St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-27
TATTOOED THE PRINCE.
Laughable Story of the Heir to the
British Crown.

British Crown.
San Francisco Examiner.
have made the acquaintance of such
a quaint, clever old retired sea captain,
with great black eyes and snow white
hair and mustache. He had been the
world over several times, and there
seems to be nothing nor nobody which
and whom he has not seen or known.
Just now we are so intimate
paper intimate-with the Prince of
Wales and his doings, perhaps an anec-
dote which the captain told me of
George, the premier's second son, may
be amusing.
The captain, some years ago. was in
San Francisco with his ship. 1t was
chartered by big manufacturing com-
pany to go to New South Wales, where
the captain was to buy 1900 tons of a
certain celebrated bituminOus coal,
says the New York Journal. for which
the company contracted to pay IS ton,
delivered in San Francisco.
He arrived safely and put up at the
finest hotel in Sydney. At this hotel
were staying the Duke of Edinburg.
with his nephew. son of the Prince of
Wales, and young Gladstone, a nephew
/ of the great statesman. They were
then taking trip around the world. the
boys in the care of the Duke of Edin-
burg, who accompanied the ship.
My sea captain made their acquaint-
ance and dined with them the first day
of his arrival. He told the boys some
of his jOlliest stories and they took to
each other immensely, but strange to
tell, he did not catch vestige of them
for the next two weeks.
One day they appeared again sud-
denly, seized the captain by the hand
and insisted upon his going immedi-
ately to JOIN them in glass of cham
payne in honor of the meeting.
where on earth have you been hid
ing" asked the captain.
I'm bed" answered the prince, with
a sound half grOan, half chuckle, land
it's all the fault Of that loDg-legged
beast, Tom Nolan"
Then young Gladstone put in
naughty word and raped out:
Yes; the beggar declared that we
would heal up in one day. I'd like to
thrash him. but his back is a yard
across, and | could not knock him down,
you know, If tried"
''What the dickens did he do to you?'
"Wby, see here" said the prince, and
the captain, putting on his spectacles,
discovered that the princes under lip
arrow" while young GladstOne's lip
was similarly decorated with an anchor,
two lovely fast dye" embellishments
which would last all their lives.
Choking with suppressed laughter
the captain said: The old salt has
done his work well, but this need not
have kept you in bed two weeks"
"Oh, bless you, no." said the prince,
''but you know he c0aXed US into having
dOlphins and mermaids, and notices
prettymuch all over us,and oh it's abom-
Unable, you know, for we we're soon laid
ont as stiff as ramrodS, and bowling
with pain. 1t don't matter, now it's all
over" added the prince, rather ruefully.
'Dut, by George! Pll never be caught
in such a trumpetry scrape again."
Nor j" chimed in young Gladstone,
with an emphatic bang of his fist on
the table; but the worst of 1t, you
know, that we shall be dancing and
flirting at balls and praying in church
with all these ridiculous mermaids and
idiotic what-a-callemS prancing round
with us all along the line. George has
made royal jackasS of himself, and
am"
"a radical jackass," laughed the cap
tain. And the signs OF it will last for
ever. You will have to dance aud pray
and offer yourselves to your sweethearts,
mermaidS and all, for better, for worse"
Then he made solemn grlmace at
them, and they all burst out laughing
and the boys invited him to inspect the
splendid ship in which they were
steaming over the world, and while
there the captain put the youngest up
to playing some high jinks upon the
old sailor who had persuaded them to be
tattooed, by the way of an awful retrbu-
ton. A day or two after the great ship
steamed away, and the captain, having
loaded the ship with the coal he was to
get, set sail for California.
He told me with an irresistible wink
that lie bought the coal for s. ton.
Two dollars more covered every ex-
pense to the door of the great manu-
factory, so the result was tidy little
fortune for the captain.
Some years afterWard he was in Yo-
kohama, and left it at night by getting
on board a ship bound for California.
In the morning he rose early 10 watch
the receding shores of Japan. A tall,
handsome young man came out of his
stateroom at the same moment in his
"Why, if here amt my dear old cap
tain! How are you? So glad to meet
you againw Cd
The puzzled captain looked at the
young man in vain hope to recognize
him. when the other, lifting splendid
mustache, disclosed tattooed anchor
on his lip.
"Oh. now 1 know you! You are
Gladstone. WHAT big, good-looking
fellow pou are, to be sure"
"All you see of me-" laughed the 9TH
err. my friends, the mermaids and
notices, still cling closer than broth
er, and under my clothes I'm show
for your circus friend, Barnum. But
come with me and drink a good-by
champagne cup to Japan"
And then they went over the New
enjoyable, jolly chat together.