The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-04-07

gether to inspect the carefully kept flow
er beds or to romp on the vast lawns
moved and trimmed by English garden
ers. Here the Kink lays his dignity aside
and romps with the little folk, while
Queen Olga looks on at the fun.
The King never forgets, however, to
keep one eye on the palace clock. AT
quarter past eleven he sobers down
and becomes the practical man of af-
fairs. He returns to his study and inn
merses himself In state papers and in
documents concerning his personal busi-
ness. For. he is very much Of a bust
ness man. He is also very rich one.
Not because he is King of poor little
Greece; but because he has a commercial
genius equal to that of Jay Gould or
an Andrew Carnegie. His allowance as
King is. very small matter, scarcely
enough to enable him to build and occu-
by with becoming decency a brown stone
mansion on Fifth avenue, if he were
private American citizen. But by sheer
business ability, by wonderful grasp of
affairs, he has made himself a multi
millionaire. Speaking in American terms
one might say he was many times a
King. Besides being King of Greece, he
is, in his own country, a Dairy King
a Railway King" a "Raisin and Owe
King" and above all a "Sea King" Che
last not in the sense in which his ma
rauding Danish ancestors centuries ago
bore that romantic title). The fact is that
his capital, judiciousy invested in Greek
native Industries, increased rapidly
that he has finally been able to cor
ner' the most profitable produce OF his
kingdom. He owns vast dairy farms and
planta tons of grapes and olives all over
the land. Nearly the entire railway sys-
tenn of Greece is under his control and
pays big percentage directly into his
money box: and he personally owns a
large fleet of merchant vessels engaged
in the very lucrative carrying trade of the
Levant, between Greek, Turkish, Egyp-
tian, Austrian, Arabian and french
ports. He has invested great deal Of
surplus capital in English and American
securities, and buys and sells on the mar
ket with almost unfailing sagacity. II
he lost his Greek crown and all his
Greek properties tomorrow, he would
still be an exceedingly wealthy man. And
if he lost eli his wealth the day after
that he could command a royal wage
from any big speculative or commercial
and industrial magnate in need of an ex-
pert agent.
The writer heard 1t told in Athens that
the German Emperor. whether casually
or with direct sarcastic intention, alluded
once in King Georges presence to the
! 'unroyal habit of making money" To
which King George answered with SIM
pie directness:
II see nothing unroyal in making monty.
It's great deal better to be a rich mer-
chant than bankrupt king
If he himself had not the ability to
make money, perpetually bankrupt king
Is just what he would have been. The
hour per day that he devotes to transact
ing his purely personal business must be
exceptionally interesting to a man of
King Georges tastes; but he never allows
the price of milk or the probabih of
the olive harvest to keep him from receiv-
ing at precisely half past twelve. his min
listers and the chiefs of the army and
| navy or any foreign diplomat who may
| have business with him. Usually the am
bassadors are received in the study where
the King practically lives all the morn
ing; on special occasions only are the
receptions held in the superb Throne
Room.
Half past one is the solemn hour of
lunch and the great family reunion. Woe
betide the unfortunate member of the
royal household. be it Queen or Prince or
Princess, who is not waiting in the "es-
tiatorion" or salle-a manager for the entry
of the King. That is the objectionable
sin. Rather than commit 1t and so incur
the terrible look of her father the some
what Eighty young Princess Maria is Of
ten seen to come flying down stairs three
d
touches on her toilet as she dashes breath
less into the room.
The lunch is a heavy meal, rather after
the German fashion. The King has an ex-
traordinary taste for mutton BROTH which
greasy compound, as may be seen from
the royal menu daily printed in the Aero
polls, figures at nearly every dinner given
at the palace. His Majesty is a big eater
at the two principal meals, and is not
pleased when any dish does not come
up to par. There are no less than 80
cooks and under-cooks in the royal kitch-
en-, the majority French, though there
are always some Germans, and of course,
small staff of Greeks to look after the
curious Oriental sweetmeats and desserts
which only Turks and Greeks can make,
and of which the King is a devout wor
shipper.
After lunch, instead of going to sleep
for awhile In the siesta. which nearly all
his subjects take. "Our Georgy' spreads
himself out in vast arm chair with his
Turkish pipe bubbling by his side and a
French novel in his band. The family
has permission to nod off IL II likes, for
an hour and a half or so. then the King
decides how the afternoon is to be spent
Generally il is a ride or drive to Pha-
lerion, past the ancient Acropolis and
down TO the beach. where there is a little
garden reserved for the royal family Here
they lounge away the hot hours by the
beautiful Mediterranean In what is GER
tainly one of the most magcally lovely
as It Is assuredly the most Economically
historical nook OF tie globe. In the cool
OF the evening. when the sun Is getting
ready To set over Ilymettus, and the mar
bic ruins OF che glorious past. the royal
party returns 10 the palace, driving rap
idly through the picturesque crowd that
daily wait FOR their passing 20 cry gee
%" 10 the King.
A. $50 there 10 the dinner, a function
exactly similar 20 the lunch. except that
the younger prncesses are not allowed
20 dine az the state table. They eat under
the eye Of an intendanf IA another sale.
coming IN only for fhe dessert When
there are no guests Of distinction, the
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