A Strange Discovery | Page 5

to
his visitors--the words apparently closing a conference: "Yes,
gentlemen, if I come to Bellevue, and we build a nail mill in your city, I
ask only five years time in which to make our mill the largest
nail-works in the world." For a moment, as I heard this remark, it
passed through my mind that I was in the presence of an excellent
example of an amusing type of American life; but the momentary
thought was erroneous. This man was one of a type of American--well,
of American promoters, I will say--the business plans of whom, though
mammoth and audacious, rarely fail--the genuine article of which the
Colonel Sellerses are but pitiful imitators. In this instance, the promise
was fulfilled, with a year or two to spare. The right to express personal

opinion was looked upon as one of the fruits of '76, and the value of
such opinion seemed to be measured almost wholly on its merits--even
to a laughable extent. For instance, this lawyer, or Doctor Castleton, or
any other American whom I met, whatever he might privately have
thought on the subject, would not for a moment have claimed that his
opinion was innately superior to that of, for instance, the factotum,
Arthur. A man seemed to have, also, an inalienable right to be a snob;
but I saw in America only one man who utilized that privilege. I heard
an Ex-Governor of the State express himself on this subject by the
concise remark, "We have no law here against a man making a d----d
fool of himself." Its "Abe" for the President of the Republic, "Dick" for
the Governor of the State, and so on, all the way through. But no one
should imagine that admiration as well as respect for the truly great of
the land is less than it is where a man with four names and two
inherited titles receives greater homage than does one with only three
names and one title. Customs differ in different lands--a trite remark;
but it is about all that can be said on the subject: after all, human
feeling is not extremely different in different lands, when we once get
back of mere form.
I might illustrate a part of my statement by relating an incident which
occurred on my third day in the hotel, and just prior to my emergence
from seclusion into the midst of the busy little city. I was in my
sitting-room, and Arthur had brought in a pitcher of ice-water, placing
it on a table. Then he paused and looked toward me, as if expecting the
usual question on some subject connected with my surroundings. But at
the time I had nothing to ask. After a moment of quiet, Arthur spoke:
"Did you see the Prince lately?" he inquired. I had by this time grown
so accustomed to Arthur's mode of thought and lingual expression, that
even this question did not greatly surprise me. I supposed that the query
was made on the first suggestion of an alert mind desirous of starting a
little agreeable conversation, and wishing to be sociable with a
"two-room" guest. He immediately continued:
"I hope he's well. I met him, you know, when he was over here, sev'ral
years ago, gettin' idees for his kingdom."

I began to feel amused. Arthur was not a liar, and anything but a bore:
he struck me as being truthful on all subjects except that of his bibulous
weakness--a subject on which he was, perhaps naturally, not able to
form accurate notions.
"Where did you meet His Highness, Arthur?" I asked.
"Oh, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. I was only eight then. They wouldn't
let boys in the hotel to see him, and there was so many big-wigs around
the young man, I couldn't get to see him at first. But after a while they
all got out in front of the hotel, to get into their carriages. They had to
wait a few minutes, but I couldn't get in front to see him. The hotel hall
was empty by that time, and everybody was looking at the Prince; so I
hurried through the barber-shop into the side hall; slipped along into
the main hall, to the main entrance. I was not more than ten or twelve
feet from the Prince, but I was at the back of the crowd; so I jest got
down on all-fours, and crawled in between their legs. I got clear up to
the Prince, but a big man stood on each side of him, right close up. For
a minute I thought I was worse off than ever. Then I noticed that the
Prince had his legs a little separate--his knees were maybe six inches
apart, with one leg standin' ahead of the other. I was a little