thim, awaitin’ insthructions fr’m ye.  At th’ dock we was greeted be a band playin’ th’ Watch on th’ Rhine an’ afther some delay, caused be th’ Delicatessen Sangerbund holdin’ us while they sung th’ Watch on th’ Rhine, we stepped ashore on a gangplank neatly formed be th’ guv’nor iv th’ state holdin’ onto th’ feet iv th’ mayor, him clutchin’ th’ iditor iv th’ Staats Zeitung an’ so on, th’ gangplank singin’ th’ Watch on th’ Rhine as we walked to th’ dock.

“‘I am much imprissed be New York.  I hate it.  Th’ buildin’s are very high here but th’ language is higher.  If I was to go home now, ye wudden’t know me.  Afther I hear a speech I don’t dare to look in th’ glass f’r fear I might be guilty iv treason to ye, mein lieber.  Our illustrious ancesthor, Fridrick th’ Great, was a cheap an’ common man compared to me, an’ ye, august brother, niver got by th’ barrier.  I hope I’ll have time to cool down befure I get home or ye’ll have to lock me up.

“‘They’re givin’ me th’ fine line iv entertainmint.  Ivrywhere I go, they’se music or something that does as well.  I have a musical insthrument called a catastrophone in me room that plays th’ Watch on th’ Rhine whin I go in at night an’ get up in th’ mornin’.  Whin I go out on th’ sthreet, th’ crowd cries “Hock th’ Kaiser.”  I wish they’d stop hockin’ ye, dear brother, an’ hock th’ Watch on th’ Rhine. (This here is an American joke.  I’m gettin’ on fast.) I’m goin’ to be took to th’ opry some night this week.  They’ve fired a lot iv la-ads out iv their boxes to make room f’r me.  Wan iv thim objected, but he was fired annyhow.  Aftherward I’m goin’ to ate dinner with th’ iditors iv th’ counthry.  Won’t that be nice?  I suppose I’m th’ first Hohnezollern that iver took dinner with an iditor, though our fam’ly has often given thim food an’ lodgin’—­in jail.  I wish ye was here to go with me.  Ye’ve had more journylistic expeeryence an’ manny iv th’ things ye’ve had printed wudden’t seem too unthrue to th’ other guests.  Th’ newspapers has been mos’ kind to me, I might say almost too kind.  I am sindin’ ye a photygraft iv mesilf in me bath, took be flashlight be an iditor concealed on th’ top iv th’ clothes press, an’ an interview be a lady rayporther who riprisinted hersilf as th’ Queen iv Ohio.

“‘But th’ big ivint comes off tomorrah.  I am actually invited to a dinner iv wan hundherd iv th’ riprisintative business men iv New York an’ a few Christyans ast in aftherward.  Hooray, hooray!  Mind ye, these ar-re not ordhn’ry business men.  Far fr’m it.  No one gets in unless he has made at laste eight millyion marks out iv th’ sivinty millyion marks in this counthry.  An’ I’m ast to meet thim!  What fun!  I bet ‘twill be jolly.  I’m goin’ to buy me a table f’r computin’ inthrest, a copy iv th’ naytional bankin’ act an’ a good account iv th’ thransactions in sterlin’ exchange f’r th’ current year an’ whin th’ quip an’ jest go round, I’ll be no skeleton at th’ feast.