The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-01
TALES OF VICTOR EMANUEL.
The Hunting King Incognito Among
His Peasants.

His Peasants.
The sporting districts of Italy sui
TEEN with stories of Victor Emahuel
which have not yet become current out
side the peninsula. He hunted down
his game with the perseverance ana
sagacity of good hound, and often
left far behind him invited guests,
eouerries. beaters and keepers. On one
OCCASION of the kind he found himself on
entirely unknown ground and he
climbed down the mountain side to hut
to ask the names of the surrounding
peaks and to have a drink of goats
milk. To the old dame who made him
welcome and gave him both drink and
| information he said:
"Can l do anything for you, good
woman?"
| she answered.: Eyes, indeed you
have a gun. Maybe you could rid me
of the polecat that eats my chickens,
and even killed my cat"
"And nothing else?" asked the King.
81 see no one about the house. Are
you quite alone here?'
She replied sadly: "There was the
grandson--the only one Of all of them
left with me--and the King took even
him away. All the young fellows are
taken for soldiers now. Some tell me
tits not all the fault Of the King, and
that he's forced to do it. But it is sore
ly hard on lone folk like me.
The King asked: well, what's his
regiment"
ooh that l can't tell YOU" she said,
but have letter from him in my
pocket. The schoolnaster'll read it for
me next Sunday when I go to mass.
Perhaps, now, you could even make out
the regiment from it?''
The old woman produced the letter
and fumbed till she tore open the en-
velope with her toll blunted fingers, and
she stared hard at the sheet of paper,
which His Majesty conned to some pur-
pose, for he gave all requisite particu-
lars to one of his officers, with orders
that, when found, the recruit should be
sent back with his discharge to the old
grandmother and the mountain farm.
Moreover, he shot the faina that had
killed cat and poultry, and the good
woman gave him threepence- halfpenny
for his trouble, besides many thanks
and blessings.
A year later the King passed that |
way, and was again alone The youth |
and the grandmother We're at work in
their potato patch, and the ex-soldier, |
in great establishment, saluted Being |
agitated, he struck his temple with his
earthly hand again and again, saying,
otis the King, Grannie, it's the King"
''You fool!' cried his grandma, laugh
ing heartily, 'ft's only the old vagabond
gave my half-pence to for killing the
polecat It's il cacciatore (sportsman or I
poacher) that | was telling you about
Are you crazy, lad ?"--for the conscript
continued his frantic saluting.
Laughing, the King looked across the
fence of loose stones till the crone be-
gan roughly to shake her boy by the |
shoulder and to call him hard names.
Then, in mercy, lie rof chasseur (as he
is called on his monument in Aosta) vol
some explanations. The grand
mother was trifle abashed for a mo-
ment, but when she brought out a Jug
of milk the trio made merry together
Another day, near the Val de Cogne,
accompanied by one of his generals
(who was as enthusiastic sportsman
as HIMSELF, Victor Emanuel, tired and
thirsty, begged for "a bowl of milk at
a cottage door. The housewife thought
that they were two professional chamois
hunters, and, having a weight in her I
hand, took the opportunity of unbur-
dening herself of it. !
TELL me, kind gentlemen" she began,
sis it true what I hear? The neighbors
are saving that the King is coming !
Now, 1 must find out when he'll be
near, for my girl is very pretty. I'll .
put her under lock and key You may
have heard of her, for she's the finest |
girl in the valley. They tell me that
he Kings a terribly i'll conducted man,
hat tries to turn the head of every nice |
girl he sees. Could you not give me a
hint of his coming, that 1 might shut
Up the child in good time?"
(This ought to have been a capital
sermon to the Re galantuomo)
A third story shows him in a better !
light. He chose once to start before f
he rest of the shooting party, and was l
stopped short by brawlngy mountain t
Victor Emanuel was not tall; l
,ut even if he were able to wade across, c