Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-08-29
PRINCE CHARLIE.

| thought he was asleep, for he had been
quiet while-an unusual thing for him
when he suddenly raised himself up on his
elbow and looked at me.
See here, said he. lie spoke plain
as could be, though he hadn t much voice
the doctors said the lungs were all gone;
but for all that anybody could tell that he d
always had real pleasant way of speak
ing. Somehow he did have coaxing way
with him. different from any man | ever
took care of. No matter what he said
and he had no patience whatever-you
couldn get angry, and you couldn't help
trying to please him.
Tell me- now just what they say" he
went on. | suppose | can't last much
longer?"
"Oh, we cant none of US tell what turn
you may take, says |, helping him to lie
down as easy as ] could and fixing the
spread over him. He never was suited if
it WASH t all Strengthened up as nice and
smooth as could be, though he wouldn't
keep it so five minutes.
He looked at me with those big, dark
eyes of his-his face was so thin that his
eyes did look out Of reason, but even then
you would have known him for a hand
some man.
81 want to tell my story" says he.
They often begin in that way. 1t APP
pears like when they re away from all their
own folks and feel that they got to go,
they can t rest till you know all about EN-.
Land knows it don't do any good; but |
always hulnor my patients, though some
of the nurses do call me a fool for my pains.
If it does 'em any good, let 'em talk,
says l. always listen. But sometimes
they get all mixed up and can't tell you
anything straight after al; sometimes
| they drop off in the middle. But this one
was a real gentleman, and knew he had
| a story-coming to the hospital as he had,
straight from his Office. and the young
man that came with him saying: He
| hasn't got any friends to go to-.
II thought you was going to sleep to-
| night says |, sitting down by him COM
Portable like. But he didn't take no notice
| of me; he just stretched out his hand and
looked at it. He had the whitest little
hands, as slender and white as any lady 5,
and on his third finger he wore a hand
| some seal-ring. 1t was a green seal, with
a kind of fgger on it. 1T belongs to my
| family cOat-of-arms, says he, and he
laughed kind o scornful. And then he
| looked up at me with that wishful look of
|
| somebody when it s all over with me- I'm
going to tell you who she is before | finish
my story"
Then he shifted himself little, and
went right on without looking at me.
couldn't have stopped him if | had tried
| to.
TO begin with, ~ says he, Il was born
at sea. I'm the man without a country.
| | never had one. My mother had been
amusing herself in Europe and she went
| on amusing herself for good many years
after. don't think she troubled herself
much about me though | have heard her
say that looked like an angel, in long
curIs and velvet knickerbockers. 1t
wasn't what should have supposed; but
women ought to know best about those
| things.
I'VE had plenty of money in those days
| Ny father was in business. | didn t
know very much about it except that he
furnished the wherewithal. We had to
ask him for it, and sometimes he buster
ed a little about our spending so much,
but it always came. | went to school and
college. had plenty of friends plenty of
fun, and didn want anything in those
| days
He stopped for a minute, and looked at
me real pitlful.
"'Tisn much of story when you come
to tell it," says he, somehow it seems
| like more than it is.
But pretty soon he looked at his ring
/ again; it was too loose on his finger, and
he began turning it around with the other
poor thin hand.
They had all sorts of names for me -
| he began. My own name is Charles
Edward. They say there has always been
one in the family since the time of King
Charles. But it was Prince Charlie of
tener than anything else. She would
laugh and call me the pretender
Heaven knows | didn't pretend with her
it had got down to dead earnest by that
| time. But | haven t got to that.
| Il came home from college, and there
didn' seem to be anything very pressing
| for me to do. Father never spoke of my
| going into profession, and hated bust
ness. Mother and Anna-Anna was my
| eldest sister, then there was another lit
| tie one-they both liked to have me go
| a5out with them, for father was sick
enough of it by that time. We travelled
| too. We spent one winter in the Ber-
mudas and Anna and | went over to
England for year. We made regular
dig of it, seeing all the English cathe-
drals. That was Nan idea But we had
no end of a good time When we came
home, father got slower and slower
about supplying the sniews of war. To
tell the truth, 1 got pretty deep in debt
| though had mi>huSted something for
good while.
AT last the crash came-and it was
| bad one. 1t was all up with Hurd &
| E,ln f,4h E,lc
| came home and shut himself up in his
bedroom; he wouldn't see even mother
and there was Il % ,ery dickens to pay.
What could | do? | had no more idea
| than baby. Anna-that girl has ire
mendous pluck-and gooG-she's one of
the best girls alive-Anna went to gov
| ernessng Ned and Mortimer. the two
| younger boys came home from school and
went in stores. 1t strikes me thai that's
good way to be a cad, but didn' blame
| them. Father-well. father was found
| dead one morning. ] suppose 1t was all
right-apoplexy of the heart. or some
thing of that kind. they called it, Mother
went home to her eldest brother and took
| Alice with her. Everything went under
the hammer. and was fairly turned nut
of doors.
How little women know about life
Anna, poor girl, thought could do any
thing. With your talents. she used to
| say-bless you, my talents were all for
ornament not for use. They wouldn't
bring sIxpence In the market Some of
| father old friends wanted to help me- |
| tried a government clerkship. but that
was worse than being a galley slave. t.
come in at just such minute. like bar
her or a bootblack, | couldn't stand that.
| Then | went to Mexico with u party
was a big thing; there was a mining
scheme and pie>e Of railroad to be built.
and long payroll. was in the office.
| was there near " Two years but | got
down with the fever and had a pretty bad
time, so one day | started for New York.
When got in sight of land had just a
dollar IN my pocket.
What did you do?" says |.
''Oh, gave that to the stewart" says
lie. trying to laugh. i had my trunns
put on hack and drove up to the Bruins
wick. | REGISTERED and turned to 20 ,ut
See here. l call, ont TO the clerk. Civ"
that fellow a couple of dollars for me when
they get my trunk in, and of | walked
and left him to pay the driver
Il stopped theie for week and hunted
up an old friend and borrowed a fifty.
Then | got taken on a newspaper. But
that was work twenty-four hours
day. 1t pulled me right down. I couldn't