"Never mind," sez Albert Edard, "I'm glad to see you, Mister
Ward, at all events," & he tuk my hand so plesunt like & larfed
so sweet that I fell in love with him to onct. He handid me a
segar & we sot down on the Pizarro & commenst smokin rite
cheerful.  "Wall," sez I, "Albert Edard, how's the old folks?"

   "Her Majesty & the Prince are well," he sed.

   "Duz the old man take his Lager beer reglar?"  I inquired.

   The Prince larfed & intermatid that the old man didn't let many
kegs of that bevridge spile in the sellar in the coarse of a
year. We sot & tawked there sum time abowt matters & things, &
bimeby I axed him how he liked bein Prince as fur as he'd got.

   "To speak plain, Mister Ward," he sed, "I don't much like it.
I'm sick of all this bowin & scrapin & crawlin & hurrain over a
boy like me. I would rather go through the country quietly &
enjoy myself in my own way, with the other boys, & not be made
a Show of to be garped at by everybody. When the PEPLE cheer me
I feel pleesed, fur I know they meen it; but if these one-horse
offishuls cood know how I see threw all their moves & understan
exackly what they air after, & knowd how I larft at 'em in
private, thayd stop kissin my hands & fawnin over me as thay now
do. But you know, Mr. Ward, I can't help bein a Prince, & I
must do all I kin to fit myself fur the persishun I must sumtime
ockepy."

   "That's troo," sez I; "sickness and the docters will carry the

   Queen orf one of these dase, sure's yer born."

   The time hevin arove fur me to take my departer I rose up &
sed:  "Albert Edard, I must go, but previs to doin so I will
obsarve that you soot me. Yure a good feller, Albert Edard, &
tho I'm agin Princes as a gineral thing, I must say I like the
cut of your Gib. When you git to be King try and be as good a
man as yure muther has bin! Be just & be Jenerus, espeshully
to showmen, who hav allers bin aboozed sins the dase of Noah,
who was the fust man to go into the Menagery bizniss, & ef the

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