he held until the insignia should be actually presented. This
pleasing duty fell to the Turkish ambassador, who, much to
his astonishment, had received instructions to proceed to
Stillwater, Massachusetts, a place of which he had never
heard, and present to a Doctor Gilman, of whom he had never
heard, the Grand Cross of the Crescent. As soon as the
insignia arrived in the official mail-bag a secretary brought
it from Washington to Boston, and the ambassador travelled
down from Bar Harbor to receive it, and with the secretary
took the local train to Stillwater.

The reception extended to him there is still remembered by
the ambassador as one of the happiest incidents of his
distinguished career. Never since he came to represent his
imperial Majesty in the Western republic had its barbarians
greeted him in a manner in any way so nearly approaching his
own idea of what was his due.

"This ambassador," Hines had explained to the mayor of
Stillwater, who was also the proprietor of its largest
department store, "is the personal representative of the
Sultan. So we've got to treat him right."

"It's exactly," added Stetson, "as though the Sultan himself
were coming."

"And so few crowned heads visit Stillwater," continued Hines,
"that we ought to show we appreciate this one, especially as
he comes to pay the highest honor known to Europe to one of
our townsmen."