A Swedish lady told...
Illustration
A Swedish lady told me of an incident which occurred in the lovely little town of Mora, in northern Sweden, where there is a fine museum dedicated to Anders Zorn, a famed Swedish artist. Word spread through the town that the King of Sweden, Gustaf Adolf VI, was in the area and planned on a certain day to visit the museum. The king, then in his 90s, was beloved by the people and often mingled with commoners.
When the day came, a group of people clustered outside the museum, waiting to see the king. It was a time of year when not too many visitors ventured up into the lake country, so they waited patiently for the royal procession to arrive.
A few tourist buses came and went. Some family groups also came. One small compact car drove up and a tall elderly man in a nondescript black coat entered the museum, but that was all.
Finally the group became restive and some of its leaders formed a committee to go into the museum to find out when the king was due to arrive. As they made their inquiries, the elderly man overheard them.
"So you are waiting to see the king?" he queried.
"Indeed we are," they said.
"Well, I can assure you that the king will not allow you to be disappointed," the man said.
"Do you know when he is coming?" they asked.
"I am Gustaf Adolf," the man said.
- Stauderman
