An officer came to report to Papa Wrangel, as he was often called. The General noticed that the officer’s spurs were not those prescribed by regulations. He took him to task about it, and gave him twenty-four hours house-arrest. The officer seeing that Wrangel wore the same spurs, made a remark about it.
“Very well, my son,” said the General, “then you stay another twenty-four hours for me.”
A Profitable Call
King Frederick William III was in the habit of coming to the Queen’s sitting-room every morning, to breakfast with her, preferably on some fresh fruit. One morning, he saw on her work-table a pretty new lace cap. Smiling, he asked the price of it.
“It is not necessary,” replied the Queen merrily, “that the men should know what women’s finery costs; they don’t understand, and think everything is too dear.”
“But you can tell me what the cap cost. I should like to know!”
“Oh, yes; I chose a cheap one; it was only four thalers.”
“Only? Why that’s a lot of money for a thing like that!”
The king, standing by the window, kept on teasing her, until an invalid soldier of his guard passed by. The King called him into the room. He had hardly entered when the King said to him:
“The lady on the sofa there has a lot of money. What do you think, old comrade, she gave for that cap on the table? Now don’t let the pretty pink ribbon dazzle you!”