Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-12-02

head. am king awake. Ny rever-
end grandparents never in all their
august lives had waking moment.
They loved the Job that you. you ad-
v1sers, gave them. They never had a
doubt Of it. 1t was like giving a doll
to woman who ought to have a child.
They delighted in professions and
opening things and being read ad-
dresses to and visiting triplets and
nonagenarians and all that sort of
thing. Incredibly. They used to keep
albums of cuttings from all the Illus
trated papers showing them at it, and
if the press cutting parcels grew thin
they were worried. 1t was all that
ever worried them. But there is some
thing atavistic In me. l bark back to
unconstitutional monarchs. They chris
tened me too retrogressively, l think.
wanted to get things DONE l was
bored. l might have fallen into vice
most intelligent and energetic princes
debut the palace precautions were
unusually thorough. l was brought up
seen-alertly pure. So l read books,
Firmin, and went about asking Ques-
tons. The thing was bound to hap
pen to one of us sooner or later. Per
haps, too, very likely I'm not vicious.
l don't think l am"
He reflected. NO." he said.
Flrmin cleared his throat. II don't
think you are, SIR" he said. "You pre-.
fer
He stopped short. He had been 60
ing to say talking" He substituted
ideas
THAT world of royalty" the king
went on. "In a little while no one
will understand it any more. 1t will
become riddle.
Among other things, it was world
| Of perpetual best clothes. Everything
was in it's best clothes for us and
usually wearing bunting, with cine
ma watching to see We took it proper.
ly. If you were a king, Firmin, and
you go and look at a regiment it in.
stantly stops whatever it is doing
changes into full uniform and presents
arms. When my august parents went
in train the coal in the tender used to
be whitened. 1t did, Fiunin, and il
coal had been white instead of black
l have no doubt the authorities would
have blackened it. That was the spirit
Of our treatment. People were always
walking about with their faces to us.
One never saw anything in profile
One got an impression of world that
| was insanely focused on ourselves.
And when l began to poke my little
questions into the lord chancellor and
the archbishop and all the rest of them
about what should see if people turn
ed around the general effect produced
was that l wasn't by any means dis
playing the royal tact they had expect
ed of me-"
He meditated for time.
And yet you know there is some
thing in the kingship, Firmin. 1t stiff
ened up my august little grandfather
it gave my grandmother kind of
awkward dignity, even when she was
cross, and she was very often cross
They both had a profound sense of re-
sponsibility. My poor fathers health
was wretched during his brief career
Nobody outside the circle knows just
how he screwed himself up to things
My people expect it, he used to say OF
this tiresome duty or that Most OF
the things they made him do were silly
1t was part Of a bad tradition. bu1
there was nothing silly in the way he
set about them. The spirit Of king
ship is fine thing, Firmin. l feel II
In my bones. l do not know what
might not be if were not king.
could die for my people, Firmin, and
you couldn't No, don't say you could
die for me because l know better
Don't think l forget my kingship, Fir
min; don't imagine that. l am king
a kingly king, by right divine. The
fact that am also chattering young
man makes not the slightest difference
to that. But the proper textbook fol-
kings, Firmin, is none Of the court
memoirs and welt-politik books you
would have NE read; it is old Fraser's
Golden Bough.' Have you read that
Firmin?"
Firmin had.
'Those were the authentic kings. In
the end they were cut up and bit tc
everybody. They sprinkled the ma
tions-with kingship."
Firmin turned himself round and
faced his royal master.
what do you intend to do, sir?'' he
asked. IF you will not listen to me
what do you propose to do this after
noon?"
The king ficked crumbs from his
coat.
"Manifestly war has to stop forever
Firmin. Manifestly this can only be
done by putting all the world under
one government. Our crowns and flags
are In the way. Manffestly they must
co."
Eyes, SIR" interrupted Firmin, ''bu
what government? don't see wha
government you get by universal alb
ation!'
"Well," said the king with his hand!
about his knees, 1--WE shall be the gov
ernment."
1.-The conference2" exclaimed Firndn
"Who elseY asked the king simply.
Its perfectly simple" he added t
Firmin's tremendous silence.
But" cried Firmin, you must hav
sanctions! Will there be no form O
election, for exampleT"
why should there be?'' asked tn
king with intelligent curiosity.
1.-THE consent of the governed"
"Firmin, we are just going to Ia