The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-09-11
IA CRANK ON THE THRONE.
Eccentricities Of the King or
Bavaria.
Hiding From His Subjects and 1ndulg-
ing in Queer Antics

Hiding From His Subjects and Indulg- T
ing in Queer Antics.
Multifarious are the anecdotes
fables, some of them, l really believe
told of the king. He is msogyn'st
hater of court ceremonials, yet with
al a man who stands upon his dignity;
a passionate lover of mountain seen
cry, and a great stickler for the anato-
my of Bavaria. He will not have it
Prussianizcd at any price. His favor
ite seat is hunting-lodge up in the !
mountains. 1t is said that he sleeps
in large, lofty room, with the ceiling
painted to represent the armament,
and a practicable moon shedding
mellow light from one quarter OF the
artificial heavens. The perspective is
managed so as to give the illusion OF
spaciousness, and through the distant
trees cut out OH the canvas, as-he re-
clnes may be heard the plash of fall
ing waters. Their lullaby bushes him
to sleep. Sometimes his majesty rises
in the night, has black steed saddled,
and dashes off at whirlwind speel up
and down the hill roads-which are
well kept for that reason-like phan-
tom horseman pursued by some re-
lentless decree of the supernatural
powers. The finest stud in Bavaria
is to be found in his stables, but the
cattle are cast soon and often; they
are thoroughly worn out and broken
down after very few years in the
royal service. He plays practical
Jokes on his retinue sometimes. 1t is
related of him that a minister arrived
in hot haste once to crave an audience
on important business Of state. The
king was out hunting the chamois, but
bv some chance the minister succeed
ed in catching the party. Ludwig pre-
|
T ceded him to a gamekeeper's hut,
@ where he sometimes used to unch,
! and went in, telling him to attend
=, him. The minister waited one hour,
!. two hours, and at last, losing patience,
and fearing that his royal master had
II been attacked by some sudden illness,
forced in the door. No king was there.
q He had made his exit 10y a window at
"a the back, and was away on the hlgf
"a hills in pursuit of the game. In thu
r. capital his majesty often commands
q an opera generally one by Wagner
Y for whom he has as strange a predic
r. ton as a predecessor on the throne hat
"a for Lola Montcz, and this opera is pro
l. duced in the middle of the day. Th'
9 theatcr is darkened, and no one is ad
# mitted to the auditorium but himself
al If he is pleased he sends the prim
W DONNA not a bracelet nor ring, but
= bouquet of flowers plucked by his owl
hands. lie once had "Lohengrin' en-
acted on the Starnberger See, the boz
ders of the lake having been illumins
a. ted at his expense. When the wa
in with France broke out he was dis
III pleased, but dared not attempt to steI
a. the tide of universal German feeling
rs However, he declined to go to til
N front, and withdrew himself to his b.
m loved soltudes while the stirrin
~ events which ledto the building Of til
70 German empire were thrilling tn
ID world with excitement. At the clos
at of the duel of Ttans, the crown primo
IN of Germany came to Munich to pas
D. the victorious Bavarians in gala r
On view. The king fed again to tt
70 mountains. He knew the popul;
Id commander would receive an enthus
ar astic greeting, and he did not choo'
CO to play second fiddle in his own CAP
or tai to any domestic foreigner. /
an takes deep interest in tho "PassiC
,rt Play" and when Josef Meyer W
re drafted into a fighting contingent,
Id gave strict orders that he should
IL. detained at Munich and employed as
Is. clerk in the war office. The village
rel the Mystery lost its own share in tn
en- conflict which brought mourning to
# many humble fresides in the fathe
is land, and of the actual performers tv
,ly or three who had speaking parts in Is
his were killed IN the heid OF succumped
nd their wounds. s.-TinSlev'S MQqQzjne.