Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1891-03-13
RECEIVING A PRINCE.

yet even the train de luxe stops there.
This is because this is the junction where
trains leave on the little branch line that
runs to Hyers. A tall mountain stands
sentinel over La Pauline, and if person
were on the top of the mountain he would
see Toulon and the iron-clads, as well as
great stretch of the blue Mediterran-
can.
On the long platform north of the line
five young men were marching up and
down together, singing at the tops of
their voices:
There is tavern in this town
In this town.
And there my true love sits him down,
Sits him down.
And we'll hang our harps on the weeping
willow tree,
And may the world go we'll with me-
Well with me-"
Or words to that effect. They sang very
boisterously, and suited their marching
to the tune, giving three stamps with
their feet all together when they came to
the refrain: ''In this towL" They ap-
peared to be American citizens, and
seemingly didn't give hang if all the
world knewit.
Suddenly the five stopped before a
young man who was seated on one of the
benches. He was quiet, digniied,
self-possessed young fellow, and he
looked up at them as they halted before
him.
"Come on, Johnson" said one of the
five, "we are not going to let you go
back on the crowd like this. You sing
bass, and we just want good bass
voice"
"You do that" remarked johnson.
quietly, ''also, five other good voices !"
''See here. It's easy for you to sit
here and criticlse the singing, but we are
not going to allow that. You've got to
join in. Come on, Johnson"
81 don't see why we should make
idiots of ourselves in the south of France
any more than we should IN America. :"
''But we do in America, dear boy, we
do. Always have done it, and we're not
going back on our record. Come on,
Johnson"
''Tm just little tired of that tune,
you know
whats the matter with the tune?
It's the one keenan, sang all through
Siberia. Come on, Johnson"
But johnson would not come on, and
SO the five set at MIN and tried to force
him to join them. The uniformed man
of the station looked on with knitted
brows, apparently not knowing whether
this was genuine row or not. Johnson
held the fort and sent one after another
sprawling Then one of them desisted,
and started down the long platform sing
ing:
There is tavern in this town"
The others Joined him, while johnson
sat serencly on the bench. The official
shrugged his shoulders and evidently
thought these foreigners were hard to
understand.
There was shrill whistle to the west,
and the train from Marseilles came rush
ing in.
1 walked down the long train, opened
the door of a compartment that was
empty and took my seat. When the
train started there was shout of warn
ing from the guard, and, before / could
look out to see what the matter was, the
door was flung open and one of the sing
ing young men tumbled in. The guard
slammed the door shut with a maledic-
tion on the man who broke the rules and
nearly broke his neck. The young fell
low picked himself up, lifted his hat and
said
"Pardonny moi mouseu-"
"Oh, that's all right" I answered,
''don't mention it. If that is your
usual way of getting into train, you
will find yourself in French Jail or cut
in two on the track some day."
"Oh, you speak English, do you2" re-
piled the young fellow, ignoring what l
said, and seemingly surprised that he had
not monopoly of the language SO far
south in France.
eyes, can make myself understood
in most parts of England and America I"
swell, then, you must have heard our
row with johnson"
'tAbout the alleged singing? Yes"
"Welll We're just laying for old
johnson. You won't give it away, will
youa"
"Certainly not"
"Well, you see it's like this. Johnson's
mother was a Prince, and"
"a princess, you mean"
"No, she belonged to the old Prince
family of Boston. johnson is very proud
of that branch of the family, more so
than of the johnson side. His name is
j. Prince johnson. We used to call him
Prince at college. He likes that, and
that's why we call him johnson now."
81 noticed you ran in the name john
son pretty often
"Of course we did. Whenever he
tries to put on airs we call him Johnson
30 often that he gradually tones down.
Now, here's the plan we're putting up on
old Johnson. i got in here so he