WHEN ROYALTIES HAGGLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 41, 13 March 1909, Page 3

WHEN ROYALTIES HAGGLE.

SOME ROYALTIES OBJECT TU EXCESSIVELY BIG BILLS.

In these hard-up limes even kings are feeling the pinch of poverty, and llusv are having to keep a sharp"eye on tile pCilllics.

The Emperor Francis Joseph, who celebrated his jubilee the other day, was "nee making an informal trip in a' country district, lie put up at a small wayside, inn, and ordered chicken for lunch. I'lie meal arrived, was eaten, and enjoyed, but when the bill was presented the Emperor nearly had a lit. The chicken was put down at twenty pounds!

"Good heavens!" exclaimed the Emperor. "Are chickens so scarce in these parts'!"

"No," said the landlord, with an agreeable smile, "no; but Emperor., are." A short time ago the Crown Prince of Germany made himself rather unpopular in Austria through haggling over the payment of a restaurant bill. The tl'rmce was on his way home from a deer-stalking, expedition at Salzkaiuniergut, and it. was arranged that he and his suite should lunch at Wcssclv 'Station. After lunch the rcstauranikeeper presented a bill for eight pounds It was dtnotinccd as excessive, but it, was paid, and the purty started'again. At Prague the Prince laid a complaint before the authorities, and thev, anxious to ingratiate themselves, had the res-taurant-keeper dismissed.

The unhappy .man appealed to the t\i't>hduke J/rams Ferdinand, lie had ■spent, he said, about sixty pounds in iilt'corating the place for the Prince's visit, had bought a new silver service, and had got new coats for his waiters. The Archduke agreed that he had beeu harshly treated, and he was reinstated. MADE A PURVEYOR.

The next story must be told without the name of the Royal hero of it. It was in his "middy" days, and his ship arrived at a. certain large port famous for its gaiety. The Royal sailor went ashore with several friends, and dimd sumptuously at a restaurant; but when the bill came to be paid it was found that the Royal pockets were deplorably empty.

The landlord was summoned to the Royal presence. "I ain't pay you now," he was informed frankly; "but how would you like to bo made purveyor to me 1"

■ The landlord t-lutched at the oiler with joy, ami the warrant, was promptly made out and signed'. The late King Christian once took a friend into a restaurant to lunch, Imt when the meal was nearly over, his Majesty was horrified to discover that lie had no money.

Luckily, at that moment- the Crown 'Prince, the present King, [Kissed along the. street. The King daslied out after him and borrowed some. SEPARATED BY A I'OLICKiiAN.

In an Italian city a short time ago d'riuccss Kivi'via of liourbon cent her sables to be renovated at a well-known furrier's. Tho sables came back, together with a bill that the i'limcss considered exorbitant.

She drove indignantly to the. shop, and demanded to see the proprietress. iWhen that lady appeared, her Hoy il Highness, didn't mince matters. Temper* were lost, and a iirst-class slanging watch followed. Finally, a horrilied .policeman had to separate the two raging, people. i'rince Louis of Battenberg had an unpleasant experience when he was in command of the British fleet that paid a visit to the United States, His teeth were giving him trouble at the time, and he visited a very fashionable dentist. The dentist replaced a false tooth and liUed four others, and sent to his astonished patient a bill for £2OO.

The Prince paid the bill, but he afterwards laid a complaint before the British Consul, and it was shown that he had been grossly overcharged. ' The highest fee ever before paid for similar work was JIW), but the dentist refused ito discuss the matter, and the affair was allowed to drop. When he was staying in Paris recently, he glanced over the bill on the third evening of his stay. lie. gave an exclamation of honor, and sent for the manager. The latter had just been on ■the point of going to bed, but he dressed hurriedly, and entered the Koyal apartments. There is one crowned head who, when staying in an hotel, insists on having his'bill presented nightly.

MILLS SETTLED NIGHTLY. "I observe, Monsieur," bis Majesty .-aid stcrnlv, "that you have charged me four francs lii'ty centimes (lis ltd) for a dozen ovsters. Now, when I was motorin" about Paris to-day, 1 noticed that oysters were being offered by the hawkers at seventy-live centimes (T'/gd) a dozen. Can you explain why you cbavc me this outrageous .slim!" Luckily, the manager bad in his pocket the daily price-list of the central markets, and he was able to prove to this kinglv haggler that the iinest oysters were'quoted at live francs (4s 2d) a dozen!—Pearson's Weekly.