Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-09

the different portions of the battle were fought, and where they caught Napoleon Bonaparte, and where Butcher came up and made things hum in the German language, and then he took us of to his farm where the most of the relics were found. and began to sell things to dad, until he had filled the hind end of the wagon with bullets and grape shot, sabers and bayonets, old rusty rifles, and everything dad wanted, and we had enough to fill museum, and when the farmer had got dads money we went back to Brussels, and got our stuff un- loaded at the hotel. Say, when we came to look it over we found two rusty Colts revolvers, and guns of modern construc- tion, which have been bought on the battlefelds in all countries, and prop srly rusted to sell to tourists. Ishowed dad that the revolver was unknown at the time of the battle of Waterloo, and that every article he had bought was fraud, the sabers having been made in America, before the war of the rebellion, and dad was mad, and gave the stuff to the porter of the hotel, who charged dad seven dollars for taking it away.
 Dad kept one three-cornered hat that the farmer told him Bonaparte lost when his horse stampeded with him, and it had drifted under a barbed wire fence, where it had lain until the day before we visited the battlefield. Say, that hat is as good as new, and dad says it is worth all the stuff cost, but would not be found dead wearing it, cause IL is all out of style.
 We have seen the king of Belgium, and actually got the worth of our money. He is an old dandy, and looks like Philadelphia quaker, only he is not as pious as quaker. Dad wrote to the king and said he was distinguished American travelling for his health, and had niece who had frequently visited Belgium with an opera company, and she had spoken of the king, and dad wanted to talk over matters that might be of interest both to Belgium and to America. We'll, the messenger came pack and said dad couldn't get to the palace a minute too quick, and so we went over, and as we were going through the park we saw an old man in citizens clothes, sitting on bench. pat ting the head of boar hound, and when ne saw us he said, Come here, Uncle Sam, and let my dog chew your pants.
 Dad thought it must be some lunatic, and was going to make sneak and get out, when the man rose up and we saw it was the king, and we went up to him and sat down on the bench, and he asked dad if he had come as relative of the opera singer, to commence suit against the king for breach of promise, or to settle for money consideration, re- marking that he had always rather pay cash than to have any fuss made about these little matters. Dad told him he had no claim against him for alternating anybodys affections, or for breach of promise, and that all he wanted was to have little talk with the king and find out how king lived, and how he had any fun in running the king busi- ness, at his age, and they sat down and began to talk as friendly as two old chums, while the dog played tag with me. We found the king was regular boy, and that instead of his mind being occupied by affairs of state, or his African concessions with Congo coun- try, where he owns few million slaves who steal ivory for him, and murder other tribes, he was enjoying life just as he did when he was a barefooted boy, fishing for perch at the old mill pond, and when he mentioned his career as a boy, and his enjoyments, dad told about his youth, and how he never got so much pleasure in after life as he did when he had stone bruise on his heel, and went of into the woods and cut a tamarack pole and caught sunfish till the COWS came home.
 The king frightened up and told dad