The Red Cloud chief., 1885-05-01
PRINCESS BARNABAS.
Why She Changed Her Mind and
Did Not Commit Suicide.

'tt h't'tp "t' III q ~
of the most profound perplexity. She
could not for the dainty little life of her
make up her mind OK the important
question rs to whether she should or
should not commit suicide at the close
of the season. 1t was not very easy for
the Primo IS many admirers to under
stand why she should pcrturb her mind
with such a problem at all. bu prr,urb
it she did with that very problem,
whether wisely or unwiscly.
The Princess Barnabas WIS a very re-
markablc young woman, who had
proved tn. puzzle. the pride and the
passion of London society for three
whole SENSATIONAL seasons. She was
moi yet four aud twenty. She bore the
title of a great Russian Prince who had
married her just before she came of age.
at Il time when he hilns If was old
enough to be- her grandfather. and who
had CONSIDERABLY died within two years
OF the ceremony. leaving her the abSO-
lutte mistress of his fortune and his ter
ritorics. ~ she had bccn during life the
absolute mistress of his heart for the
short time in which he swaycd it. She
WIS lid To b. fabulously wealthy. But
her Jewels were the wonder of the world.
and she delighted i'm wearing them i'm
season and ont Of season. with Il semi
barbaric enjoyment of their glitter and
splcndnr which was. like everything
else about her. partly Oriental and
partly childish. SIN. time after her
husbands death she had come to Paris
and got tired OF il. and then she crosse 4
the Channel aUd conquered London.
During N rcSplcndrn; session little
else was talked about but the Princess
Barnabas. Society journals rav,d
about her delicate beauty, which
seemed TO belong to the can
vases of the last century. which
ought to have been immortalizeI on
Men a lorcd her. Women envied her
marvellous dress and her matchlcSs Jew
els. The diving ashes of Il seasons
scanda! ilartd up into marvellous activ-
ity around her pretty personality. She
WAS enormously the thing" Enor-
mously 1.-The thing she remained dur
ing Il second season.. after an interval
of ab-olutc disappearance into the do
minionS of the Car. Enormously the
thing" she still appeared to be now in
her third season. in SPIT. OF the rival
attractions of m American actrts. who
had not married An English duke. and
an American & ri with millions who had
married the bluest hood and the old st
name in Europe. 1t would have been
absurd for any one 10 contest the point
that the Princes Barnabas was the very
most interesting figure of that phantas-
London society.
Nevertheless tie Princess Rarnabas
WAS weary. positively bored. II she had
been less OF n success. life might not
have appeared SO desolate. There
would ha .e been Il piquancy in the pos
sinility of rivalry which would have
lent = new interest to the tasteless
feast. As it was. however. London life
at the height OF its maddest activity APP
,earel { o her as drear and gray As
those vast stretches of st,ppes which
lay like a great SEA around one of the
Russian castles of the late Prince Bar
nabas. 1t was during this tit Of de-
preston when the Princess Barnabas
was graciously pleased to agree with
the author of .'Ecc!e tastes" that lif.
was vanity. that it occurred to her that
in all her strange experiences she had
never yet committed suicide. She i'm
mediately gave up her mind to the i'm
poltant problem. whether she should
gain this ultimate experience at once
or postpone it indefinitely.
1t wasin this frame Of mind that the
Princess went to the great ball at the
Russ An Embassy. As she nestled
among her furs in the dim. luxurious
warmth of her carriage. her mind was
running ent rely upon the various forms
of ,elf-destruction which had been made
famous bv celebrated pc sons ut differ
cnt stages of the worlds history. and
II could find none that were suite ent-
IL attractive or remarkable TO please
her. food heavens she thought to
herself. with \ little shudder which even
the warmth of her surroundings could
no. r.press. lis it impossible to be
bona,e even in that2" and she gave a
little groan IS she slipped ous of her
carr age and up the Embassy steps;
The thought was still on her mind aud
tracing the least suggestion of a frown
upon her exquisite girlish face as she
entered the great room aud took the
hand of the Ambassadors. The thrill
of interest. of excitement. Of admira-
tion. which as q matter OF course AT
tended upon her entrance did not give
her n answering thrill of qualification.
She appeared to listen with Inc mo
gracious attention to the campl ments