Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-01-16

their comrade.
Becoming also acquainted with
the circumstances, King Alfonso,
who up to the present time has
borne with exemplary filial patience
the strange conduct of the queen,
was very much incensed. He re.
fused to accept the resignation of
the bOdy-guard, reinstated the
young officer just mentioned and
directed his wayward mamma to in
stantly dismiss her private secretary
and to leave Spain. There was no
discussing such an order, and the
ex-queen did leave the country, hav-
ing apparently complied in full with
the wishes Of her son by also dis
missing M. Ramero Puente. AL
fonso appointed successor, ard all
seemed likely to go on more peace
fully, when most unfortunately the
old gentleman who had succeeded
Puente suddenly broke down and
died, and the queen, being in
France without any private secre-
tary, naturally permitted NJ. Ram
ero Puente to resume his duties.
He has since lost no opportunity of
poisoning the mind of the ex-queen
against her son, and has managed
to make her quarrel with all the
members of the Spanish royal
family. More especially was this
manifested in the queens conduct
towards the Marquis of Valcarlos,
the kings cousin, who resides in
Paris. Unable to bear patiently the
impertinence of NJ. Ramero. Puente
the marquis challenged him.
Puente, however, did not "see it, "
so the marquis published him in the
Paris press as coward and a scoun-
drel. To this the private secretary
replied by the threat of a lawsuit,
and there the matter rests, but
meanwhile Puente has not been
idle. He has persuaded the ex-
queen to make common cause with
Don Carlos, the worst enemy of
the king, her son. The thing began
by visits made to the Princess Mar
guerite, the wife of Don Carlos, who
at that time was amusing himself,
as l have mentioned, at Bucharest
and Jassy. The moment he arrived
in Paris, Ramero Puente saw him,
and it was agreed upon that Isa-
bella should make public show of
reconciliation with the Pretender.
l suppose they all thought that the
government here would have
enough to do miHding its own af-
fairs-the crisis was going on then
and that the little thing they
were getting up would have a
smooth way before it. But the new
cabinet came in, and as the new
foreign minister, NJ. Waddington,
is an official whose sense of duty is
very strong, and who is as lntelli-
gent as he is conscientious, he soon
saw through the Carlos and Pu-
ente plot, and put a peremptory
end to it, so far as its being carried
on in France is concerned, by send
ing the Pretender across the from
tier. l hear that the latter has
gone to Italy, and that he took a
companion with him-another lady
friend. He does not, probably, like
to take Princess Marguerite away
from the cares of her family, yet, as
he dislikes to travel alone, he always
manages to find some charitable
soul to take pity on him. He has
an unlimited command of money,
the late ex-Duke of Modena having
left him at his death, which took
place some two years ago, a very
large fortune, estimated at from
40, 100000 to 5O,OOO,OOO francs, and
under these circumstances it is
perhaps not very surprising that
charitable souls should be so easily
found by him.
The Pretender had entered heart
and soul into the plot; had drawn
hither a number of those who
served during the Carlist war, and
it is even said that another invasion
Of Navarro was being proposed with
great haste, and all this with the
knowledge, if not the direct CON
nivance, of the late ex-Queen Isa-
bella, who has thus added to her
notorious reputation the stigma of
treachery to her own son, aud all
because of her hatred to the young
princess whom Alfonso is about to
marry.
Leaves of Gold.
One NIGHT when the earth was so