The age-herald., 1898-09-22

committed in order to extricate coih- aoe from trouble But such slshs ol piegoei'' are continually dispaylng themseiVes.
 ..I should tel m his pleasures constiu1tiVe rather than destructive creative as iiiuSn as recreative. lie takes no delight Tn the sufferinas of animals in any form. f1c loves the garden, for instance, lhtehsey' and the shrubs and flowers that 6io" there. some of which he instinctiveiy a-a unconsciously treats almost as frielioS anu comrades. He is ever deiVlhS, ois5iiie' planting, transplanting, sowing, graldas' nruning. trimming and generally looklog after his subjects of the vegetable King dom. He has a pronounced nhlhe lof roses, and enjoys experimenting Ter the purpose of modifying their color ana per funle but he has hitherto had to content himself mainly with examining the results of the experiments made by others. He and his comrade, the watchmans son, who shares the kings amusements, work to- gether, if we can call this amateur garden ing of boys anything more than play. It Is interesting to watch the two running about with little spades or rakes, wheel barrows or shovels, garden scissors or flower baskets, and 1t would be both amusing and instructive to listen to the conversation carried on by the pair. One day some of the trees in the royal garden were being pruned, and the kings humble companion having gone far off for a few minutes on an errand of his comrade and monarch, reappeared, wearing @ leafy crown over his hat, which he had impro- vised out of somewhat gnarled bough. Whats that round your hat? asked the king. That's my crown replied the boy commODer; it nearly tore the ribbon round my hat as I pinned it. There are plenty more up there. where they are pruning the trees. Would you like me to get you one?' and the boys eyes sparkled with pleasure as he spoke. No, thanks not any for me;
 
 put on are heavy ones that worn on the bare head; besides, I don't want my skin torn like the ribbon of your hat
 "The little kings tongue Is quite as sharp as his eyesight; but he Is made to be very careful how he employs it when ever grown up people are present Possibly considerable part of what he says is a mere modification of what he hears from people much older than himself
 "One day, during his history lesson, the king asked his professor to tell him how Spain came to lose Chii, Mexico and the other Spanish-American colonies The story was narrated so thrillingly and artis- tically that the royal boy listened spell bound, and continued after 1t had ended, to sit absorbed in meditation. At last a thought having struck him, he looked up to his professor and inquired, What must do In order to get back those counties for Spain?' The first and most important thing of all,' replied the cautious and diplomatic pedagogue, is that your majes- ty should-should-grow up to be a man. When you are a man. 'Hm! muttered the lad, disenchanted, when I'm a man 1t is not history professors advice that shall be asking. I shall have prime min ister to tell me then.
 "The restraint of court life would be a source of exquisite suffering to vivacious youth like Alfonso XIII. were he obliged to submit to it. Fortunately the existence he leads is that of a boy in an arstccratic private family, with some extra restric- tions thrown in. All his hours, or nearly all. are filled up with some occupation or other, according to programme which is observed with German minuteness,< and this is galing to the independent Spanish spirit of the lad He cannot, or will not. understand why he must do this thing which he hates. or refrain from that which his heart yearns for, simply because this is absolutely necessary for king that is unbecoming monarch the other thing is harmless in itself, but for the king of Spain at the present moment it is impos- sble.' Why impossibleT he has often asked, and nearly always the reply elicited was, You will understand all this better when you are older."