The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-27
TATcOED THE PRINCE.
Mermaids and Dolphins All ov

Mermaids and Dolphins All Over
Wales Son and Gladstone's Nephew.
From, the Ne,o York Home Journal
l have made the acquaintance of such a
quaint, clever old retired sea captain, with
great black ewes and snow-white hair and
mustache. He had been the word over
several times and there seems to be nothing
nor nobody which and whom he has lot
seen or known.
Just now we are so Observation-Disclosures
intimate-wlth the Prince Of Wales and his
doings, perhaps an anecdote which the cap
tain told me of George, the princes second
son, may be amusing.
The captain some years ago was in San
Francisco with his ship. 1t was chartered
by big manufacturing company to go to
New South Wales where the captain was
to buy 1900 tons of a certain celebrated
/ bituminous coal, for which the company
contracted to pay IS a ton, delivered in
| San Francisco.
! He arrived safely and put up at the finest
| hotel in Sidney. At this hotel were staying
the Duke of Edinburgh, with his nephew, a
son of the Prince of Wales, and young
Gladstone. nephew of the great states
man. They were then taking tip around
the worid-the boys III the care Of the
Duke of Edinburgh, VINO commanded the
ship
My sea captain made their acquaintance
and dined with them the first day of his ar
ri 7al He told the boys some of his iolliest
stories, and they took to each other i'm
mensely. but, strange to tell, he did not
catch vestige of them for the next two
weeks.
One day they appeared again suddenly.
seized the captain by the hand and insisted
upon his going immediately to join them in
glass of champagne in honor of the meet-
ing.
"Where on earth have you been hidingp
asked the captain.
I'm bed" answered the prince, with
sound half-groan, half-chuckle," and its all
the fault of that long-legged beast, Tom
Nolan"
Then young Gladstone put in naughty
word and raped out:
Eyes, the beggar declared that be would
heal up in one day. I'd like to thrash him.
but his back is yard across, l could not
knock him down, you know, if tried"
What the dickens did he do to you27
"Why, see here )" said the prince, and the
CAPTAIN, putting on his spectacles, discov-
cred that the princes under lip had been
tatooed with the royal broad arrow,n
while young Gladstone's lip was similarly
decorated with an anchor, two lovely "fast
dYen embellishments, which would last all
their lives.
Choking with suppressed laughter the CAP
tain said: 1.-THE old salt has done his work
we'll, but this need not have kept you in
bed two weeks" apr
"Oh, bless you, no y said the prince. "bat
you know he coaxed us into having dol
phins, and mermalds, and notices, pretty
much all over us, and oh! it's abominabIe,
you know, for we were soon laid out as
| stiff as ramrods, and bowling with pain. Il
don't matter, now it's all over" added the
prince rather ruefully, "but, by Georgel
I'll never be caught in such q trumpery
scrape again." sS11
Nor l." ohimed in young Gladstone,
with an emphatic bang of his fist on the
| table. but the worst of it is, you know that
we shall be dancing and fighting at balls
| and praying in church with all these ridic-
ulous mermaids and idiotic what-a-callens
| prancing round with us, all along the line.
George has made a royal jackass of him
| self, and am"
"a radical iackass, laughed the captain.
And the signs of it will last forever You
will have TO dance and pray and offer your
selves to your sweethearts, nermaids and
all, for better, for worse" Then thew made
| a solemn grimace at them, and they all burst
cut laughing-and the boys invited him to
| inspect the splendid ship, in whic' they
were steaming over the world, ana while
there the captain put the Youngest up to
playing some high jinks upon4the old sailor
who had persuaded them to be tattooedi by
way of an awful retribution day or two
after the great ship steamed away, and the
captain, having loaded the ship with the
| coal be was to get, set sail for CaIifornia.
he told me, with an irresistible wink, that
he bought the coalfor 81 a ton. Two dol
lars more covered every expense to the door
| OF the great manufactory, 50 the result was
tidy little fortune for the captain. "e
Some years after he was in Yokohama,
and leftit at night by getting on board a
ship bound for California In the morning
he rose early to watch the fast receding
shores of Japan. A tall, handsome young
man came out Of his stateroom at The same
| moment in his dressing robe. Hello ~ he
cried, why, if here amt my dear old cap
| tain. How are youa So glad to meet you
againw -..-9 II
Ghe puzzled captain looked at the young
nan in vain hope to recognize him,
when the other, lifting Il splendid mus
ache. disclosed a tatooed anchor on his
lip. ss3eae
20, now know you You are Gladstone!
What big, good-looking fellow you are.
to be sure" fa 7tvzs
IAN you see of me-" laughed the other.
MY friends, the mermaids and notices,
still cling closer than brother, and under
my clothes I'm a show for your circus
friend, Barnum. But come with me and
drink good-by champagne cup to
Japan" as1-r
And then they went over the South. Wales
adventure, and had most enjoyable, jolly
chat together. i'r ra7so