West-Jersey pioneer., 1880-03-11
Translated from the French.
THE HAPPINESS OF QUEENS.

There is nothing Of which we hear sooner
than this. When we are children our nurses
charm us, and make us envious with their
marvellous stories of life in palaces Can
we ever forget the Prince Charming and
what the Princess wore-her dress the color
of the sun; how she rode in carriage orna-
mented all over with big rubies; that her
sceptre was single diamond; and her
crown made of stars snatched from Heaven ?
Later the Alnsan0ck de Gotha recalls
these golden fables of our infancy, and we
see again the queens with their blonde hair
and bright eyes, their crowns high upon
their heads and their great cloaks of velvet
trailing from their naked shoulders. They
smile with the smile of tranquil goddesses;
they are beautiful among the happy; before
them one bows or goes upon his knees; the
earth is made sweet by the caress of their
feet; men only breathe as they nod; joy is
everywhere about them.
o, sovereigns! O., rulers look what des-
tiny has done for you.
Queen Victoria reached the throne-ador-
able, charming! Crowned at Westminster
when just sixteen, she married the husband
of her choice-one of those Coburgs, who
were the handsomest men of their time.
She loved so passionately that she poisoned
her own life and that of her husband, who was
a matyr to her idolatry. Her jealous imag-
ination saw infidelisy everywhere and al
ways; ladies once her dear friends became
odious to her. She drove away the ladies
of honor and, at court ball she slapped
the face of a pretty girl to whom Prince
Albert had addressed few words.
A day came when death called this hus-
band, so fondly loved, and on that day died,
also England's queen. The heart had gone
out of the body of the woman and nothing
was left. Everything seemed to have been
brusquely torn away, and SO great was her
despair, and so long did it last, that, years
afterwards, they discussed regency in par
lament. The motion was defeated; but
after that the living corpse of her who had
been Victoria came, from time to time, to
open parliament. The English, who re-
spect the dynasty, lowered themselves be-
fore the eternal grief of this old woman, for
they saw still the crown of the queen above
the widows cap. But she never smiled
save when, perchance, the name of Prince
Albert was mentioned.
The Queen of Belgium has an only son.
The child of ten years is as sweet and ex-
quisite as cherub. This royal infant is
sick. 1t is night, and he suffers, for he
burns with fever. He tries to smother his
cries of pain. The queen, notwithstanding
her agony, worn out with long watching,
and obeying the supplications of her ladies,
retires for a little rspose. But she cannot
sleep. She leaves her bed and returns in
haste to her son. She approaches softly.
The prince appears to be soundly sleeping
His breathing is exual and easy. The pale
face of Marie Henrietta lightens with hap
piness. Her boy is then saved, since he
can sleep. She goes out. Then the Royal
baby calls to the doctor. The doctor bends
over him. "Do not tell mother" he says,
''it makes her SO happy to think that l
Sleep"
That child will never be king. To-
morrow, in the evening. he is dead.
It is ten years since the Belgian prince is
dead, and no other child has come to the
queen. At Brussels they seldom see her.
She is always with herself. If she goes out
she hears nothing, sees nothing. Her hair
is white. Her dress is always black. Her
ladies of honor are old and ugly, and made
still more ugly by the ugly enaus of this
court in lethargy. No one dare smile before
the queen, who still weeps, who weeps al
ways and who cries, ''For me there is no
thing more in this worldP'
All alone the empress of Russia plunges
into the intoxication of her tears. She
knows that, for long time, the true crown
of the empress is not that which she wears.
She has always with her the portrait of the
emperor-the likeness of the man who loves
her no more.
Margaret of Italy dies slowly with ter
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numbered.
The Empress Eugene lies upon the ground
with seven spears driven right through her
heart Throne, husband, son, beauty-all
are gone.
For having touched the crown of Spain
two young queens fall as if struck by light
ming. The Duchess Aosta flies to Italy and
wastes in sickness and agony to death.
Mercedes, that queen of 1S years, for whom
life seemed so full, is cold as marble in the
tomb.
Christana of Austria hears nothing but
the noise of the pistol, sees nothing but the
CLEAN of the dagger.
Maximillian went to Mexico, and paid for
his ambition with his life. When the grave
closed over him it held also the world for
Carlotta. Since then her present is the
past Her brain is blinded, and she does
not even know that she suffers.