LANG LANG SYNE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1413, 23 July 1881, Page 4

LANG LANG SYNE.

TurnE is an aged actor in Munich, Lang by name, of w hom a funny story is told. King Ludwig the First, father of the present King, was a great patron of art, and was on \ery familiar teuns -\wtli most of the worthy and notable .irtists and actors. Among other places winch he -was accustomed to frequent was a beer saloon where many of the notabilities of the day congregated to drink beer and smoke the friendly cigar. On one occasion lie suddenly made his appearance in the midst of a group of actors and actresses, and, stealing quietly up behind Fiau Siegel, he put his hands over her eyes, and held them tightly there. Fiau Siegel guessed at once that it must bo Lang, who ■ was fond of piactical jokes, and exclaimed, " Oil, I laiow you. Herr Lang— you are always cither teasing me or mimicking the King." "Oh oh," exclaimed Ludwig 1 , discovering 1 himself, to the extreme dismay of the actress, "so Heir Lang mimics the King does he ? We will see how well he can do it. Come, Heir Lang, give me an exhibition of your powers in that dhcction," The poor actor, half frightened out of his wits, declaied that there must bej some mistake, that lie never, m any possible cncumstancf>% could do so imwji'i.mtablo a thing as to mimic his Majesty, and p.ile with flight, begged to be excused. The King was ine^oiable, howevei, and said, "Let there be no raoio dtlay, sir. I command you to begin !" Heir Lang, seeing no way of escape, assumed the attitude of the King, and said in a loud voice, " By the way, Seerotaiy Srhmidt, I .should like to have you send a few dozen bottles of my best wine down to the Actois' Club to-morrow ; and while you <ue about it you may draw a cheque for a couple of hundred guilders and bend them to I [err Lang, a very woi thy und comical fellow' 1 At this point Ludwig stopped him with, " Th- re, there, Hcrr Lang, you have mimicked quite enough to suit my fancy, and what you havo said has been well said, and to the point." The next day the wine was delivered to the club and the gmldeiß to Lang, but the King never again asked him to give an exhibition of his poweis of mimiczy.