West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-10-04

The marriages Of royal pCrSonagcs are
the most prosaic affairs When an English
princess arrives at the marriagcablc ag,,,.
queen Victoria says 20 Mr. Gladstone or
Lord BcaConstiCld, as the case may be, 'Bv
the 10y, how is the German Prince market
Just now q The prime minister replies
shat 1t Is rather ovcrStockcd as usual, and
that good fair article of duke OF arChduke
can hc had right reasonably Whercupon
he Is ordered To make out list of mar
riagcahlc Germans of royal or al least
noble birth, and 10 send it up TO the palace
the next time the messenger boy has oc-
casiou 90 pass that way. When the list ar
rivcs, her majesty runs it over and tries to
select name, hut uniformly fuils-one
German name being about as unattractive
rs another. The result is that she finally
writes 10 the British ambassador nj Berlin
20 send her 7 Ione) marriage6hle German
prince and charge freight and expenses 10
the contingent fund. In due time the Ger
mau arrives, and is delivered at the palace
door. If he is a fat prince there is grner-
ally an attempt made ON the part of the
queen To have the eNprcsgman bring him up
10 the Second-story back bedroom hut
hitherto the CNprCssman has stoutly rcrus-
ed, asserting that his duty was done when
hc delivered packages or princes nj the
front door. I'm the course of the evening
the queen informs her daughter that hus
band for her has arrived from Germany.
and that she is TO marry him that On {
week, to which the dutiiul daughter rcplics
Just as You please, ml, and, beyond eN-
pressing faint hope that the husband is
good tempered, bctrays no further interest
in the subject. When the wedding day
arrives, the marriage takes place i'm due and
proper style, and the ncwly-wedded pnir
then begin to form an acquaintance I'm
other royal families the same systems pre-
walls, with the exception that husbands or
wives may be sought outside Of the German
market Occasionally n king draws a prize
i'm this matrimonial lottery, as did king
Jmbcrto when he married the most beauti
iul woman in Italy but, as rule, unde-
sirabc prnccSscs with irregular noses are
served ont to regular continental husbands.
Whether Alfonso has secured n desirable
wife or not remains 20 be seen. II the
Archduchoss Marie Christine should turn
out TO bc nice girl; it would, however be
a mere matter of luck. So far as Alfonso
is concerned, he has not been allowed the
least liberty of choice, but has had To
accept the princess whom his cabinet
thought proper TO select And vet the
young man is decidedly more fortunate
than most persons, His first wife was n
Spanish girl, and hc was actually allowed
some little liberty of courtship She was
the daughter of old Duke Montpcusler. who.
having for many years followed the pro
tcssion of prctender to the Spanish throne.
agreed to go ont of business on condition
that his daughter should marry the king.
Montpcnsicr was therefore very friendly To
his intended son-in law, and gave him every
sh0w-as a Western statesman would say.
Alfonso was allowed 10 come every
Sunday night and sit in the Montpcnsier's
back parlor, and nt $50 the old gentleman
always went 20 bed, with discretion
which 1t could be wished that all fathers
would initiate. Moreover, Alfonso and
Mercedes were allowed 10 take MOONLIGHT
walks. aud it is even said that they once
swung together on the front gate Still,
the young king was made to feel the bur
den of his rank. He was never allowed to
go courting without the company of two
cabinet ministers and squadron Of dra-
goons II was all very well for Montpcn-
sIeg TO 90 TO bed af $50, but il availcd
Httic so long as the two cabinet ministers
sat in the back parlor. Per
maps they were humane men, and OccasOnly
heard a supposititious cat in the dining
room, whittier they wcntin pretended search
OF her, but it is more probable that they
strictly performed their dnty, and sat in
the back parlor with nvariablc and mad
dening persistency. Then, too the ro-
nance OF moonlight walk must have been
seriously marred by the ten Dragons that
rode clanking IN front Of the lovers. and the
ten more that came clattcring behind them.
As for the front gate exploit, it must have
been large gate that held a king, princess
and two cabinet ministers, and in the cir
we can but regard the gate. swing
ing as a prOgaic failure