Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 April 1883 — The Grand Duke’s Tallow Candle. [ARTICLE]

The Grand Duke’s Tallow Candle.

London Telegraph. Among many amusing anecdotes of the Russian Imperial family related in the late Karl Bender's Memoirs, is the following highly characteristic story of the eccentric Grand' Duke Constantine, Ozar Alexander’s eldest uncle: While residing at Warsaw, Constantine gave a splendid banquet to a number of the great Polish nobles, to each of whom, at the conclusion of the feast, an ordinary tallow candle was served on a plate by the attendant lacqueys. As soon as all his guests were supplied with these peculiarly appetizing objects, the Grand Duke, who had given orders that an imitation candle, admirably executed in marchpane, should be placed upon his plate, rose from the seat and exclaimed: “Gentlemen, let us eat, to the honor of Russia, the favorite national comestible of my country. Look at me.. This is the way to do it.’’ So saying, he threw back his head, opened his mouth’ wide, and inserted herein two inches or so of the dainty in question. As he closed his teeth, however, the expression of his countenance suffered an extraordinary change. One of the noblemen, sitting in his immediate vicinity, had contrived to substitute his own genuine tallow candle for the marchpane ' imitation set before the Grand Duke, who, not choosing to betray himsal I to his guests, found himself condemned to chew at least one copi ms mouthful of good Russian tallow as an example to all the victims of the detestable jest, none of whom, of course, dared to abstain from doing as the terrible Constantine did. It is needless to say that dexterous appropriator of the marchpane candle, while devouring that toothsome article with a joyful heart, baffled suspisicion by the most hideous visual contortions expressive of loathing and nausea.