FIGHTING THE INSECTS 



answered that I did not know about Cholodkowsky's family, 

 but that I imagined that twelve hundred or fifteen hundred dol- 

 lars would be enough. 



"Well," said Kent, "I'll be responsible for that." And after a 

 momentary hesitation, he added, "If I can't get it out of Charley 

 Crane." The last phrase was one of Kent's characteristic jokes. 



I was greatly delighted, and, meeting Kent next day, we 

 talked about the matter. The first question naturally was how 

 to get the money over to Riga. Kent said, "My old friend, Ira 

 Nelson Morris, is U. S. Minister to Sweden. I think he could 

 do it for us." So I wrote to Mr. Morris, and I wrote also to 

 Cholodkowsky. 



In course of time I received answers from both. But in the 

 interval Kent's health had broken down, and he had gone off 

 to the South Pacific. Then, to my confusion, I found that Crane 

 had left for China. Where was the money to bring the eminent 

 Russian over here? I wrote to Mr. Crane's New York office, 

 and found that he had made plans for Cholodkowsky before 

 leaving. I explained Mr. Kent's offer and his departure for his 

 health, and found that Crane's business man would advance the 

 funds. I sent a full statement to Minister Morris and enclosed 

 a photograph of the Russian professor to assist in identifying 

 him. The money and the photograph were sent from the Swedish 

 legation to an American consular agent, then temporarily posted 

 at Riga. This agent took the matter up and eventually found 

 Cholodkowsky. But the day that he was found, he died. 



This was only one of a million tragedies of that period, but 

 it seemed pretty close, and the American entomologists who 

 know this story will always regret that Cholodkowsky could 

 not have spent those last ten working years to which he looked 

 forward, among us in America. 



[318] 



