The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-10-08
A Story of Eugenie.
cerning an Interview the Empress Gave
Yonng Italian.
philadelphia Times !

| lfhiladelphla I1mes.l
The Orleanists always managed to keep the
| different members of the Bonaparte family
embroiled. Their chief effort was to keep the
| Empress embittered against Plon Plon and
| Plon Plon against her. 1t is only fair to adj
init that the Orleanists never made any mis-
take about Napoleon Ill. and his cousin Plon
Plon. He was always rated as the most brill
liant of the two men. His speeches in the
Senate proved this long after the 0rleanists
had given it as their opinion. 1t was to keep
the empire from having the hearty support of
a man so strong that every opportunity was
taken to sow dissensions between the empress
and her husbands kinsman. Between the
Empress Eugene and Plon Plon there had al
ways been mortal hatred. Almost from the
| first the prince strove to ALLEVIATE the emper-
or's affections from the lovely Spaniard. But
her rigid virtue, her matchless beauty, her
boundess dominion over her husband made
this next to impossible. Once, however, he
succeeded in shaking the emperor's confidence.
All feminine Paris, or rather, court circles,
was in a tumult about a superb young Italian
member of the embassy in Paris. This young
man was observed to be indifferent to all the
alluring of the married female rakes OF the
court. He appeared at the festivities pensive
moody, languishing. His dark liquid eyes fol,
lowed the vision of loveliness that Eugenie-
then presented. 1t was at once whispered that
he was amorous of the empress. Plon Plon
soon heard the story. He was powerful in the
italian embassy. He set one OF the young
counts comrades on the watch. This comrade
soon discovered a letter written to the emprers
begging for an interview. From that moment
the youth was never lost from slgnt tor NO
ment. Relays of spies kept him in sight by
day and night. At last the schemers were re-
warded. One of Eugenies lackeys visited the
Young man. He frightened up as IL new
man. The empress had given MN r9noe1-
yous. Plon Plon went Immediately to the em-
peror. Napoleon, incredulous but agltated,
consented to visit the empress's wing Oh the
palace.
me Tuileries were in those days network
of secret passages Inc prince ana nls COUSIN =,
were in o few moments behind the arras IN
Eugenie's boudoir. They had not long 10 walt
when the farther door was opened. one Oh the
empresss pages announced the count oe nlne-
tri. The young man came forward, raulaHu ~
Falling on his knees before the sovereign, ne
kissed her hand. He then tremblingly pro-
ceeded to tell her that she had restored him to
| life. for he had made up his mind to commit
suicide if she had refused his request Inc
empress in a tone denoting anything Dut pas pas
youth that he was bold and imprudent: tnat
he should have bowed to decision which sne
feared must be final; that the emperor hao 80.
his heart upon the matter, and that she feared
| that she could not change the affair Inc
| youth protested that a word from her would
| give him the object of his life. The TACT was
| that the young man was in love with peauIl-
| full Spaniard who was, in certain sense
ward of Napoleon, and relative OF Sne eln,
| press. A great marriage, upon which Napoleon
\ had set his heart, had been arranged for her,
| and the Young Italians suit had been treated
| as romantic and absurd But Eugenle, VINO
| had an irresistible weakness for love matcnes,
/ had let the girl see or suspect that she dldn
| onnosa the youth's pretensions and it was TO
| see the sovereign herself and plead MS case
| that the youth had implored permission. Ma
1 poleon understood the scene at once, ana re-
tired. Then sending page 70 annqunGo . io1as n,s
presence he entered the room DeIore Vne loFoI
could even rise from his knees.
I The emperor was at heart the klndest OF
/ men, and approaching the young man pay
fully, he demanded: "Well, Monsieur 10
Count what does all TINS mean 1ion5ptS toI5 tSa
| story to his crony. the late Emile de Girardln.
| The empress, somewhat troubled, told tne
| story At the end Napoleon promised good'
naturedly, to interest himself IN tne anall' a.li
| and the count retired ecstatic. Then the en-
neror. turning to his cousin said in the presence
| Of his wife, T'My cousin, let this be lesson'
| There is nothing so deceptive as appearances
| save the truth Whether the empress com,
| prehended the epigram or not the discounted
Plon-nlon did not say, but she gave lin a6un-
dant ground afterward to understand that there
was no love lost between them. Curiously
enough none of the emperors intimates liked
the empress. The duke de Morny, Napoleon
half brother, never lost an opportunity TO sa,
| tirize her. It was his favorite sarcasm to call
her a legitimist, alluding to her passionate ad-
oration of the memory of Marie Antolnette,
whose fate she had always had a premonition
she was to share. She narrowly missed ~
| unity Of Evans, the American dentist, there IS
| no doubt but the Paris mob would have torn
| her to shreds after the awful news from Sedan