Evening star., 1897-03-06
Jokes AT COURT.
There Were Some Merry Men ADou'
King Georges Throne.

King Georges THRONE.
From the London Standard.
practical joke may be defined as one In
which merriment Is produced or sought,
not by words, but by action. practiced Upon
a fellow creature-commonly an offensive
or annoying action. Even If harmless 1t
holds I'D the sufferer to ridicule, and intel
ligent human beings do not need to be told
that such conduct Is reprehens!ble. But IL
the joke be well contrived, sufficiently
humorous in idea and neatly executed. We
do no. care so much as we should II Ii fall
under the practical class. Who would
not have liked to be present at the royal
masquerade when Heidegger, master of the
revels to George III, was confronted by his
double? The Duke of Montagu had OBJ
tanned cast Of the great mans face.
From this he caused a wax mask to be
fashioned and colored. Heidegger's tailor
supplied facsimile of the new and gor-
geous dress he was to wear, ard the duke
engaged an actor to play the part. He told
the band, at the last moment to strike up
Charley Over the Water at his majesty's
King" They hesitated But 1t was indubit-
ably Heidegger-features. voice, clothes
and also imprecations when the conductor
Gemurred. So the king heard that treason
able air, perhaps for the first time, en- en-
tering. We can family imagine the tumult.
Heidegger rushed to the band, struck the
conductor. set him playing God Save the
King" and rushed back to apologize Next
moment he returned to the orchestra.
equally furious-that is his double returned
ordering the band to resume Charley
Over the Water" and the bewildered musi-
clans obeyed. There was never such a
scene in the presence of royalty. The off,
GERS of the guards in attendance made
dash at the band with swords, but those In
the secret blocked the way. Heidcgger,
dancing round the king, made inarticulate
protestations and excuses. while his majes-
ty stormed and threatened. making for the
door. The situation became perilous. So
the counterfeit stepped forward, crying.
with passionable Indignation. Sire. the
devil has taken my likeness to undo me.
Look at him." Hedegger saw his double.
gasped, gibbered and fell senseless. One
may think that longer and more compli-
Gated business might have been devel-
oped from such an ingenious hoax; but for
a dramatic situation of its class this could
not be beaten.
In some parts of South America good
folks store all the glass and crockery
broken In the twelvemonth and at carnival
time put 1t into a sack attached to the lofty
balcony by stout cord, not quite long
enough to reach the ground When de-
Sirabla victim passes beneath the sack Is
quietly let go-to be arrested with adeous
crash upon his very heels. 1t Is credi5ly
reported that foreigners unprepared for
this Jest have tumbled headlong at the
sheck and others have taken to their beds
with an attack of fever. These are rare
triumphs.
No time or place is sacred to the en-
thusiastic joker. Duclos tells in his me-
moirs how the Prince Archbishop of Co.
losne asked license to preach In the royal
chapel at Versailles when visiting Louis
XIV himself. All the court assembled. 1t
was April 1. The prince archbishop mount
ed the pulpit in stately fashion, bowed
from side to side and stood a moment as If
collecting his thoughts, then shouted
April foolsr' picked up his skirts and ran
At the Sistine Chapel on Good Friday
each worshipper received a small whip on
entering. Three candles only burnt on the
altar. When the first was eXtinguished
every one threw off his coat; the next his
waistcoat; the third was a signal to fog
himself in pitch darkness. Sir Francis
Eastwood. afterward chancellor of the ex-
cheQuer, founder of the Dilettanu Club and
a parsonage whose name dwells in history,
was visiting Rome He provided himself
with a stout riding whip and got admit
lance to the Sistine When the fogging be-
gan instead of titilating his own shoulders
delicately he slashed his neighbors, right
and left. with British whipcord. consclen-
tiously laid on. The scene Is not yet for
gotten in Rome. Eastwood had made his
arrangements to escape. Horses and serv-
ants stood ready in by street; he mounted
and rode for his life, but some of his fol-
lowers were captured, tried for sacrilege
and sent to the galleys, II We remember
right. 1t may be hoped that when the reck-
| less youth became a power In Europe ne
did not forget those poor fellows.