The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-01-29
FLORA MACDONALD.
How She Risked Her Life for Two
Royal Houses.

Royal Houses.
When was young girl. and quite
wild over the .'Waverlcy Novels" you
can fancy my delight at my dear little
s1Rndmother's looking up. with her
blight brown eyes, and saying:
Il knew her-your beautiful Floral"
"You knew her, grandma
II have sat on her knee, and she
once kissed me-" said grandma.
s'Then it was true about her.
''In measure" said grandma, TAX
ing up her knitting again. ''The idea of
her was true. You might say she sat
for the portrait. Her real name, you
know, was Flora Macdonald.
'.Oh, was she like the story?"
THAT can't quite say. was 50
young, I can hardly remember how she
looked" said grandma. Il kept only
the sensation that she was something
beautiful and grand. I heard them
Od8AIiS dDOut uOis Ahu eiCihOACu "hVu
she touched me-"
WAS she tall and dark and pale,
with dropping curls and proud chances.
And did she sing about Highland he
roes, and adore Prince Charlie?"
"A gentleman who was entertained
by her in Scotland says she was q little
woman, mild and we'll bred. The legend
of her in North Carolina, where she
went to live, is that she was dignified
and handsome. As for the rest of your
questions, rather think that at that
time she talked of sea-sickness and the
weather during her voyage; and if she
adored anybody suppose she adored
her husband"
Her husban0 Why, Flora went
into convent!'
I'm the story. In real life she mar
ricd an officer and went to live in North
Carolina, as told you before. But she
stopped in Nova Scotia, either going or
coming, for it was there she visited my
uncle. good old Judge Des Champs,
and there i sat upon her knee"
'.And what was the truth about her,
grandma?" / asked in woeful disap-
pointment. Wasn't any of the story
true? Tell us, can't you? Tell US,
please now, just how it was"
"Well," said grandma, '.you have
read about Charles Edward, the Pre-
tender?'
'.Oh yes, of course. He is the Prince
in the story"
..The Prince in the story, and the
Prince in history. For all that is known
of him then, 1 have no doubt that at
that time he was as lovely a gentleman
as the Prince in the story. His mother
was Sobieski, you know, an heroic
race, long descended from heroes in old
Poland; and he was one of the Stuarts,
who had way of taking all mems
hearts.
Gallant and gentle and noble, self
forgetting, dauntless, beautiful, in those
early days superb fellow. people felt
that they could die for him-and die
they did. Just think what career he
had in his youth! In Venice he was re-
ceived with royal honors. When France
was going to invade England, at a time
when England was half-unprotected, he
was sent for to take command of the
army.
..He embarked with Marshal SAKE,
the greatest soldier of his day; and the
throne of his grandfather was just with
in his reach, when a furious tempest
rose and ragged a week and sank the
vessels full of troops to the bottom, and
threw him back upon the coast. The
French would not try again; and it was
all his friend could do to prevent the
Prince from setting sail for Scotland in .
fishing-boat.
when, after while, he did arrive,
with his seven friends, in Scotland. the
clans fiocked about him, and he had at
first some splendid successes.
But at last" said grandma, after
little pause, "there came an end to all
his efforts in the disaster at Culloden,
where the field was lost through the
sullen pride of the Macdonald ~
why, how could that bee"
The MacDonalds, you know. were
an immense clan; and it happened that
they had been placed on the left of the
army, but they had claimed it as their
right, ever since the service they had
done at the Battle of Bannockburn, that
they should charge on the right, and SO
they refused to charge at all. and lost
the Prince the day.
1.-THE poor Chevalier! What must
his wrath and despair have been. when
he saw SO great cause ruined by so
petty within! But at that, he and his
adherents fed for their lives. For they
had been defeated, and defeat made
them guilty of high treason, and their
lives were the forfeit If they should be
captured.
"A hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars was the price set upon the head of
the Prince by the British Government.
Five. months he wandered in the wild
passes of the Highlands. hiding in cav
ems. under crsgs, among the gorse and
heather. slipping in skif from island
to island, starving, perishing with cold,
in rags, hunted everywhere, and every
pass guarded by the DIXIE Of Cumber-
lands troops!
at was only the love Of the people, Of
the common people, which saved him.
How they used to sing songs about
him! And generation Later how !
nsed to sing them myself!'' said
grandma
s1hat kiss of Flora NacDonGld's
made me staunch Jacobite. Charlie
e -. I1ar4inw. tho Ynumo, Ghnw~ls.rs