"RESH'PROSH'TY."
["What struck the Tzar ... in the recent festivities, was the feeling of fraternity which seemed to pervade the multitude.... The feeling of concord and fraternity appears to survive the last echoes of the festivities ... The word now most frequently heard is 'Amnesty.' This, indeed, is the fittest coping-stone to prolonged festivities characterised by universal concord."—Times' Paris Correspondent.]
President. "Prolonged feshtivitish!" Thash good, that ish!
Very prolonged, ole f'ler, an' awf'ly feshtive!
Tzar. Yesh, tha' what shtruck me! (Aside.) But I really wish
He wouldn't gush. Romanoff pride turns reshtive!
President. Sho glad it shtruck you sho! An' nurrer thing
You mush ha' notish'd. Feeling of fraternity
All over shop! I shay, may friendship's wing
Ne'er moult a feather, not to all eternity.
Tzar. I echosh tha' fine Shwiveller shentiment
Entirely! (Aside.) I must not appear too sober.
President. Now Fransh ish shatishfied—an' world content!
Republic won't forget thish last October!
Feelingsh of concord, cetra, will survive
Last echosh of feshtivitish—for ever!
Tzar. Oh, coursh! Asshure you I am quite alive
To reshiproshity—shan't forget it—never!
President. Thash ri' ole f'ler! Our resh—hic!—proshity—
Not like the comic Yankee's, all one shide?
Tzar. Certainly not! Shorry to say good-bye!
But though our bodiesh part, our soulsh are tied.
President. Precishly! We're both tight—mean tied—in knotsh.
The champagne, an' the speeches, an' the kisshes
Have bound our bosomsh, and combined our lotsh!
Tzar. Quite sho! (Aside.) I'll watch a chance to hint my wishes.
President. We've had a jolly time, and now, ole f'ler,
Ash "coping-shtone" to all this talk and toddy,
As shequel to thish patr'otic stir,
I'm going to amneshty—yesh, everybody!
Wha' shay, dear Romanoff, will you do same?
Jush show, y' know, that thersh no animoshity!
Tzar (aside). Oh, that is the Republic's little game?
Russia can't stand that form of reciprocity!
(Aloud.) All ri', ole f'ler, you jush leave that to Me!
Mosh noble notion, that shame "coping-shtone!"
By way, ole f'ler, talking of amneshty—
Could you just 'blige me with a trifling Loan?