Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 December 1891 — Anecdote of the Prince of Wales. [ARTICLE]

Anecdote of the Prince of Wales.

It was in the autumn of ’72, said my friend, that I was on my way home from Europe by one of the old Cunarders. We had a dreadful passage, and, being the only lady who was not seasick, I had the exclusive attention of most of the well passen* gers. Among them was a small boy, who was one of the plainest little mortals that I had ever beheld; redhaired and freckled, but with a bright, sharp little face, like a terrier. In the course of time he drifted into my vicinity and opened conversation. “Ever seen the Prince of Wales?” he said. “Yes,” I answered, “I have seen him.” “Nice man, very. Nice in his own house. I like h*m very much.” “Oh, don’t talk that way, Jack!” I exclaimed. “That’s silly.” “But I mean it,” he persisted; “I know him. I’ve dined at his house.” “How was that?” “Well, you see, it was when we were travelin’ in Italy. I was puttin’ my head out of' the car window, and I saw two boys puttin’ their heads out, and 1 says, ‘Hello!’ and they said ‘Hello" back again, and I says, ‘Come in here; there’s lot of room,’ and they said, ‘No, we can’t; but there’s room in here, and when the train stops you come in here with us.’ So when the train stopped I asked pa, and he said I could go, and I got in their carriage. And I asked them what was their names, and one said, ‘l’m Prince Albert Victor of Wales,’ and the other said, ‘And I’m Prince George, his brother.’ ” “And what did you do then?” “Why, I says, ‘Whee-ow, is that who you are? Well, I’m Jack Post, of New York.’ “They were real nice fellows, and we were having a splendid time when the cars stopped, and their pa got out of the next carriage and came to speak to us, and then my pa saw it was the Prince of Wales. So he got out himssif and told him that he didn’t know who they were or ho wouldn’t have let me go; -and he was going to take me away, but the Prince of Wales said ‘No;’ he was glad to have his boys meet a little American boy, and he would be much obliged if he would let me stay all day. So I stayed. We played games, and their pa told me some first-rate stories, and when we had to change cars he took me back and asked my pa to let them know when I was in London, because he would like me to come to dinner with them. Pa said it was ‘an opportunity,’so just as soon as I got back to London I wrote a note.” “What did you say?” “Oh, I said, ‘Dear Princes, I’ve come. I’m here at the Langham. I can come around jusfas soon as you want me.’ “Well, it hadn’t hardly had time to get there, when a gentleman came back with an invitation for me to come and take dinner with them in the middle of the next day. When I got there they were waiting at the window. It was an awful nice house. Their ma came in and shook hands, and we had dinner. Didn’t think much of the things we had to eat. I’d have given ’em lots more if they’d come to take dinner with me in New York. But they treated me just ftne, and their ma was an awful pretty lady.”