Emperor William First, the Great War and Peace Hero — John Shaqi
Emperor William First, the Great War and Peace HeroWalter, A.
History
Emperor William First, the Great War and Peace Hero
Walter, A.
William I, German Emperor, 1797-1888
“Nor shall I, my brave fellow,” replied the King, giving his hand to the
soldier, who kissed it with deep emotion. The King passed on from bed to
bed, but just as he was about to leave he said to his suite, “I must see
that man again whose birthday it is,” and returning to the musketeer’s
cot he talked with him for some time. That night, after the invalid was
asleep and dreaming of his sovereign, one of the royal huntsmen appeared
with a gold watch and chain, sent by the King as a remembrance of the
day. The lucky man was often asked where he got this fine watch.
“Guess!” he would always say, and after the inquisitive questioner had
tried in vain to solve the riddle, he would shout with a beaming face:
“It is from my King, my good King William!”
* * * * * * * *
Once while the King was visiting the hospital at Versailles with the
Crown Prince and several of his generals, they came to the cot of a
Silesian militiaman who had had his right leg amputated and been shot in
the right shoulder also. When asked what his injuries were, he replied:
“I have lost my right leg, Your Majesty, which troubles me much, for now
I shall not be able to go on to Paris with the rest of the army. And
besides that the churls have shot me here in the shoulder.”
Every one laughed, and the King said: “Cheer up, my son! You shall have
a new leg and enter Paris with us yet.”
“That may be, sire,” declared the simple-hearted Silesian, “but I can
never win the Iron Cross now.”
Again there was a laugh; but the Crown Prince laid his hand on the brave
fellow’s head, saying,
“You shall have that too, my man,” and the King quietly nodded assent
and passed on, his eyes moist with tears.
* * * * * * * *
On another cot at this same hospital lay a pale young infantryman. The
physician had given him a sleeping potion which had brought temporary
forgetfulness of his sufferings. As the Emperor stood quietly looking
down at him, his eye fell on an album which the invalid had evidently
been reading when sleep overtook him. He picked it up and wrote in
pencil on one of the pages, “My son, always remember your King,” then
laid it back on the bed and passed on. When the wounded man awoke and
found his sovereign’s greeting, tears of joy streamed down his cheeks
and he pressed the precious writing to his lips, sobbing. On the
Emperor’s next visit he saw, by the deathly pallor of the wounded
infantryman, that death was near and the poor fellow was past all aid or
comfort. But the soul had not yet left the body, a gleam of
consciousness still lingered in the fast-glazing eyes, and he recognized
the Emperor standing beside him. The half-closed eyelids opened wide,
and with a last supreme effort the dying man lifted himself and cried
out,
“Yes, I will remember Your Majesty, even up above!” then fell back
lifeless on his cot.
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