Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-07

dragged to the gilded chair of ennui
by "all-highest command; he invit-
ed these gentlemen merely because
they promised diversion, either by
reason of their personality, or by in
formation or gossip in their pos
session-anything to escape the
monotony of daily surroundings, was
the Kaiser's continuous prayer. If
his wife and her ladies were em-
barrassed, so much the worse for
them.
Three weeks table duty suffice to
ruin any ones Digestion" was a say
ing at Court, and, it might be added,
was enough to spoil ones savoir-
vivre too" In the fashionable res
taurant at the Hotel de Rome, in
Berlin a little old man was pointed
out to me by a friend from the prov
inces, II am astonished," said my es-
cort, that they allow so ill-man-
nered a person in this place."
Swinish Courtiers
You mean the .white-haired and
beribboned gentlemen in the cor
ner?"
The same, who swings his tooth
pick so furiously."
why, it is Count -, chamber
lain to the Empress"
Really! And who may be the
gentleman with him who combs
his long mutton-chop whiskers over
his soup-plate ="
That is Minister Won Puttkamer."
But they behave like pigs. Do
they learn that at the royal tablet"
Nonsense; in the presence of their
Majesties they are under such awful
restraint, that, off duty, they let
themselves loose, like boys escaped
from boarding-school drink out of
their saucers and wipe their mouths
on their sleeves"
More Table Manners
The guests and attendants at table
are in gala or demi toilet, most of
the younger officers being as tightly
corseted as the ladies, while all the
men wear the narrowest of uniforms,
that scarcely allow them to breathe.
Add to this feeling of physical dis
tress the overpowering anxiety of
preparing for the supreme moment
when the Kaiser or the Kaiserin shall
address one of them, or give the
signal for laughter, and 1t will be
obvious at once that taking potluck
with Prussia'S royalty had its draw
backs.
But the most miserable person of
the glittering assemblage was She
who wears the costliest gown, the
biggest diamonds. At meal-time the
Kaiser choose to make a display of
his conversational powers or wit
and Auguste Victoria knew only
too well that she cannot rival the
one, and that the other is out
of her reach. So she sat quietly, ad-
dressing little nothings to her ladies
in an undertone from time to time,
while painfully alert, that none of
His Majesty's jokes and inuendoes
escaped her.
William seldom spoke to his wife
directly except to say that he liked
or disliked her costume; and if she
asked questions, he answered in a
tone that forbade further conversa-
tion; quite frequently he did not re-
ply at all. turning his left ear toward
he Empress and affecting not to
lear her.
'At such moments. when pride and
lo-e ragged in her bosom, we all felt
daply for Her Majesty. Sometimes
sh, appeared ready to cry in the
facGof everybody; but the woman in
her forever gave way to the Queen,
and so she swallowed her mortifica-
ton, sat still and smiled. her little
gray eyes languidly fixed on thel
husbald so eager to shine as a hum |
orist. h
S,rry Attempts at Jesting
All, tie sorry attempts at testing
that gusts at the royal board must |
endure! BY reeling off any absurd
ity that came into his head, the |
Kaiser tied to put life into the |
company as he called it, and his
remarks, Usually addressed to one of
the adjut,nts. provoked peals of
laughter a. a matter of course, as
soon as thGauthor gave the cue for
hilarity by pccentuating the end of /
his speech With a roar.
why is ny big brother like Life
in foreign 9ountry?" asked Prince
Henry of a spall circle of sympath-
izing relatived during visit of our
Court in Kiel.t
All the hghnesses, royal and
otherwise. gavsVit up.
Because" tuoth Henry, "he is
always sure o. raising laugh
Life" has a leputation for being
funny, and, evn where English is
not understood'lis applauded indis-
The New Yorh periodical was tba
universal favorite with German Rov-
Z