Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1886 — A King with an Appetite. [ARTICLE]

A King with an Appetite.

Victor Emmanuel, among his other peculiarities, was a tremendous eater, and preferred to take his meals in the strictest privacy and with"the most entire freedom from restraint. Often, when he was only King of Piedmont, he would have all the dishes put on the table at once, and then send away all the servants. At such times he would eat with his elbows on the table, upsetting the salt on the cloth, that he might the more easily dip into it the little raw onions which he was so fond of, and which he used to nibble all through the dinner. The quantity that he could eat was amazing. On one of his hunting trips he and his companions stopped at the house of a countryman for tne night. At supper they had veal cutlets. After the meal was over the King turned to the officer next him and asked him how many he supposed he (the King) had eaten. As Iris plate was bare, for he had been throwing the bones to his dog, the officer, who had been watching the disappearance of the cutlets with awe, thought that he might venture on a bit of politeness, and replied “Two or three. ” The King repeated -the question to the others in turn, and they all, out of respect, similarly underestimated his exploits, until he came to Savoyard, who had no regard for anything bnt the truth, and replied promptly, “Your Majesty has ,eaten nine.” The King laughingly admitted that ho was right. It was about the same time that another characteristic incident occurred. The King and on® of his friends, Signor J., had taken shelter for the night in the hut of a countryman, who bad not the remotest idea of the identity gi his illustrious guest. The King noticed that Signor J., who was sitting near the fire next the host, kept turning away his head. “What is the matter with you?” asked the King in French,which, by the way, he spoke like a Parisian. “I can’t stand the smell of this man,” said J., “he smells like a wild beast.” “Bah!” said the King, “any of us would smell like that if we went for a week without washing.” “Oh, never.” “Yes,we would, I’ll try it myself.” So the King went to work conscientiously and never washed himself the least little bit in—the world. At the end of five days J. came up to him and touching him respectfully on the elbow, said: “I’our majesty has won your bet, and not at the end of a week, but of five days.” The King shouted with laughter, and was highly delighted with the whole adventure.— Jiome Cor. Providence JoumaL -f» ? ■- ,i> v i' iiT.;avai ■Vi r;.i*vvi ■■n . ".v During a trial in Alabama, an old fellow who had been arraigned for killing a man, arose and said,: “Jedge, thar ain’t no us’n goin’ on with these here proceeding, fur I shot Tobe, btrtthat ain’t nobody’s bus’ness, fur he wuz a friend o’ mine. ” “If he was your friend, it’s all right,” replied the Judge, “for a man has a right to take a few liberties with his friends. The people in this part of the country are becoming too particular. Turn the sociable gentleman loose, Mr. Sheriff, and call the next case. ” —Arkansaw Traveler.