Omaha daily bee., 1883-10-12
AN ITALIAN PRINCE.
His Marriage with an American Girl,
and How IL Resulted.

Locke's "Nasby in Exile" in Toledo
Blade: Some reference has been made
in thus series to the eager desire of Itali.
an Princes and noblemcn of various
degrees to marry wealthy English or
American women. There are no more
atfable beings on earth, to foreigners,
than the Italian nobility, Almost any
one can associate with a Prince, which is
a great comfort to the shoddyites, who
nearly love to write home that Last
evening Prince Thingumy called upon us,
and we spent a few hours delightfully."-
with him; or that yesterday | took
Prince Whatdyecallum out riding.p
Many tourists never would write home
were it not for tho privilege of having
their friends know that they had got into
the very best society.
The Italian Pridce who was 30 affable
to strangers has a motive for his atfabili-
tv. He rather likes to descend from the
high pedestal of birth on which fortune
placed him, and be familiar with untitled
Americans and Englishmen. For it was
a convenient thing for him to have an.
other man pay for the carriage in which
he rides, and it is likewise convenient to
have somebody of whom he can borrow q
few hundred francs, without ever being
asked to pay it. Borrowing no has no
objection to, but paying back! That is
when the iron enters his soul. And, as
it would hurt his feelings, he has too
much respect for them ever to think of
such a thing. And, as to the poor asses
who consider it a great thing to be seen
with a nobleman, and to have the privil-
eye of talking Of ''my friend, Prince
Macaroni, they make these little advan-
ces not only willingly but gladly, and
never think of asking them back again.
The Prince never thinks of 80 small a
matter and 30 they manage to get on.
There was IN Italian Prince who laid
siege to a n American girl with a very rich
papa, and as the girl did appear to be
very much in love with him. and he was
a very good sort of a fellow at bottom, as
Italian Princes go, and as he captured the
bluff old man by very frankly contessing
that he hadn't a dollar, and as the Prince
business was not n very remunerative,
and that was the only trade he had, and
rs the old man could not bear to see his
daughter unhappy, he consented to the
marriage, and the bargain was made.
The father agreed to give for the su-
port of the pair loo, 600 francs n year,
and the papers were signed in a hurry and
the marriage was celebrated with great
pomp and circumstance.
There was n great and vital mistake in
the whole arrangement. The Prince
understood it to be 100, 600 dollars n
year, whereas it was 100, 600 franc as it
stood in the contract, and us the old man
had intended, which made an enormous
difference.
Neither Rome nor Florence was large
enough for a Prince with 500, 600 n
year and 30 they came to Paris and
launched out ingreat style, the old gentle
al advancing him the first years allow
ance, 100000.
At the end of the first three months the
Prince came and asked for his next quar-.
ter's allowance.
"Next quarters allowancel Why /
gave the first years allowance in adj
vance,
"Monsieur is mistaken. 1t was only
500, 600, one quarters allowance"
"And lave you spent $2O,O 900 in three
monthsl'
Certainly. / am a gentleman, a no
bleman, and must live according to my
means. 1t is all gone"
The old gentleman then whipped out
the contract and showed him that it was
100. 600 francs a year and not 500, 900.
"Why that is 500, 900 a year. Do you
think ] would marry your daughter for n
beggarly 800, 900 a year,"
And then he was foolish enough to get
mad, and he termed the transaction u
swindle on the old mans part, and
threatened him and demanded that the
contract be changed, and finally offered
to strike his father. in-law.
That was where he made his mistake.
The old gentleman had long since tired
of his princely son. in-law, and the
daughter had chafed somewhat under the
fact that she knew her fathers money
had gone partly to the gaming table, and
partly what was worse, to support another
woman, after the fashion of the Italian
nobility, notably a great opera singer
then the fashion, and things were ripe all
around for an explosion.
And 30 when he raised his princely fist
against him, the old g%entlemon, who had
been a hog-driver in his youth, quietly
knocked him down, and kicked him down
the stairs, and forgot his dignity enough
to open the door himself, and he kicked
him into the street and around the cor
ner, leaving him the most bruised and
battered Prince that ever borrowed a dol
lar or married an American girl. And
then he packed up the valuables and
took his daughter who was quite content,
having had enough of Princes, and sailed
for America, first notifying his son-in-law
that if he had claims upon him he could
come over and prosecute it, but if he did
not want a repetition of the kicking he
would do well to stay in Paris.
The end OF the story is that tho Prince
did not worry the girl or her father, buI
accepted the protection Of the opera
singer who happened to want a HUSBAND
TO cover the tracks of her score of lovers
and also a title; so no obstacle was made
to a divorce, al he wanted to marry tn,
opera-singer as much as his wife desireo
to be free from him.
And 80 he married the opera-singer
aud lived upon her in luxury till sh,
tired of him, when she pensioned hin
for life as the price of getting rid Of him