Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 296, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1912 — VERY MUCH TO THE GOOD [ARTICLE]

VERY MUCH TO THE GOOD

Diplomatist Quick to Take Advantage of Oversight Committed by His Friend. Dr. Wekerle, Hungarian minister of finance, had a country seat at Pills, near Buda-Pesth, where he was in ithe habit of spending.his Sundays. His only piece of luggage on these aocasions consisted of a small handbag, which never contained anything but the regulation bottle, four handkerchiefs, and a traveling cap. Returning one Monday to the capital, the minister met a friend, a gentleman named Von Fischer, who was carrying a bag exactly the counterpart of his excellency’s valise. Herr von Fischer smiled a thoughtful smile as he noticed the similarity of the bags and whispered to the minister: “My bag is filled with smuggled Turkish tobacco. You will be good enough to shield me against the custom house spies, I hope/’ The minister looked serious. "I will do nothing of the kind,” he said, and when the two gentlemen arrived at the Pesth depot, the minister beckoned to a custom house officer and said: "My friend desires to pay duty on a lot of Turkish tobacco he has in his bag.” “His excellency is joking,” cried the baron, who meanwhile had changed bags with the minister; "see, I have no contraband articles about me,” and he opened the bag in proof of what he said. The minister looked perplexed for a moment, then he resolutely grabbed his friend’s bag and said to the official: "Well, assess for the tobacco, but be quick about it. I have no time to lose.” The official acted on the suggestion, and the minister paid three florins and fifty pfennigs into the treasury of his own department. Then he Jumped into the carriage and drove off, shouting ont his thanks to the baron for his present of 20 pounds of excellent tobacco.