The record-union., 1898-12-01
QUEEN wILHELMINA's FATHER
Some of the Eccentricities Of the
Old King.

It is to be hoped that the young
Queen of Holland has inherited the
character of her sensible mother rath-
er than that of her erratic old father.
Were it possible to draw a distinct line
between sanity and insxrsity, it would
have been difficult to decide upon
which side the late King of Holland
was to be found. The men in his SER
vice, both gentlemen in attendance and
those occupying humber places, Wore
an anxious and careworn look. His
impatience and discomfort in the latter
part of his life made the existence of
those about him something of a bur-
den.
One summer at Carlsbad when the
King was taking the cure, he became
angry at one of the gentlemen in at
tendance and ordered the unfortunate
young man to leave the town in six
hours. As to whether there was a con-
venient train withinIthe prescribed time
it. mattered not, the disgraced individ-
ual was forced to depart. Another
time one of the Kings Wallets was a
moment late in responding to his call,
and for punishment his majesty kept
the man standing an hour before giving
him the order, adding if the offense was
repeated he would throw the <aan over
the banisters.
At that time Nine. F., of the hotel
where the King stayed, owned landau
and two horses, which he rented for the
month. She had also pair of ponies
and a light victoria that an American
woman had engaged. One day the
King noticed the ponies and admired
them Madame was summoned.
His majesty wishes to have the po-
nies this afternoon"
Madame was independent, and had
likewise found that American citizens
paid quite as well as Dutch royalties
and were not so troublesome, so she In
formed the Comte de M that the
ponies were engaged and his majesty
could not have them. There followed
a small tempest, but Madame remained
firm and trotted off in triumph to in
form the American woman of the Incl
dent AS the latter was not intending
to use the ponies that afternoon. she
told Madame F. the King might have
them. Somewhat reluctantly the
plump little landlady returned to the
Count and received the order to have
the ponies in the landau at o'clock.
My ponies QIdS ludl HCdfy iduQau.
Not bit of IT. His majesty must use
the victoria or go without the ponies.''
Neither f1attery nor seedlings moved
Madame, and his majesty was forced,
to yield to the stout little Austrian land
lady, who in repeating the story slap
ped one hand hard upon the other, re-
marking, He didn't get enough of that
when he was little boy"
At o'clock the American family
hung out of the windows to watch the
King start on his drive. Up came the
victoria, the fat ponies and the wenzel,
gay in his livery of blue and gold His
majesty, looking like thunder-cloud.
came out on the steps, and was assist
ed into the carriage by the sad-eyed
Comte de NJ A quaking lackey
started to put a heavy rug across the
Kings knees Here was an outlet for
the royal wrath. Selling the wrap, the
King hurled it at the servants head
with such force that the man staggered
back and sat down suddenly upon The
stone steps, and his majesty drove
away with pleasanter expression
While the King was at Carlsbad, his
only son, the Prince of Orange, died,
but the strange old man would not al
low this bereavement TO interrupt his
cure" and ordered the funeral TO be
postponed for ten days.. Though it