The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1874-04-17
HER IMPERIAL DESTINY,


not then foresee
HER INTERNAL DESTINY,
but the time was rapidly approaching
when she was to eclipse her sister in a
way as startling as it was unexpected.
Thanks to the wealth and rank of the
Duke of Alba the position of the Mon
tijos was now very different to what it
had been before the marriage. The
Countess was no longer obliged to live
in a third-tioor lodging ora second
rate street, nor to lay herself open to
the suspicion of keeping card saloon.
She set up sumptuously for time i'll
the Duke of Alba's house in Madrid,
and in 1851, when She went back to
Paris, hired Il mansion in the Champs
I1lysces and became a regular frequent
or of the parties given by the Presi-
dent, Prince Louis Napoleon, at the
Elysee. 1t should be mentioned that
this return to Paris, which was to lead
to such high results, had not been un-
dertal>cn spontaneously by the Countess,
but had been in a manner forced upon
her by her ducal son-in-law. The
Duke Of Alba liked to be master in his
own house; Nine. de Montijo, who
had u fairly meddlesome and doniinecr-
fng temper, loved to be mistress, too,
so that the Duke would have ended by
Leading difficult time Of it if he had
not hit on the easy eXpedient of allow
ing his mother-in-law 100000 francs Il
year provided she would live abroad.
This she did, as above said, in Il fine
style, and her daughter Eugene was
enabled to appear everywhere dressed
with the grace and richness suited to
her wonderful beauty. 1t became a
marvel to everybody at this time how
Il girl Of such attractions as Mile. de
Nontijo remained SO long without find
ing a husband. She was twenty-five,
and yet seemed in no hurry whatever
to be married. An English carl, an
American banker, Il young cousin of
the Duke of Alba's, both wealthy and
titled, all proposed to her, and so did
shoals of Frenchmen, among whom
was Il famous novelist, who is still
living. But to all of them ;ugenie
said "no," not heartlcssly, but with Il
firmly settled purpose, as if her good
genius were whispering to her that she
would lose nothing by being patient.
And SO it befell that ut 4 ball given by
the President ut the Elysec, some
nights only before the co'1, a'et0t, Mile.
Eugenic met
HER FUTURE EMPEROR AND IIUs-
BAND.
The manner of the meeting was
romantic. Louis Napoleon
did not much care for the crush of ball
rooms, and he had chosen Il propitious
moment to escape with his friend, Ed
gard Ney, the Duke of La Mosl>owa,
into the I;iysee gardens, when he came
suddenly upon Il radiant, blushing
girl, who was trying to do up her hair
alone, opposite n glass in Il conserva-
tory. Her hair had come down during
4 waltz, and the crowd was too great
to admit of her girls reaching the
ladies' dressing rooms, so she had
glided in here, hoping to be unobserved.
Louis Napoleon, seeing her in this
strait, gallantly gave her his arm and
led her round by the private apart
ments to the dressing room in question,
and from that day there was mutual
regard between the President and the
fair stranger. During the following
twelve months Nine. de MontijO and
her daughter were invited guests mt all
the Presidential rcsidcnces-Fontainc-
bleau, Compiegnc, st. Cloud-and it
escaped nobody that the Prince paid
Mile. Eugenic an inordinatc amount OF
attention. No one supposed, however,
that these attentions could end in mar
riagc, for the President, having formed
his cOuD "efW, was on the point of
becoming Emperor, and it was no
secret that his ambassador at Munich
was trying to arrange 4 match for him
with a princess of Bavaria. The King
Of Bavaria refused to give away his
relative to prince whom he styled an
"adventurcr," and then it was that
Louis Napoleon, much mortified at
heart, resolved not to expose himself to
rebuffs in courting royal princcsscs.
Possibly Nine. dc MOntijo had been
waiting her opportunity, for, two days
after the news of the Bavarian snub
had begun to get bruitcd, she begged
a private audience of the Prince, and
told him that as his attentions toward
her daughter was beginning to excite
comment, she had the intention OF
leaving France. This was at st. Cloud,
where the mother and daughter were
both staying. The prince asked Nine.
dc Montijo to tarry one day more, for
he might have something to say to her,
and he employed these twcnty-four
hours in acquainting his Ministers with
his determination to marry Mile.
Thn foil fhnpo