The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-29


ESa write TO you the minute 1 got TO
R2a-xl Indianapolis, but there has
ERaE3 been such an awful lot to do.
just haven't had a minute.
You know, Prince Pu Lun, the Chi
nese heir apparent-or something like
that-was here for five or six days. and, my.
Il was so excitingi / shook hands with
him-just think of that, Janiei-shook
hands with a real live prince. Wasn't
there somebody who did something like
that once and then he-or was IL a she?-
anyway, they never would wash it's hand
again? 1 felt like that myself, almost.
just looked at my hand and said, Just
think, the man whose hand you shook will
sit some day on the throne of China!' and
It made me feel real thrifty up my spine.
But. my goodness. by the time got home
that night my hands were so dirty that
just scrubbed them both without thinking
and guess may be it's just as well. Any
way, I'm an awfully patriotic American, you
know, and 1 guess it wouldn't be just right
for me never to wash my hands over a
prince.
Lilias doesn't feel at all the way about
the prince that do. You know. she is just
five, and she goes to Tudor Hall Kinder
heard that the prince was coming there
The day he was TO come she had to be
brushed and combed just so, and her sash
had TO be tied three times before she was
satisfied. and then she went off with her
little luncheon under her arm-she wouldn't
come home because the prince was coming
Well. when she came home in the after
noon she was the sorriest looking little mite
vnfra 1rsf fI,a v1rfr,
said Martha.
"Yes'm. he came" said Lilias.
We'll. didn't you see him, dearie?' said
Martha, sympathizingly.
Lilias looked like she was going to cry
''Yes'm. / saw him. she said, '.but he
wasn't nothing but just old Chinaman."
/ told Martha I didn't think she should
let Lilias talk like that. But Martha just
laughed and said she felt almost that way
herself. / think it's dreadful for people to
be so bigoted. Just because a man looks
like your laundryman or something of that
kind you don't need to forget he's a prince
now do you?
We went to the reception that was given
at the Propylaeum-I hope / got all the
letters in right, it's such a queer name
don't you think. dear? All the clubwomen
In the city pretty near were invited.
guess. and Martha said she wasn't a club
woman. but she didn't mind if the prince
didn't. so we went. The reception began at
O'Clock, but we went early because we
thought we'd get good chance to see
everything; but i guess there were some
others that had the same thought, for the
place was just cram full when we got
there. There were just crowds of women
and every one of them had on her Sunday
dress and her big picture hat, and they
didn't like ii a bit IL you stepped on their
ruffies or damned their hats with your
parasol. / don't think they need be so
cross. horrid old cats There was one
woman who stood on my fiounces-I had on
that dear black point desprit of mine. YOU
know-and when / started to walk away
OF course they came with a rip-and I think
was perfectly excusable for the things
] said TO her. don't you? l hate such awk-
wardness. Well. We were all damned in
that hall and every time we moved a little
the soldiers who were keeping the stairs
and the center of the hall clear damned rs
some more. and by and by some Of the
women got mad. There was one real NICE
looking old lady near me: Well" she
said. Il knew was an IDIOT for coming
and think all the rest of you are idiots
too-the idea OF making all this fuss over
q heather. who doesn't recognize his own
daughter one of his children. Her soul
doesn't count in his religion" Martha Just
laughed: honestly / never saw anybody so
queer as Martha-she laughs at everything
We'll I guess he doesn't care anything
about our soles either" she said. and then
all the women who had been making re-
marks about how tired their feet were
laughed. too / think it's horrid bad taste
to be fiippant at state occasion like that.
don't you?
Well. honestly did get tired of waiting
before the prince came. but / wouldn I
have talked the way some of those women
did for anything They said that 1T was
an outrage 10 ask them there and then
keep them herded down ia the hall like that
Tor an hour and a half after the time they'tl
been told TO come. and they wouldn't stand
II another minute. But don't believe any
had any right TO talk like that, now do
YOU? OF course. IL IL had lust been an
American President senator or some
thing like that think myself that IL would
have been outrageous: but this was a
prince. you know. and of course he IS ac-
customed to have his own way Well I
guess some OF the ladies upstairs who had
charge of the reception heard that the
women downstairs were getting mad and I
Ruess they were pretty mad themselves. /
don't know just what did happen but I
heard that they telephoned TO the Classical
School residence. where the prince had
been taken 10 have some tea. TO send him
down at once; 1 don't see. anyway. why
they didn't bring him down there IL he
big tables and any number of ladies to
serve tea. and he could have had gallon il
he wanted It. But, anyway. they didn't