Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1877-09-08
A Royal Dinner Party.

N''N
royal palace of Bangkok, when the late
King Of Siam sent for me in great haste
one day in the midst of thunderstorm.
l had hardly time to seize my umbrella
and to follow the impatient royal mes
senger, before was ushered, half-drip-
ping, into the presence chamber.
The moment entered perceived that
something very unusual had happened.
The King seemed to be in dreadfully ex.
cited state of mind. In fact, for more than
half an hour he did nothing but march
up and down the great audience-hall,
shrieking out every now and then in a
peculiarly shrill and exasperated voice
eighteenth of October, eighteen hun
bred and sixty-threew
When he reached the extreme end of
the great audience-hall, he would right
about-face, with sudden and energetic
bound, and come leaping towards me
with the same wild cry:
Eighteenth of October, eighteen hun
lred and sixty -three"
Twas not only alarmed, but I was per-
picked at this strange freak Of Siamese
royalty, and l began to wonder how it
would end. the Kings gestures were
SO absurd, his antics so comical, and his
shrieks 40 much like those of fanatic
escaped from some mad-house, and /
stood there with fear and trembling, I'M
certain what to do-whether to run away,
or to await his pleasure.
TIE my still greater bewilderment and
surprise, and after great many wild
jumps and bounds, he sprang quite close
to me, and cried out, in . shrill voice:
''Mam, do you understand the meaning
of the word agility3"
Was he angry, or had he gone stark
mada I could not make out, but
quietly replied: "Your Majesty has just
been giving me a very practical illustra-
ton Of the word"
"Ah! ahl" laughed the King; ut is
very true, very true you understand the
English word agility" and he gave an
other wild leap, and then another, and
another, and with the last bound he
again came quite close to me and said,
in more subdued tone Of voice:
ION the 18th of October, 1868, shall
be sixty-two years of age, and you can
see that I am as young and as strong as
ever"
Then he gave couple more jumps,
and continued: but certain American
missionaries have published statement
about me in an English newspaper, and
have said that l am spare man! How
can l be spare mani A King cannot
be . spare man. How can I he spared
from my kingdoms Who can fill my
place9"
l tried in vain to explain to the King
that the true meaning of the English
word spare, rs used by the missionaries,
was thin, and not, rs he thought, super
annuated and unnecessary.
But be would not listen to me. He
declared that the missionaries wanted "a
get rid of him, and that be would prove
10 them one and ali that he wss not q
spare man. Then he ordered me TO in
viie all the foreigners and all the mis-.
sioaaries 10 . grand dinner party At the
grand al palace, on the 18th Of DC
tot,er, i>s5, the snniversAry a his sixfy
secand bsrthdsy; and there ~as nothing
ieft 10 I.s bgt 10 obey. whereapoa ihs
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