The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-07-20
ROMANCE OF HISTORY.

w ueu hlHS SudIlco JuC TOuItu US
cended the Spanish throne, he was very
handsome young man. But he had a
sister Donna Larga, whose beauty, in that
country noted for its handsome women,
was so great that most of the unmarried
grandees solicited her hand before she
was twenty years old. Her brothers
wife was an Italian woman, good looking
enough, but utterly dissolute.
The first thing she did after her ar
rival in Madrid was to hunt up lover,
whom she found in the handsome guards
man Godoy, who played afterward so
wretched part in the history of the
Iberian Peninsula.
Their criminal intimacy remained no
secret to the members of the royal family,
and especially indignant was the queen s
sister, whose life until then, despite the
many temptations to which she had been
exposed, had been blameless.
One day, in 1884, the princess met her
royal sister-in-law under suspicious cir
cumstances, and the queen, an hour
later, sent for her.
Donna Larga came, but was as frigid
as ice when Il g queen kissed her.
'Largita mia," said the queen to the
beautiful girl, "do you know that you are
wasting your life and your beauty?"
The princess looked at her in surprise
and asked:
"What do you mean?"
"Can anything be palmer, my beau
tiful darling? What 1 mean is, that
your brother does not want you to marry
at all, although all the handsome men
in Madrid would be only too glad if you
should smile upon them."
"But why" asked the princess, " does
he not want me to get married?'
"Pretty little goose" said the queen,
"because, under our laws, here, you
might become his successor if l should
remain childless."
The two women parted few minutes
later, and the princess went to her bou-
doir.
What her royal sister-in-law had told
her had set her to thinking. The im-
petuous blood of the Castilian race was
coursing through her veins.
The homage of her admirers had not
been lost upon her. The idea that she
should not get married on account Of her
brother's political jealousy provoked her.
So, laboring under intense excitement,
she took from her desk the large bundle
of love. letters which she had received
during the past few years.
She read the tender missives, which
had been written upon the smoothest
vellum.
One letter after another was tossed
aside by her tiny hand, until she opened
tba foliowiuo brief note
To THE MOST HONORABLE, BEAUTIFUL
AND VIRTUoUs DONNA LARGA TABLA, Sc.
NORA DE BoURBoN-The writer is the head
of the Sidonia- Medina family. He would
be the happiest man in Spain IL Donna
Larga would become his wife.
SENIOR Don GARCIA SIDoNIA DE MEDINA
"And l." said the princess to herself
"in my vain pride, was foolish enough
not only to refuse this offer from very
handsome man, but to insult him pub
licly in the prado."
Suddenly she jumped up and rang her
bell.
A very handsome duenna entered
bowling deeply.
Estrella," said the princess to her
twill you 90 for me on secret errand
VI buC SiCdtSoI I'LL POi tahOCs
The duenna bowed and replied:
Your Highness may command my
services"
"Then 60 to the Count Sidonia de Me
dina, and tell him to come, and see me
without delay"
"But, your Highness-"
"You refuse to 90, Estre!la"
"No; but"
"But what g' cried the princess will
flashing eyes.
"But you know what people woult
think of such an interview"
81 order you to do my bidding! /
you refuse, you shall suffer for it,"
The duenna bowed and went out.
She did not 60 straightway to tn
palace or the young grandee, but, spy a
She was like the most of her ilk, sh
knocked at the kings door.
He was lying on his lounge, and whel
the handsome Estrella entered the room
he sprang to his feet and seized he
hand.
"And what have you to tell me now
'Trella Y'-the Spanish abreviation o
Estrella.
"Sire," che replied, "nothing abou
her Majesty"
Il would not have liked you half s
well If you had brought me any tiding
about her infdelities."
"They are shocking, your Majesty"
"Who knows 1t better than Ip' h
exclaimed bitterly. "But what bring
you here ?"
"My august mistress, Donna Iargs
has intrusted me with very strang
mission, your Majesty"
"What, my sisterq'
eyes, sire, she has commissioned m
to ask the young Count Sidonia de Me
dina to see her without delay"
The king looked Estrella full in th
face
"Trella," he said to her, "when wa
a mere boy liked you. You did no
repel me. Now swear TO me that yo
tell me the truth"
"Your Majesty, ] do swear that 1 tel
you the truth. Shall ] go and delive