The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-09-22

sounded like, Il saw them 1rSt, and ne
got hold of dad and me, and the rest
stood off like lot of hack drivers that
have seen customer fall into the hands
of another driver, and made up faces at
us, and called the farmer who had
caught us the vilest names. They said
we would be skinned to finish by the
faker who got us, and they were right.
He showed us from high hill where
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 off 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-
ton, which have been bought on the
battlefelds in all countries, and prop
erly rusted to sell to tourists. showed
dad that the revolver was unknown at
the time of the battle of Waterloo, and
that every article he had bought was a
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 barbed wire
fence, where 1t 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 1t
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 a quaker. Dad wrote to the
king and said he was a 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. Well, the messenger came
back and said dad couldn't get to the
nc mir oh nd
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
he 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 a 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 a relative of the
opera singer, to commence suit against
the king for breach of promise, or to
settle for a money consideration, re-
marking that he had always rather pay
cash than to have any fuss made about
IHSSo llILlo uudLISTS. DdO LOlQ him ne
had no claim against him for alternating
anybody's affections, or for breach of
promise, and that all he wanted was to
have a little talk with the king and
find out how king lived, and how he
had any fun in running the king bust
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 a 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 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 a stone bruise on his heel,
and went off into the woods and cut a
tamarack pole and caught sunfish till
the COWS came home.
The king frightened up and told dad