Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-11-16
THE EMPEROR AND KING
A Reporter Who Served Them as
Waiter at Lunch relIs His Story.
The World Will Never Cease to be In
terested in the WhimS and
Caprices OF Kings.

Naples letter to the Lo don Daily News:
The \ NeapolItaus by no means round En-
peror William so grave and stern as be Is
generally considered. The following ac-
count il SO characteristic that | translate
IL IN full promising that it is written by d
Neapolltan cores pondent, who conceived
the idea of assuming the character of a
walter, and SO got on board the Savola
during the lunch and review:
After short stay on deOk their
Maj-sties and suite came down and took
their places at table. l confess that my
| emotion was great, felt that | was not
in full possession of my locomotive facul
ties. In front of me was the King seated
between Prince Henry of Prussia and
Prince Tommaso, and turning their backs
to ms like the En- peror, l had the Duke
of Genoa and the Prince of Naples, who
Sat at the Emperor'5 side. At first 1t
seemed as if things would 60 badly, for
my colleagues-and, let Us say the truth,
my uperIors-assigned to me che laborl-
Gus and humble office of taking away all
the dishes of oysters that were not eaten.
But [ found means of liberating myself
from this plebiscitai tribute of untouch-
ed dishes; all the more because l did not
wish to create precedent. So that L
folded my hands and returned to the
back of the Emperor's chair just as he
was beginning TO joke with the Prince of
Naples, while King Humbert laughed
with all his heart at the amiabie cordl-
aiity.
CT TEE EMPEROR.
This cordiality of William ii. is SO frank,
so expansive, so charming, that his
Ma ieatU n all Ii ka
German, whom we are in the habit of
considering to be cold, composed and
rigid. And |, although l had heard the
Emperor say graceful things to the Min
lister of Instruction and to the director of
the museum, really did not expec' the ef-
fusion L now Witnessed. The Emperor
loves bon mots and jokes, and is quick
and happy in making them. King Hum
bert was gay, really gay; but l0 was almost
always the cause and incentive of this
gayety. terrible squeeze of the Prince
of Naples hand; JOKE az the bald head,
Saint-Bon; wink OF the eye the sig
nIficance of which escaped me-were
some of the incentives. While Borelli
oonversed gravely and in a low voice with
his neighbor Saint Bon, and SIgnor
C-ism was silent, the Emperor now whis-
pered to the Prince OF Naples, now joke d
in German with Count Bismarck or his
brother, and spread merriment among
the members of this select party OF SIX or
eight persons. Only once, at the begin
ning, | heard him talk of art, speaking of
a picture of the Lepanto,' and as another
time be spoke enthusiastically about
Mount Vesuvius. I2deed, in order 80
look at the plume of smoke which al that
moment rose perfectly straight, because,
as Prince Henry remarked, III NY await
pas de vedt,' both Emperor and King rose
o their feet. Except in these two in
stances, | only heard the emperor speak
of merry things. Once again did l for
get my part, absorbed in ths spectacle of
the Emperor, the King, and the Prince of
Naples iaug hing t0gethe-. My preocca-
patlon waa 50 profound and sincere that
Prince Henry called 20 me- twice for
Chateau l. itite. But even thea | did not
serve him. | was far too interested in
observing joke played upon Prince Vic
tor Emmanuel by the Emperor. A tor
pedo boat was passing; the Emperor
seeing 1t IN mirror before him, turned
and suddenly rose. OF course the Prince
wanted to rise also, but the Emperor held
him fast by left hand, and, while
KING EUMBERr LOOKED ON
and laughed, the Emperor grasping the
Princes arm, twisted 1t so violently that
the Prince, though he aughed, could not
help writhing on his seat. In this way
he was teased by the Emperor, who prac-
ticed on him all sorts of jokes TIL lu Oh
was over, to the great amuseH ent OF the
King, whose face, when ne .ally laughs,
Is bright with rnerriment. And, Irepeat,
,,l, H., L..
hilarisy of the most illustrious parsonage
at this lunch would remember it forever.
Twice the Emperor drank a health
Lifting his glass, full of .AstiS pumante,
he first invited Prince Tommaso and
then Crispi to drink with him as follows
-'Tom,' 'CrispI.' When drinking with
CrisPi he emptied his glass and turned it
upside down on the table, looking round
with smile; and as this gave him an
occasion to another joke with the Prince
of Naple5, he bagan to tease the latter.
The party then rose to take coffee, and
this was q terrible moment to me. Quite
stunned by all l had seen and heard, l
stood like a statue, and suddenly found
myself blocked in by the Emperor. the
Prince Of Naples, Count Bismarck, and
their respective chairs and swords, and
was SO ashamed OF my stupidity that I
could not get free till they themselves
left me so.
Their Majesties then went oa deck,
and he who had SO surprised me by the
| readiness of his wit, the frankness of his
merriment, and the cordiality of his man
ner, now moved me by the indescribable
expression of his face as he stood erect.
As We re surned from the Castelamare, es-
corted by the torpedo boats ard followed
By the fleet, 1 saw ths Emperor seized
with an ever-increasing emotion, as he
gazes around through the glass and slight
iy shook his head. He nosmore uttere
| jokes; he laughed no more. He was evil
IDENTIFY filled with wonder at the great
| beauty of the gulf, aud with admiration
| for the colossal magnifcence of the semi
circle of ships that followed as. At that
moment | wished that all Italians could
have seen the Emperor and felt as proud
as did of being an Italian and Neapo-
| litan."