see why we should be talking in who steadily wore his Chinese costume, German. I was educated at Rochester pigtail and all, and who, though jolly, University under your friend President could only speak through an interpreter Anderson, and I come from Waterloo in who was almost as difficult to understand western New York.” Had he dropped as the minister himself.

through the ceiling I could hardly have Thus far it seems the general rule that been more surprised. Neither Waterloo, whereas the Japanese, like civilized nations though a thriving little town upon the Cen

in general, train men carefully for foreign tral Railroad, and not far from the city · service, in international law, modern lan- in which I have myself lived, nor even

guages, history, and the like, the Chinese, Rochester, with all the added power of its like ourselves, do little if anything of the excellent university, seemed adequate to kind. But I may add that recently there develop a being so gorgeous. On questionhave been some symptoms of change on ing him, I found that, having been gradtheir part. One of the most admirable uated in America, he had gone to China speeches during the Peace Conference at with certain missionaries, and had then The Hague was made by a young and very been taken into the Chinese service. It gives me very great pleasure to say that at represent his country should bring all his Berlin, St. Petersburg, and The Hague, study and experience to bear in eliciting where I have often met him since, he has information likely to be useful to his counproved to be a thoroughly intelligent and try from these as well as from all other patriotic man faithful to China, while not sorts and conditions of men. My own acunmindful of the interests of the United quaintance among these was large. I find States; in one matter he rendered a very in my diaries accounts of conversations great service to both countries.

with such men as Bismarck, Camphausen, But a diplomatic representative who has Delbrück, Windthorst, Bennigsen, George a taste for public affairs makes acquain von Bunsen, Lasker, Treitschke, Gneist, tances outside the diplomatic corps, and is and others; but to take them up one after likely to find his relations with the ministers the other would require far too much of the German crown and with members space, and I must be content to jot down of the Parliament very interesting. The what I received from them wherever, in character of German public men is de- the course of these reminiscences, it may servedly high, and a diplomatist fit to seem most pertinent.

(To be continued)

OS

N the first warm evening of the next days I uster worrit turrible. When he went

spring Ma Gladden and Persephone off the fust spring arter we war merried, I sat on the front porch. The grass was eenymost cried my eyes out. But law! already emerald in spots over the house. Persephone, all men hez blood cranks o' plot, and the climbing rose-bushes showed one sort er ruther. Pa would allers turn small, reddish leaves. At the end of the up inside of a week jes ez happy ez a king, path that led to the road was a stile, upon plumb satisfied with life, an' thèt glad ter which Pa Gladden sat in meditation. His git back ter me thet it ’most paid fer all the eyes were fixed upon a sky of fiery splen- worry. Lemme see, now. It air four years dor.

sence he walked plumb over ter Lexin'ton, "I am shore, Persephone," observed the an' brung hum my flowered shalli in his elder woman, “thet yer Pa Gladden air hand.” gittin' ready fer one of his old-fashioned "He likes to walk a long ways— is that tromps ag'in."

it?" asked Persephone, timidly. The younger woman eyed her affec- "All the Gladdens war born trompers," tionately, but asked no question.

declared Ma Gladden; “leastways, so I hed “Pa uster git them spells erlong erbout it from Mary Jane Ann, my cousin in Kanevery spring,” went on Ma Gladden; “but sas, who heared thet from her mother. sence he air older they hain't troubled him Not one o' them thet war airly in this so reg'lar-like. 'Peared like he hed ter valley ever minded a twenty-mile jaunt walk eroun' three er four days afore the afore breakfast. An' thet, shorely ez the season laid holt on him prupperly. Them sap come up, nothin' would do them but

his way.

II

He patted her arm.

take some time ter smile an' pray, ter love "Oncet on a time a feller from up-State God an' be happy." brought a basket o' pigeons inter the Val- The farmer's wife refused his money the ley an'onloosed them leetle birdson next morning. She had a lunch for him Paynter's Knob. They flew eroun’ fer a in a small tin pail, and watched him on spell, settlin' their minds, an' then made a bee-line fer their hum. How'd they know? “I hev an idee,” she said shyly, “thet Waal, them air the things folks hain't come ye air goin' on a dooty. Ye hev thet air. ter yet. I wull feel the way, thet 's all.” God go with ye! My mother war a reli

He got down from the stile, and walked gious woman. beside his adopted daughter up the path The second night he slept at a country that narrowed under the rose-bushes. To road-house, a place he liked much less. his soft, quavering singing she added her The melodious, rhythmical rain fell for fresh, sweeter notes; so that, in the falling hours. It kept him awake, but his medidarkness, Ma Gladden knew of their com- tations were not sad, only tender and ing by the quaint processional:

reminiscent of long-gone days. For three

hours next morning he kept to the beaten “ The Lord my Shepherd is,

road, but, the sun coming up hot and dryNo blighting want I know;

ing the grass, by ten o'clock he again took By verdant fields and gentlest streams to the pastures and fields. My footsteps ever go.”

To-day the bird world was rampant. Through the woods, now faintly blurred with green, flew and darted and sprang

and hopped those songsters which had Behold now the vagrant tramping man mated and made homes. They were rapon the open road and wandering in April turous in the return of spring. Sweeter than woods! Above him burst the maple buds, any other sound to his heart was the blueunder his feet the coloring of the skunk- bird's clear and confiding tremolo in the cabbage changed into telltale purple. He' misty aisles of the woodland. Three days heard the clucking calls of the newly arrived he went by road and field, over brambly robins, and wondered delightedly whence, paths and along creeks and brooks, travelso round and prosperous, came these chip- ing on patiently. His way was along a per fellows. He hailed the bees on the dirt road with much woodland on each first tassels of the willows, and watched side and few houses visible. As he went for an hour a velvety butterfly emerge onward, there turned into the road a pedfrom its bark tomb and feebly try its un- dler's wagon with a fine, shiny top. On the used wings in the noon sunshine.

high seat sat a jolly red-bearded man Sin and worry and toil were forgotten. with a merry twinkle in his eye. Once again Pa Gladden was young, once “Howdy, stranger ? Which way you again free and a child of nature. After he bound?” asked the peddler, stopping his climbed out from the Long Valley, follow- horses. ing his mysterious orientation, the whole “Ter the south,” replied Pa Gladden; world lay before him. The first night he “an’sence ye hev put yer nags' noses in passed at a roadside farm-house, where the thet durrection, whut wull be the damage young farmer was both curious and gar- fer a leetle lift?" rulous.

“By your looks you are good company," "Don't it worry ye none ter leave yer replied the peddler, hunching himself farm-work?"

over; “so climb over that wheel and go "Son, when ye air some older, other as far along as I am going, anyhow." things wull lay holt on ye besides work.” Pa Gladden made himself comfortable,

His wife, with a babe over her shoulder, and surveyed approvingly the backs of smiled at the stranger.

two plump horses. "I am allers tellin' him he air thinkin' "I'm out huntin'," he said, “but with of nothin' but work, work. It makes life my wits an' my tongue instead of with a hard."

gun. I 'm huntin' an oncommon-lookin' “S it do," assented Pa adden; “an' house in these parts thet no man thet sees yet, it air jes erbout whut balances us. But it air likely ter disremember.”

a