New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-06-05
Anglo-Anerican Memories
Xxx
EDWARD THE SEVENTH PRINCE OF wALEs-PERsoNAL INCL
Copyright. 1910. by Geors. ". smaney.)

also. I believe several years. or as long
as Depew went to Homburg. The Prince
said:
''Depew's stories were not all good, puI
he told the bad ones so well that they
were better than the good.
Ny letter to Lady Cork had fate l
did not foresee though I ought to have
foreseen. When she told the Prince that
1 had written her about Depew she had
my manuscript in her hand. is that
SmaIleys letter? May 1 see it," asked
the Prince: took 1t and read the whole.
1t happened that I was staying at the
time with one of her married daughters
and there was a good deal OF family Cos
sip in the letter. When the Prince
handed il back there was in his eyes
CLEAN of that humor so often seen there.
and he said:
Now 1 know some of the things
have been wanting to know"
And Lady Cork answered:
sir, we have nothing to conceal from
Your Royal Highness.''
There was. of course. an intimacy
which put the Prince on his honor.
some twelve miles away. He had driven
into Homburg and was wandering about
the place when he was pointed out to
the Prince, and was presented Mark
Twain had at that time no very great
care about his personal appearance. and
was very shabbily dressed. He was the
Tramp Abroad" At first I don't think
he much interested the Prince. His
slowness of speech and his unusual in
donations were not altogether prepos-
sessing. However, when he had taken
his leave the Prince seemed TO think he
wished to see him again, and said:
Il should like to ask him to dinner.
Do you think he has a dining Jacket"
The risk, whatever IT might be, was
taken, the invitation was sent and Mark
came TO dinner. dining jacket and all
But he did not care to adapt himself to
the circumstances, considering, perhaps,
that the circumstances ought to adapt
themselves TO him. The meeting was
not a great success, and, so far as I
know, was never repeated. Socially
speaking, the Mississippi Pilot was an
intransigeant at times. and this was one
VI IIlC ll4ilSS- ne NOOiu lOls L SuppOSCs
overcome his drawing manner of speech
nor reduce his interminab bic stories to
dinner table limits. He had the air Of
usurping more than his share of the con-
versation and of the time, which he GER
tainly did not mean to. Intentions, IN
luckily, count for little. Men are Judged
by what they do, and the general i'm
preston was not as favorable to Mark
on this occasion as II would have been
if he had been better known. Among
all Princes and Potentates there was
never one more willing TO make allow
ances and less exacting in respect TO
trivial matters than Marks host. But.
after all. he was Prince of Wales and
the future King of England. and If you
were not prepared to recognize that, II
was open to you to stay away.
Mark Twain. at any rate. was not one
Of the Americans who followed the
Prince to Homburg. He met the Prince
almost by accident, and returned from
Nauheim by the Princes invitation for
this not very successful dinner. His Re
pUblicantsm was perhaps Of a rebellious
kind, and possibly, though without de-
string to, he gave the Prince TO under
stand as much. Some Of Marks com
patriots went far in the opposite direc-
ton; especially one or two American
women. There was a handsome Ameri-
can girl who had found means to be pre-
scented to the Prince-no difficult matter
for a pretty woman at any time Then
she sent him a photograph Of himself
and begged him to sign it. AS I was
passing the Prince one afternoon in tho
street he stopped me and pulled a parcel
out Of his pocket, saying:
This is a photograph Miss X sent
me TO sign, and have signed it. and I
was just going to leave it for her at the
hotel. But I am afraid TO. 1 don't
know what she may not ask me next.
Would you mind leaving it for me-"
The Prince did not see. but as I went
IN I saw on the porch the girl herself.
She must have looked on at what hap
pened, and 1 am not at all sure she did
not hear what the Prince said. None
the less she accepted the signed photo
graph joyfully, and il always had a
place Of honor in New York Wasn't
it kind of His Royal Highness to give it
TO me?" queried this beautiful being not
rejecting that the true story had been
told me. When I made my report to
the Prince remarked casually that Miss
" had been sitting on the veranda. and
might have seen what took place. Il
hope she heard also" exclaimed the
Prince. But he did not quite mean that.
At any rate. he relented afterward and
was 10 be seen talking to the girl. whose
eyes he could not but admire.
G.. W S.