Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-04-13
THE LATE KAISER.
ANECDOTES ABOUT EMPEROR
WILLIAMS GOOD NATURE.
The Emperor and the Excursion
fsts-A Fall observation-disclosures
That Were PriZed-Rulers
Whom William I. Outlived.

At Babelsburg, his favorite country
house, he used frequently to permit
parties of excursionists to be conducted
through the principal apartments, even
when he was actually staying in the
Schloss. 1t happened once that he was
engaged In the library with one of his
secretaries, when the, castelar,, all un-
cohcious Of his reYered masters presence
in a part Of the house seldom utilized
for official interviews, ushered "sec-
ton" of the sightseers from Berlin into
an adjoining drawing-room. The Privy
Councillor Gin waiting" was for
promptly closing the door of communi-
cation, in order to keep out the unwit-
ting intruders; but his Majesty would
not allow his holiday making Subjects
to be baked of their amusement. Upon
opening a door in the oaken paneling
he said gaily: II will go in here and
wait until they have been passed on into
the other apartments; then l can come
out, and we can resume our conversation.
With no more ado, he squeezed himself
into narrow room, like a cupboard
used by the servants for storing away
old china, glass, and other superiuities;
repository, moreover, of housemaids'
brushes and busters. There he patiently
remained, in the dark for five or six
minutes, whilst the Berliners were hand
ling the knick- knacks on his writing
table, peering at his pictures and read
ing the titles of his books. The con-
sternation of the attendants may be i'm
agined when, as the last excursionists
passed out Of the library, his Ma esty
emerged from the china closet and called
back one of the footmen, saying, under
his breath: "Fetch me a clothes brush,
for my coat has got very dusty whilst /
was in prison"
In the spring of 1878 the Emperor was
dressing one morning, when his servant,
man who had been attached to his per-
son in the capacity of valet for more
than thirty years, thinking that the
"Hohe Herr" had completed his toilet,
removed the chair Fronting the round
swing looking-glass upon which His
Majesty was want to sit while being
shaved and brushed. Not noticing the
absence of the chair from its accustomed
place, the Emperor sat down en- Pair and
fell heavily upon the floor-a perilous
mishap for tall and stoutly built man
in his eighty -second year. After helping
the Kaiser to his feet, the half distracted
old servant burst into tears and fell upon
his knees, sobbing out entreaties for for
eiveness, and fears lest His Majesty
should have suffered some grievous hurt.
''Do not be alarmed" said the good old
Emperor, smiling kindly upon him, and
motioning him to rise. "Stand up; it is
nothing. You we're not to blame at all,
but only my OVID carelessness in not
looking behind me before l sat down."
The same attendant use to tell how,
early one morning very great lady had
asked to see the Kings bedroom and
dressing-room, just after His Majesty
had left them. "She had written per-
mission, and one of the Royal aides de-
camp came with her to tell us that der
hohe Herr wished everything to be
shown to her. l brought her in, and
she looked at His Majesty's toilet things
just as you are looking at them now. l
had been combing my masters hair, and
had not had time to set everything to
rights; so there was still few gray hairs
left between the teeth of the comb.
Would you believe it, before I could
stretch out my hand to stop her she had
picked up the comb, disengaged the
stray hairs from it, and hidden them
away in her dress. And she a Princess,
too l exclaimed: 'Highness, that won't
do; nobody must take my Kings hair
without his permission But the aide
de-camp said: Let be; Majesty will be
battered; esides, you know that he
never refuses anything to ladies' When
told the hohe Herr he only laughed,
and said Thou art like thy old master !;
thou can'st not say Nop"-St James's
Gazette.