The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-07-22
BARON Won GEROLSTEiN.
The Huge Joke Perpetrated Upon
Larry Jerome-Hfs Opinion OF For
eign Arfstocracy Below Par.

Webster. of the Union club, San Fran
cisco, dropped in to see Carl Otto Peters,
down in Beaver street, the other day.
Jerome Buck and the writer had drop
ped in few minutes before. Carl shot
the cork out of bottle of Clicquot.
Why the wine as it sparkled and gave
forth its color in the cup should have
called up "reminiscences of Larry Jerome
does not appear, buta great many were
called up, and presently Carl said:
Its a funny thing that of all stories
the papers have printed about Larry
his practical jokes on this, that, and the
other person-no one seems ever to
have heard of the big joke on Larry
himself, in connection with the Baron
Won Gerolstein. Phil Stevens was the
genius who laid the scheme. hap
pened to be the medium through whom
it was carried out. Five or six years
ago Phil Stevens invited a party of ladies
and gentlemen to spend day or so
with him at his place in Rye. 1 was
one of the party. Larry Jerome was
another. knew Larry. but he didn't
know me. He is acquainted with me
now. The day before the party was to
90 to Rye Phil Stevens came to see me.
Carl said he, Larry Jerome thinks
pretty well of the foreign aristocracy,
and, as he is always playing jokes on any
one he gets a chance to l want to work
it on this little trip SO that we can get a
good one on him. Now, he don't know
you, and I've made it up with Sam
Engle and the rest to play yon against
Larry as Baron Won Gerolstein, nephew
of Bismarck. and now in this country
as member of the German embassy.
Every one in the party will be let into
the scheme, and all you've got to do is
to carry the thing along, and you'll see
Larry out-Larry himself in doing the
proper thing by so distinguished rep
resentative of the blue blood of Europe
l fell right in, and told Phil he might
consider ME the choicest specimen of 4
German baron that ever baroned. The
next day the party all gathered at the
Grand Central depot to take the train
for Rye. Larry was there arrayed like
lilies, for Phil had told him of the dis
tinguished person who was to make one
of the party, and had explained to him
in the most circumstantial and satisfac-
tory manner how he had become ac-
quainted with the baron, and had him
as a guest. was the last one to arrive
at the depot. rolled up in a style that
would have made the eyes of any Ger
man baron bulge with envy. l was
met by Phil with a dignity and ceremo-
ny that made me chew my tongue to
keep from bowling. He escorted me
reverent:ally to where Larry was
standing beaming with joyful expect
ancy.
Baron said Phil. permit me to
present to you Mr.. Jerome, repre-
sentative of one of our first families.
The Baron Won Gerolstein, Mr.. Je-
rome. nephew of the Prince Won Bis
marck.
''Say, 1 wish you could have seen
Larry's bow. l was afraid that he
never would get his spine in perpen-
dicular again as he assured me of the
happiness and honor he felt. But he
got back by and by and was radiant,
l was carrying sachel, and it was
4 heavy one too. Larry stepped for
ward, and with another of his best
bows, said: Baron, permit me to re-
lieve you Of your bag handed the
grip over to him and he walked along
with me- to the train. carrying tho
sachcl. could see that the rest Of the
party had all they could da to keep
from bursting. didn't dare to catch
Phil Stevens eye. or I'd have laid right
down and rolled over. Never had such
a struggle to keep myself together be-
fore or since. Larry helped me on
board the train, selected the best seat
in the car for me. slowed my bag away
in the rack. and sat down by me. No
one else In the party had as yet been
presented to me rs the baron, and Lar
ry enjoyed the consideration that had
been shown him in giving Me into his
charge. Every little while he would ex-
cuse himself and step out of his seat
and whisper to others in the car that
the MISUNDERSTANDING party in the
seat with him was the Baron Won
Gerolstein, nephew of Bismarck. 1t
would have been worth ten years of
anyone $ life to have seen Larry in that
car He even button-holed the con-
ductor and told him what great per-
coinage he was carrying with hlm that
day, and admonished the brakeman to
be extremely careful how he dcported
himself, for the eyes of the Baron Won
Gerolstcin were upon him. 1t is good
the ride to Rye was short. II it had
haen n mile longeE there would either
have been grand explosion in that
ear or q dozen or two dead passengers.
The pressure was more than fifteen
hundred pounds to tho inch,
''On the way Larry questioned me as
to matters Of etiquette in court circles,
and I loaded him with information.
For instance. l mentioned that in the
presence Of persons of my rank it was
etiquette for all of lower rank to stand
until l was seated, to rise when I rose,
and so on until indicated that the
subsequent proceedings were to shin
along sans etiquette. This informa.
ton Larry duly impaired to the rest Of
the party, SO that things should move
without any hitch, and that nothing
should occur to jar on my sensibilities,
which. l being German baron, were
of course pitched away up in G. Well,
we got to Phirs all right, and Larry
was glorious. We went into dinner, !
first. Every man and woman stood at
his chair and q mora solomr looL;, !,