THE YOUNG FOLKS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 734, 5 February 1910, Page 10

THE YOUNG FOLKS.

;." PRINCE SOREOWPUL.;; -'':.-; A : BOY COMMANDEE.' ■';' Over,three hundred years ago there was a : small boy .in' England who. was so important, to thb nation that' ho was said to bo "tho most valuable baby in Christendom." He;was. the,nephew of the King and Queen of England, aoid'ho was named William after his uncle, the stern William 111, but as ho was a Princo and brought up strictly, I don't think that anyone' ever ventured'to call him "Billy Boy." Probably everyone always called him Your Grace, and that must havo. been . very dull; even an archbishop would have hated it.. :, ..'.-■■-.■:'

:: Ho'did. hot .'belong to a very, happy family. His grandfather, who. once had been; King of England, was [ away, in I'rance, 1 sulking because thb English people -would:not let him come home; His mother arid his aunt, who. was the Queen, had quarrelled, and all'his little brothers - and; sisters: died when they were : babies. He was expected to' become Ki»g of England'somo day,.and if anything liappened to'him there .would bo no' English King; the people would .have to:send away to Germany for sbineohe to rule over them, , and tbey : were ■': cross whenever they thought of th<t, so' they took great bare of- thopoor.\littlo boy William, and spent a greatydeal'of'tinib teaching.him: how to be a king.. ; ■.■'.,'""■'■ ■ Ho was a poor,, ugly little baby, with a'hugb head, so. funnily'.shaped:.th'at. it was very hard to make a wig to fit him, and yet when,he was quito a little toddling thing'.he'.had-to wear one.- "He could not walk alono.when he .was four; and he, flatly, refused to go-up and:dbwu stairs unless,two people went with. him. At last his mother/the Princess -Anno;scolded him for. an hour, saying what a silly great-.baby he was,-and then she.stood hihvin-the middle of the room; and his ■ father: whipped him until at-last. ho ran alone, and,after, that lie never, again required anyone to walk with him. ' :,-. .'. He-:was :only:'allowcd military; toys to plny : with, and .when he;was six he. had accompany.of.-soldiers—little boys of his owh.agej;whom he was taught to drill, but they never :had'jolly boyish.games or learned to do interesting things like-tho : Boy Scouts. Once his Uncle, William camo to see him, and:the boy drew.up his men to salute the King. His uncle asked him whether 'he : had-any.. horses. "One. live -and: two dead < ones, said: the childr' for ho .had" a Shetland pony no -larger than a mastiff/'and two.wooden horses. :;,''Eeal soldiers .bury dead horses ..out of. sight,", srM the King,- laughing.: Little; William; ; thought he ..was. being laughed 'at,- and as soon as the King had- gone ho ordered a detachment, of his. soldiers out to -.-"Dnry-the dead hbries.'.',, ; - .. _ : ; :lWherever,.the little Prince wont,.his b.by, : soidiers.'rt , ent too, and: once when : ho was.'very, ill h?-insisted bh,their march-, ing .into' his roomi whoro.'. the drum: corps,. Bounded tattoos, .and tho soldiers' at '.his command .erected little fortifications 'on. and about-his bed. ■ -,That must have been frcat fun, and ft>r puce probably] the little 'rincb.onjby.ed. himself.:,, ~ i;,;,;. ..,- " ''Ho-had. to .'learn, the mps,t horrid les-. sons,';'apd, when it .was''found:that: liis tutor.: also itold'-'hini,interesting'y stories from,histoiy, ! ;that.'amusement was:stop-, ped.'' There is- one story,vof, .the ,; great trouble; the'little Prince got into for using'.slaiig'iwords!, he-had picked lip labout, the,-;stables, and. the- way 'he w:as, scolded: when- ho 'said :onc?- that-he was ■ "con-: : founded>.dry,''':a most shocking expression fof"any ; little' boy; especially a ■' Prince. ' ;;His: soldiers were his' great .comfort,and''';when: he 'went; to' stay'at a ;.lpvoly :cbuntry''-''plac6,' where: theto, :.weT6_ trees simply covered'vrfth'cherries to. be picked, he:used.to.exercise the soldiers on the'commoii near-the.'.hpuse. ,: - . Once-his:'mother,;-Princessi ; Anne; : found,. him ienping. wlthf-'hisvlittlb' soldiers. : '■.! rl -thought ■I.;had : 'forbiddeh .yonr, people to.'fehco;with;y6u".■ishe.saidisternly..-., ' -'.„"I■■•;hope,: mamma,.; thnt.yyou•: : will-.,giTe them 'leave'.: to ...defend. ; themselyes'."When! ;t 'attack' 1 th'em',",'said:the. boy,;' 1 . W"...,',, ;■ ■ : .';Anotbe'r;-timelie wis 'b l attlo,'.and■hb , took'it sb calmly that'no one realised ho;had-beon hurt, evenwhen after:-th'e';fiKht-He;asked:.them.' ; to,': fotch ; : a doctor. "y'lTxey; thought ( this was part "of. 'tho : : game.';: ; .; : ;- ? - .' ,J S;B-. '^'k-'#!::-: i '' ; ■.••('■ .'■•'■■■?■ I: -V'"Pray' inakb -'rib jjest'rof ..it," said .'the little--Dhke.r.'"Pctjjr Bathurstyhas, really' i mjnVe'd';me, i ';;'and- ; .th^y : 'fbUbd , , fl thdt''the .sheath- had .slipped from, young.Bathurst's. '.swbrd.'aud'Sho-ireallyrha'd'rt .into; .the.'''DHk6's,;iieck,':making;.it'bleed, :a'nd ;thb- pluoky.'.boy:. had.: said -'nothing aboul:.it'tili;the:fight-;.was y over. _; ..The Prince was fraUy- : a:nicebby,.;his:pictures 'showUh'at.'.butihb. must;havp liad.a dull time'.when.'hp'CWent.to live atitho.court with':his;;uncle : ibnd.auht;;-the King and Queen.:;,::'';;;:''v;'-'. h'.'- : -S ■'^■-'r :: V : ii Tho day he..was intrp"duced>to:.the fcourt faß.'.th'e , futrird. King',; a suit of azure;, velvet. with;sapphiTß buttons 'and 1 buttohhbles;encrusted;,with: tiny diambnds',:;nuite the: suit ;bf ; 'a fairy; Prince, .'Snd.:it.-.is;nice;to. know that to,.make..up ■for,'sudh'a.stiff:Costume he, hod. a.b'eautifiylSfttlb cannon .of his - own with which yie;cpu'ld': firp real .salutes; when; his (father, '.-an'd'm'bther, came',to:.seo him.'.'.': ;■'■'.'.-.'.'" '-He'.'lived"at .the'..'court''for,■five'' years; 'leaihihg; to ;do ; dreadfully., difficult'-sums and.|>ll' about-fortifications'and guns,, and laws, and then cam'q his eleventh; bivthday, when he was to,make a great display; .Ho held ; :a,grand parade of his boy soldiers, and everyone ' shouted", andcheered, 'and,said how clever: ho was, and the boys were as pro'udas ever they .could, be, and said to : each other, "Wasn't it just-alt right?" -Then-.they- had, a grand, show of fireworks, and a : big splendid supper, and at -last'-when the;little Prince was'alldwed tofgo' to;bed ;hp ,was:,.quito; worn-out. " : .i•.'.'".' ■-,; ;'-:.,- r ;'-..' , !"' r '"-;' ,:;'.:, -'.;'He never gotup again.,' ; Next day.no was very ill, and when' the doctors came "they .did- just the ."wrong'- things;: for tho cloverest;;doctbr.. ; :of..all: had' quarrelled ivith' the; Princess; and -would not come. .'Ho-did 'come;at..last,.when; they sent._forhim: and told 'him he:must:be there, • but it' wasijoo ! latb',-.and when .ho found that ,the..-PrTnce';had.:scarlet-fever,- and that thb was very, angry;'though it: was all ,his own fault., ; "."You havevkille'dhim," he said furiously, . an'd.it^was l quite^trup'.-'-Kve.days :,aftor. -littlePrihco.William: had ■ drilled'hisy boy regiment '■'so' well: that" everyone' said what a good-Kfng lie'wouldi'innke, ho was dead, and' I supposb the -last thing- tho company did was to give;him: a military funeral. And that 1 is' why; there was never, again a' Stuart .King-of England, and, why the next King had tb be, brought over, from Germany—a -King not half. so nice, as Prince William vvould. have-been. ;. .