The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-09-15
LARRY" JEROME.
Exchange.


 There is no end of stories told of his practical jokes, which were always funny, usually extravagant, and some times pretty hard to bear for their victims. It Is said that he won his way into the good graces of English aristocracy by accompanying James Gordon Bennett the younger in his yacht "Henrietta" on that famous ocean race with the "Fleetwing" and the "Vesta." The "Henrietta" landed them at Cowes winners, and they found English society eager to well come the heroes of the plucky voyage. Jerome had the run of the aristocracy, and it is told that he took advantage of this to play joke at the incidental expense of the queen. He visited Os- borne, the royal residence on the Isle of Wight, with one of his "blooded" friends, and in one of the rooms the eagle eye of the joker lighted on some of the royal stationery. "Oh," he cried, raising his eyes to heaven, eff l could only perchance have one of those crested sheets to take home to America, how envied would I be there!" His friend thought the mat ter could be arranged, and soon the joker had his prize. Soon after this MT. Bennett gave 8 dinner on this yacht, to which number of English men were invited. Mr. Jerome had written on the royal stationery an in- vitation to Lawrence R. Jerome to dine at Osborne with her majesty, the queen, and arranged to have 1t brought in to him when the champagne had circulated long enough to make the Englishmen unsuspicious and credu- lous. As it happened, 8 real invita- tion from Lord Somebody was handed to the joker just few moments before the arrival ot the bogus one. He opened it, yawned and looked dis traught.
 "What is it?" asked some one.
 ooh, only an invitation from Lord So-and-So. The Englishman stared. Only an invitationl Then came the big envelope with the royal seal and crest. The Englishmen marveled. MT. Jerome sighed, and with an incompa- rable air of nonchalance, cut the seal and opened the precious missive.
 "Well," he said, "this is getting to be 8 bore"
 What was it? Oh, an invitation from the queen. An invitation from the queen a bore? Oh, we'll, she doubt less meant kindly, but she didn't know how tired the American was of these little social courtesies; they were be- ginning to pail upon him. And. so for half an hour he ran on, and nearly drove the astonished Johnnies crazy. They never suspected joke.
 There were 6 couple of Americans in the party who could not quite make up their alleged minds whether his letter was real or bogus. They tried to pump him, and he got on his dig nity right away. At length they de- cided that he really was on intimate terms with the royal family, and as they were anxious to visit Osborne, they asked him to give them the 1sopen sesame" My dear boys," he said, "there's nothing easier in the world. The queen, God bless her, is dead struck on American yachtsmen ever since we came across the pond. All you have to do is to put on your yachting clothes and march up to the palace. As Americans you will he welcomed. Of course, you will find some soldiers at the gate, and they | will present their bsyonets at your breasts, but that is only matter of form. Wave them of, tell them you are American and march in. They l will cause you no further trouble" The two simples followed these direc- tions only too well, and narrowly es- capped arrest. When they returned to | reproach the joker he met them with a serious countenance. He could not credit their story. aWhy, went in l that way" he solemnly asseverated, s1and didn't have bit of trouble. Il went through the queens private | apartments" Nor could they ever make him confess otherwise.
 He was entirely impartial in his jokes, and above all loved to work one on his particular friend, ". J. Flor ence, the actor. Florence, Captain Connor, of tho St. James Hotel Thes. P. Ochiltree, of Texas; President Arthur, in the days that he was s.Chet," Roscoe Conkling ard Frank F. Blair were among his close frisndA Soon after the war there was biz dinner given in Washington to lot of the winning geDerals- Sheridan, Grant and Bence dc Butler were there- MT. Jerome was one of the very fsw civilian guests present. When it came his turn to speak he got up and told . terrific whOpper about an old New Orleans lady he claimed to have met on a European steamer. And then he told how she described the Butler reign in New Orleans He laid 1t on heavy, not emitting the spoons fnci-