Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-19
DINING WITH THE Q UEEN.
Ex-MInister Lowell Sits Out Painful
Evening, and Then Buys = Meal Pri-
Vately

evening" ana Aheu DuJH "a Se'A ~
vately.
From ne Reto York Jou,nr1.
LONDON, May 1G.-Mr. Love- !, the de-
parting American Minister. r9tl lrned to
town to-day from Windsor Castle, where
he dined with Queen Victoria at Ii er COM
mand. He met Mr.. Phelps, the ne " Min
lister. on the steps Of the Forei u Office,
and the first words he said was a warn
ing:
"Phelps, me boy, beware Of dining with
the Queen"
Mr.. Lowell has been busy since HI anne
here five years ago in lodging invi at ons
70 Queens dinner. These dinn' RS are
known to be full Of Indigestion anC remi-
nscences of Brown. In declining INVITA-
Ons Mr. Lowell has exhausted his stock
ofexcuses. but this last invitation wa s in
the form OF q command, to disCbey vi tich
means thirty days in Newgate. Mr.
Lowell pleaded the arrival of Phelps, but
there was no escape.
He took the train to Windsor, and at
that station was treated To p mark of de ep
respect. The carriage which belonged to
Prince Albert, and which has not been
used since the consOrt died, awaited the
distinguished American. IL was a little
ehaky and very much musty, but Mr..
Lowell did not murmur. An aged rat
aliehted as Mr.. Lowell entered the car
rage. The rat was delighted to get out.
more so than the gentleman was pleased
to get in: but neither said anything.
The cab held together until Mr.. Lowell
arrived at the Castle and was received at
the door by a stout old lady, who eX-
planned that it was the girls dav of.
"Oh, very well, nv good woman" saId
the visitor, with charming grace; "there
was a time when | would rather have
seen a young girl than an old lady, but
those days are over" sighed he.
The "Old lady" did not look nightly
pleased at this. She reached on a shelf,
took down crown, blew of the dust and
placed the crown on her head.
Then SIR. Lowell saw that it was the
Queen who had ushered him in. In his
confusion he hung his hat on a statue of
John Browns body and stepped on the
Queens Irish toe, so called because it is
inflicted with troublesome corn.
After mutual explanations the Queen
led the way TO the dining room. She re-
huked the Lord Chamberlain, whom she
found breaking of piece OF cake for his
own use.
you must excuse my table, Mr..
Lowell" said II. Z. H., "but this hOrrid
Russian affair has made me economic
both on help and on the menu"
"Do you think that Trixy will get a
pension from ParliamentY' asked the
guest. wishing to say something pleasant.
"TriXy p inquired the Queen.
Eyes, Beatrice, you know; your latest
DAUGHTER to get married"
"Oh yes; now ! remember. Why. GER
tainly she will. The country would be
indeed ungrateful not to provide for my
little family"
A pearly tear narrowly escaped being
drowned in the Queens soup. and Mr..
Lowell coughed hypocritically with SYM
patty as he bowed his head over his own
soup. which was cold.
"Some oatmeal, me Lud?' asked the
cook, who had volunteered to wait on the
table till Mr. Gladstone had received his
e11000, 600 safe and sure.
eyes, do have some oatmeal, MIR. Low
ell" urged the Queen; sit was grown on
Peter Browns place in Scotland. Peter
is John Browns brother, and we buy all
our vegetables from him. Oatmeal is
scarce now and we look upon it as lux
ury. Poor Johnw
''That was an elegant poem Of Lord
TennysOn's," ventuTed Mr.. Lowell.
. You mean that episode on Mr..
BrOwnV
"No, ma'am; the one beginning, You,
you.'"
'Wen, 1 don't think Tennyson earns
his money, and his Office had better be
abolished instead of raising the price of
beer"
Mir. Lowell subsidized, not wishing to
throw his friend Alfred out of a good job.
After dining with the Queen Mr.. Lowell
went outside to the Bull and Six Horns
and had a good dinner. He slept in the
Castle on Friday night, and dreamed that
John Brown was sitting on his breast
bone playing see-saw. To-day he has
violent headache, and on receipt Of an
other invitation to dine with the Queen
next week he went to a steamship office
to get ticket for Boston, Mass.