Lord Russell, the English ambassador at the German court, called one day on Prince Bismarck at the palace of the latter, in Berlin. During conversation, Lord Russell remarked, that a man in the Chancellor’s position must be bothered with a great many troublesome callers. “God knows how true that is,” sighed the Prince. “But you certainly have some remedy or other to get rid of such people quickly?” “Oh certainly,” laughed Bismarck, “one of my best is, that my wife comes in to call me away on some pretext or other. Of course the caller can’t remain after that.” These words were hardly uttered, when the Princess entered, and said in the most harmless way: “Otto, it is time to take your medicine; do not forget it.” Lord Russell broke into a ringing laugh and took his leave at once. A Monotonous Diet The following humorous story was first published in the Leipsic _Tageblatt_. One day, during the siege of Paris, Count Lehndorff, the Aide-de-Camp, visited Captain von Strantz, at Ville d’Avray, an outpost near Paris. In reply to the Count’s question, how he was getting on, the Captain said: “Oh quite well; I have just been dining for the sixty-seventh time off roast mutton.” The Count laughed and rode on. Next day an orderly called on the Captain with the following message: “It having come to the ears of Count Bismarck, Chancellor of the Confederation, that Captain von Strantz would doubtless be dining off his sixty-eighth joint of mutton to-day, his Excellency sends him herewith four ducks as a change of diet.” They Danced to His Music In May, 1891, a curious circumstance which, having occurred just before Bismarck’s fall, might have indicated to him how slippery was the ground on which he trod. He went one day to see the Emperor, who was busy, and who sent word that he would see the Chancellor presently. Ere long the royal children came in, and insisted upon his dancing with them. “No,” said Bismarck, “I am too old to dance with you.” “Then you must play,” they said. He accordingly sat down to the piano. Pretty soon the Emperor came in, and, finding him thus engaged said: “So, here is the fourth generation of the Hohenzollerns, which has to dance to your playing.” The Better Cigar Bismarck once gave to some friends the following droll account of Count Moltke. “When a declaration of war is floating in the air,” the Chancellor said, “even Moltke gets talkative, and when we were in for it in 1870, he grew ten years younger in a day. Before, taciturn and cross, he now chatted pleasantly, got an appetite for champagne and heavy cigars, and lost the last remnant of gout that he had acquired while resting on laurels that had grown old. But at any rate, the famous old General is a comforting example for all enthusiastic smokers. He shows how healthy smoking is, and that one can grow old doing it. He showed his fondness for a good cigar even in the battle of Königgrätz.