The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-10-03

ness in the second volume filled with
the correspondence of Wilhelmine with
Voltaire. No more interesting books
have appeared for many years. They
are picture of the first half of the
century preceding our own, and are full
of that kind of good cheer which comes
from finding lot of rascals ten times
as worthy of the halter as any of the
nominally decent people OF our times
and country.
The modern man or woman who has
not yet read these memoirs has at least
not had the unhappiness to become ac-
quainted with a meaner lot OF men and
women than We're ever trumped up for
use in the pages of fiction. Wilhel-
mine and the little Crown Prince were
knocked around and kicked by each
tutor and governess, and If for any rea-
son these hirelings permitted the girl
and boy to have vacation from bruises
the vacancy was at once filled in with
the cudgel or fist of the King. AS a
father Frederick had the disposition of
a hungry tiger and the stubbornness of
mule. The journal contains a gal
lery of portraits which should for
truths sake be called the "rogue's gall
lery," of which collection of rogues the
most pleasant thought is that they are
all dead.
The King was so stingy that he kept
his family as hungry as tramps, and
many of the quarrels and scenes in the
royal palace were at the table, where
the miserable food made all those who
were attempting to masticate the sub
stances use language as unsavory as the
articles of diet.
When distinguished Margrave was
coming as guest and was probably to
marry an elder sister, the King asked
his daughter what preparations she was
making for entertaining so high and ro-
mantle parsonage. Let Wilhelmine
tell this pretty little story: "Now my
sister made a point of telling him" (the
King, her father whatever came into
her head, even the greatest home
truths, and he had never taken her out
spokenness amiss. On this occasion,
relying on former experience, she
answered him as follows: When /
have house of my own | shall take care
to have a well-prepared dinner, better
than yours is, and if l have children of
my own, / shall not plague them
as you do yours, and compel them to
eat things they dislike What is
amiss in my dinner table?' the King
inquired, getting very red in the face
Ny sister replied What is the mat
ter with it? There is not enough on
it for us to eat, and what there is is
cabbage and carrots, which we detest.
Her first answer had already angered
my father, but now he gave vent to his
fury. But instead of furnishing my
sister he poured out bis wrath on my
brother, my mother and myself. To
begin, he threw his plate at my broth
er's head, who would have b en- struck
had he not got out of the way; a sec
end plate he threw at me, which |
happily escaped; torrents of abuse
followed these first signs of hostility.
AS my brother and L passed near him
he hit out at us with his crutch. Hap
PLY we escaped the blow. l was so
upset by this scene that trembled all
over and was obliged to sit down to
keep from fainting."
No heroine in fiction ever met more
difficulties in the way to happy mar
riage than this actual Wilhelmine en-
countered. Her affections were guided
and stimulated by abuse, knocks, and
threats. The King kept on hand a
stock of bridegrooms assembled from
all parts of Europe, and when he
wished for some new diversion he
would send some knavish official to this
daughter to order her to sign a marriage
contract. The regularity OF these offers
was equaled by the uniformity with
which the delicate girl and her mother
sent back the documents unsigned.
When at last the girl married the Mar
grave of Baireuth---a man she esteemed
her health and heart had been broken
by the many-shaped barbarisms of
Frederick's palace.