The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-16
How She Won an Emperor.

A correspondent thus relates the roman
tic way IN which the Empress Of Austria
captured her Emperor: "The Empress
Is the youngest daughter Of Duke Maxi
milan Joseph, of Bavaria, and sister of
the ex-Queen Sophia, of Naples. Francis
Joseph was to have been affianced to the
Princess Sophia, to make acquaintance
with whom he went to make visit to his
uncle's castle of Possenhoffen, where his
four young lady cousins had been born
and brought up. The Princess Elizabeth,
then in her sixteenth year and remarkably
beautiful, was not 10 have been allowed to
see the young Emperor, both because on
account of her youth-she was not sun.
posed to be out"-and also because, be-
ing much handsomer than her sisters.
the willy Duke desired to secure his i'm.
perial nephew for his eldest daughter be-.
fore the former should have been allowed
to catch sight of his youngest, as he felt
very sure that the hand of such beauty
as she promised to be would be sought
far and wide when it should be in the
matrimonial market. So the young lady
was told that she was to stay with her
governess, and not to presume to show
herself in the drawing-room during the
visit Of the Austrian cousin. But being
lively, spirited and brimful of curiosity to
see the youthful Emperor who had 30
suddenly succeeded to the troubled but
brilliant crown of Austria, the Princess
Elizabeth contrived to give her attendants
the slip, and to hide herself in corridor
along which the imperial guest, who had
arrived an hour before, and was then
dressing for dinner in the rooms set apart
for his reception, would have to pass
in going to the banqueting hall.
AS the young sovereign passed
along this corridor the Princess,
who was watching for him, sprang out Of
her hiding place, laughing at the success
of her maneuver, and crying gayly:
Cousin Franz! Cousin Franz! I wanted
to see you, and they wouldn't let me, and
so hid myself here to see you go BY
1t appears that Cupid's bow, so innocently
shot off by the merry girl, who had no
thought beyond the qualification of her
curiosity to see the grand young cousin,
whose quality as Emperor had excited her
Imagination, went straight to the mark
The Emperor fell over head and ears in
love with the gay and beautiful vision that
had presented itself so unatfectedly before
him. What passed between the two young
people has never transpired; but, few min
uteS iatcI, Tile Imperial guest entered the
drawing-room with his young cousin on
his arm, and presented her to the amazed
circle of relatives and courtiers who were
awaiting his appearance as the Empress
of Austria, my engaged wife, The anger
OF the elder sisters is said to have been
quite lively, as was, perhaps, quite natu.
raj under the circumstances. The young
Princess dined that day in the banqueting
hall, seated beside the Cousin Franz so
suddenly mctamorphosed into her i'm
perial spouse and tho Duke, though
vexed for the disappointment of his ED
est daughter, had at least the satisfaction
Of having this splendid match secured
for his youngest. The marriage took
place when the Princess had reached the
mature age Of sixteen, and all her hus-
bands subjects were enchanted with her
youthful beauty and her remarkable grace
and Kindness"