Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-14
CHAPTER NXXiII
The Day OF the Carnival

5 OtSo LosSHehS IaHt hVPS ""' SN'N'
CHAPTER NXXHI
The Day OF the Carnival
AN THE day of the Carnival, which
~ was the last day before the begin.
ming of Lent, Prince Ferdinand William
otto wakened early. The palace still
slept. and only the street sweepers we're
about the streets. Prince Ferdinand
William Otto sat up in bed and yawned.
This was special day, he knew. but
At first he was too drowsy to remember.
Then he knew--the carnival! y de-
lightful day, with the 4. palace full OF
people in strange costumes - peasants
imps testers. who cut capers on the
grass in the park. little girls in pro-
cession, wearing costumes of fairies with
gauze wings students who paraded and
blew noisy horns, even horses decorated
and now and then dog dressed as
dancer or a soldier.
He would have enjoyed dressing Toto
in something or other He decided to
mention II to Milky and with child's
faith he felt that Milky would. so 10
speak. come up to the scratch.
He yawned again and began to feel
hungry He decided to get up and take
his own bath. There was nothing like
getting a good start for gala day.
And. since with the Crown Prince to de-
eide was tO do. which is not always a
royal trait. he took his own bath, being
very particular about his ears and not
at all particular about the rest of him.
Then, no Oskar having yet appeared
with fresh garments, he ducked back
into bed again. quite. bare as to his
small body, and snuggled down in the
Z sheets.
af Lying there he planned the day. There
were to be no lessons except fencing.
which could hardly be called n lesson
1T ale and as he now knew the "Gettys-
burg Address" he meant to ask per-
mission to recte 1t to his grandfather.
To be quite sure of it. he repeated it to
himself as he lay there:
"Tourscore and seven years ago our
fathers brought forth on this continent
q new nation, conceived in liberty and
dedicated to. the proposition that all
men are created equal
Free and equal he said to him
self. That rather puzzled him. OF
course people were free, but they did not
seem to he equal. In the summer, at
the summer palace, he was only allowed
to see few children. because the others
were what his Aunt Aununciata called
bourgeois And there was in HIS
mind also something Miss Braithwaite
american boy.
"If you must have some child to play
With" she had said severely. ''you could
& ~ least choose some one approximately
your equal"
but he IL my equal" he had pro
tested from the outraged DEPTHS of his
small democratic heart.
In BIRTH" explained Miss Braith-
waite. '"
His father has a fine business" he
taio' sun rather indignant. ut m lkes
great deal Of money. Not everybody
can build a scenic railway and ge, II
going right. Bobby said so"
Miss Braithwaitr had been silent and
obviously unconvinced Yet this Mr..
Lincoln. the American. had cert linlv
said that all men were free and equal
It was very puzzling.
But. as the morning advanced as
clothed and fed, the Crown Prince faced
the new day. he began to feel a restraint
IN the air. People came and went. his
grandfather's Enuer-v. the Chancellor,
the Lord Chamberlain. other gentle
men. connected with the vast and intricat te
machinery OF the Court. and even He'd
wig. In a black frock. all these paople
came, and talked together. and eyed him
when he was not looking. When they
left they Ill bowed rather more than
usual exceDt Hedwig. who kissed him.
3 much to his secret ANNOYANCE.
Every one looked grave and smoke
IN low tone. Also there was some
thing wrong with Milky. who appeared
not only grave, but stern and white.
considering that II was the last dav
before Lent and carnival time, Prince
Ferdinlnd William Otto felt vaguely
defrauded. rather like the time he had
seen ''The Flying Dutchmar," which had
turned out TO be only make-believe
ship and did not fiv at all. To add to
the complications, Miss Bralthwalte had
4 headache.
Milky Llrisch had arrived Just as
Hedwig departed. and even the Crown
fprince had recognized something wrong
Milky had stopped Just inside the door
wav. with his eyes rather desnerately
AMI hungrily on Hedwlg, and Hedwie,
L.Who should have been scolded. accord
8nr to Prince Otto. had passed him with
*fhe haughtiest sort OF nod.
N The Crown Prince witnessed the nod
uifh wonder and alarm
'1&1<sVe are all rather worried" he ex-
~ med afterward to Milky. fo soothe
~ wounded pride. MY grandfather Is
/. M no well today. Hedwig is very un-
<'5&s.- said Milky miserably. "she
~ look unhappy"
I+1fpw. when are we going out?"
@1rlx demanded Prince Ferdinand Will
Otto. II can hardly wait. I've
the funniest people nlready--and
Milky. wonder II you could
Toto and let me see him some-
~! You do not want to go out
III crowd. do you?"
fHy--am I not to go?''
roice was suddenly quite shaky.
~. in way. so Injured TO disap-
n1ota that he reccsnixed the very
"A which they were usually an