River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-07-29

disagreeably surprised to meet so soon
again his mother-in-law, and under
such auspices But he Immediately
proved himself to be the william
he was. for on her I'M
forming him of the state of affairs as
she had ascertained them, he utterly
refused to he united to Miss Ward iii
the Greek church, and neither pro-
posed any other method of making
good the marriage, nor even attempting
to excuse himsel. Upon this Mi
Ward returned home with her mother,
safe and sound, but bitterly mortified
and unhappy. They returned to Paris
and determined to appeal To the EN-
peror of Russia for Justice and the pro
lection of Miss Wards honor. They
received an invitation from mis- majesty
to visit the court at st. Petersbugh.
That she might more ably make her
personal appeal, and lay the case more
eloquentIy before the royal mind, Miss
Ward devoted herself to the study of
Russian, and in six weeks had so mast
cred this difficult language that she
could converse in ordinary terms quite
sufficiently we'll to be thoroughly UNI
derstood. Arrived ut st. Petersburg
the mother and daughter were given a
suite of rooms in the palace, and were
received by the empress with every
mark of sympathy and esteem. The
emperor heard their story, of the truth
of which, of course, they had undoubt-
ed proofs, with indignant appreciation
of the modification and social disgrace
which his subject had SO villainously
heaped upon them. He Immediately
ordered the world to be searched for
the count But the count had hidden
himself well Itwas not until after the
expiration of six months that he was
brought triumphantly into the Russian
capital.
The emperor personally commanded
the count to marry Miss Ward, and he
was obliged to give his reluctant con
sent. Why he had acted i'll the way he
had done, and what was his objection to
a marriage with a young girl Of ire
proachable character, whom he had
seemed to passionately adore, and had
taken SO much pains to possess he never,
told and no one ever knew. Miss
Wards brother had arrived in St. Pet
ersburg, and, being a man of character,
had sworn to see his sister made the
honorable wife of her sutton, or kill the
count The marriage ceremony, per-
formed in the palace in presence of the
emperor and empress, the royal house
hold and the many friends whom Miss
Ward had gained during her stay i'll st.
Petersburg, was an imposing scene.
The bride was in deep mourning. and
was escorted to the altar by her brother,
whose hand was on revolver ready to
shoot the bridegroom at the slightest
sign of false play. The meeting be-
tween these two, who had loved and
breathed the words of love to each
other, and who now stood up to be mar
ried by force and in the attitude of
deadly enemies, was strange and mel
ancholy in the extreme. But sorrow
had made Miss Ward more spiritually
beautiful; and, even although he had
so wronged her, she had always loved
the Count de Guerbel, and still loved
him with all her woman's soul 1t was
too much for even his cold and wicked
nature. Her youth, her beauty, her
sorrow, her mourning attire, all APP
pealed to him. and then and there all
his real passion was renewed within him,
and added to it an exalted feeling of
remorse and alteration which made
him fling himself at her feet. But at
the expiration of the ceremonies her
brother sternly led her away and the
count was coldly commanded by the
emperor to go his way and never show
his face at court again. Illuminated
and dcspairing he made the strongest
appeal by message to his wife, begging
her to be his wife in reality, and assllr-
ing her of his penitence and sorrow.
But although her neart cried out to
him, her sense of moral obligation was
strongest She refused. The family
went to Paris, and the count tried every
method to see her and make her listen
to his entreahes, but she sailed for
America, leaving him forever. 1t was
ON her return to this country that she
first appeared in opera, at the Academy
of Music, New York. The critics ex-
well-trained and beautiful. but it was
not strong enough for opera, and she
was considered failure She then re-
tired into private life, and, losing her
mother, quietly performed the simple
duties of the household for Sc ven years.
AT the end of that time Count de
Guerbel died, and she Immediately
went on the boards of the theatre, with
what excellent and increasing success is
well known That she should be the
sensation Of the hour in Europe, and is
doing successfully what the greatest of
living French actresses failed in, does
not in the least surprise me. With
life full Of dramatic interest an cxcep-
tional education, knowledge of the
world and society vouchsafed to few;
with sterling quality of character and
fine thoroughbred American blood in
her veins, we think it only simple and
natural result that people should gladly
praise her as superior and rank her
with the noblest artists of our day.