THE KAISER'S BOYHOOD.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13108, 17 May 1911, Page 1

THE KAISER'S BOYHOOD.

The Berlin correspondent 01 tho London "Daily Telegraph' says ;;n interesting letter, written by tho Emperor William, shortly after his tuofth birthday, to tho commander of his regiment, then at Versailles, has ju;;c seen tho light of print. It runs us follows:—

My dear Colonel,' —On my birthday J. got many nice things, but the nicest of all tho presents is tho shattered shot which you have presented to me. This mighty shell is a terrible thing indeed, and what damage it must do when it is whole, and when lit comes whistling through the air and falls to thn ground and bursts! And it must make an awful noko. i got a very great fright when I saw ] this shell, and I was iilled with hon':;i whon I said to myself that these sugar-loaves arc shot and thrown at our dear regiment, and at our dear j bruyo. fellow-countrymen. But, thank Gir.l! this happens no longer. .!■'■:>;■ throo weeks a truce has been arranged, and it is to be hoped there will bo no more fighting. Then you will (.who back to us crowned with glory. How 1 delighted I shall bo to welcome you all j again! When I heard of St. Privjit and Le Bom-get, and still of Lo Bom- j got, I should, in spite of my great fright, gladly have grown up in order to lie there. In fact, I should havo liked to be with the regiment ovorywhero. It is a great comfort to mo to know that no more of you are bciiiji; shot dead. I thank you many thousand times for your kindness in thinking of me, and sending mo this souvenir of this difficult time through Count Finckenstein and tho sergeantmajor. Good health to you, colaael, may God protect and further guido you and the regiment! Please thank your officers for tho attention they havo shown mo. My -mamma sends her. • kindest regards.—Yours very truly (signed), Wilhelm, Prince of Prussia, second lieutenant in Ist Foct Guards.

Here, too, in some respects the child was father to tho man.