Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-05
(COntinued.)
CHAPTER XIV

l first saw the Crown Prince rro-
fessionally in the spring of 1905,
a few months before his marriage.
He was then twenty-three years Did.
He was in the uniform of German
army officer but looked more like a
corps-student except for the feet
that his face was not marked with
a scar from duelling, as is usually
the case with most members of the
German fraternities He had a habit
of placing his hands on his hips and
his coats were always flared in at
the waist which, with the sporty
angle at which he wore his cap, gave
him a swagger which was quite for
eign to the rest of the officers of the
army. He was of slender figure,
which was accentuated by his height.
He was nearly six feet tall.
He came into my office, 1 remem-
Der, with q copy of Life in his
pocket. He took it out and opened
it and showed me a cartoon of him
self which apparently caused him
considerable amusement, and which,
he said, he intended showing his
family.
There were two beautiful rings on
his left hand and he wore a wrist
watch, although at that time wrist
watches were used almost exclu-
sively by women. He seemed to be-
bright and quick, but by no means
brilliant.
Perhaps the quality exhibited by
him that impressed me most on that
first visit was his excessive nervous
ness. He trembled all over. 1t was
plain to see he was dreadfully afraid
of pain, and he evidently realized
that I had noticed his condition.
II suppose the Crown Prince and
the future ruler of Germany ought
to be brave at all times" he re-
marked, but just hate to have to
go to a Dentist"
He was to be married on June 6 to
the Duchess Cecille of Mecklenberg-
Schwerin, and he talked Of little hut
that coming event.
He asked me if I had seen any
members of the Court lately, and l
told him that the Kaiser's Court
Chamberlain, Count Won Eulenburg,
had been to see me the previous day.
I'm not surprised he has to go
to the dentist; he eats too much
the Crown Prince declared. He
can't expect to have good teeth; hes
always. eating. AS for myself, l eat
very little. 1 want to remain thin
hate fat people"
I corrected him regarding the
Count, remarking that he happened
to have the most wonderfully pre-
served teeth l had ever seen in
man of seventy years of age. In
deed, the Count was in splendid
physical condition and looked at
least ten years younger than he real
ly was.
The Crown Prince and I did no.
get along very we'll at that time.
Apart from the fact that he was
such a physical coward that 1T was
almost impossible to work on him
satisfactorily, he seemed to have no
! idea of the meaning of an appoint
| ment.
He would agree to be at my office
| at $50 and I would plan my day ac-
cordingly. At about 10 he was apt
to call me up to say that he would
be on hand at II, and he would &C.
tually arrive about IL. This hap
| pened several times, and 1 told him
| that 1 couldn't have my day broken
up in that way.
After seven or eight visits at that
| particular period, l did not see him
| professionally for some ten years.
| Shortly after his last visit to me
| in 1905, Princess Won Pless told me
that she had just met him and had
| told him that she was on her way to
my office. well, 1 hope I'll never
have to go to a dentist again as long
| as 1 live" he had declared emphat-
| ically. "I hate dentists"
AS far as I was concerned, was
not at all sorry that he felt that way
about my profession, because his
visits were more of liability than
an asset, but did rather regret that
I was apparently to have no further
opportunity of studying the possible
future ruler Of Germany more init
mately.
| In the years hat followed I saw
the Crown Prince many times driv-
ing through the streets and at public
functions, but I did not come in
close contact with him. I remember
seeing him once in his car as he was
about to enter Brandenburger Tor on
his way up Unter den Linden. The
familiar sound of his fathers motor
caused him to draw up to one side
and stand at salute until the Kaiser
had passed on ahead. 1t was just
an illustration of the force of mill
tary discipline which was bred in
the bone of the Crown Prince. lie
simply did not dare drive up Unter
den Linden first knowing the Kaiser
was following him.
While the Crown Prince seemed
to respect military requirements, he
paid little attention to the civil reg
ulations. He was the depair of the
traffic policemen and the taxi driv-
ers and private chauffeurs, as were
also the Kaser's other sons. They
all insisted upon driving around
safety zones to the left instead of to
the right and usually came within
an ace Of colliding with other cars