The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-18
THE BABY KING OF SPAIN
HIS LITTLE MAJESTY, ALPHONSO
XIII. AND HIS SISTERS.
F., ia of ROYAL Infants-Interestin Sto-
ries of the Queen and Her Children
THAR studies and Sports
Erona the PLiladeIphia Tin.es.

-ies of the Queen and Her Children
Their Studies and Sports.
From the Philadelphia Times
No one but the Queen herself was pleased
,vban the first child of Alphonso XII. and
O,,oan Christina was born on Sept. IL, 1880.
Tvarvbodv hoped that an heir to the throne
-,,orld come into the world, but when a
little girl made her appearance the dlsap-
,,ointment was general. 1t must have been
nearly at night when 1 found myself
standing among the crowd in the
Gardens before the palace. Anxious
Ioolxs were raised to the windows
Of the "Royal Alcazar," and the people
amused themselves with making remarks
on the ministers, courtiers and mobiles who
Kent arriving every moment. Soon loud
boom was heard and the people said
ssHnsh there goes the cannonm They
counted aloud the reports. There were only
fifteen; and then appeared in one of the
naIace windows white flag and white
iight. A murmur of dissatisfaction ran
+hrough the multitude, and as the citizens
disnerSed, every body seemed to say with
one voice: Bah una nina T"--only girl.
Poor unwelcome Princes. Girl or no
Girl, she was, however, heiress to the
Throne of the CASTLES, until boy, per-
hans. might come later on. The christen-
inc of the Princess of Asturias was cele-
4 brated in the palace chapel with great
4 nomp and ceremony. Queen Isabella was
4 her godmother, and the water with which
/ thev baptized her was brought especially
for this purpose from the river Jordan. AT
the request of the Queen she was given the
/ name of Maria de las Mercedes in memory
OF the Kings first wife.
Two wears later another little girl was
horn and she was more ungracionsly re-
ceved than her sister. Even the King did
not quite hide his disappointment when he
/ had to present his baby on golden tray to
his Ministers and to the diplomatic body.
Whenever royal child comes into the
world in Spain this ceremony has to take
place Immediately after the birth. More
than 200 people await in the ante-chamber
until the massive doors leading into the
Queens apartments are thrown open and
the King appears carrying the newborn
babe 1t is a wonder that the poor little
things do not catch their death of cold, as
they have no clothes on, and are given to
the nurse to be dressed only after all these
favored dignitaries have caught glimpse
of them.
King Alphonso had Ionged for a son, SO
IL WIS uO NOIO6I u6 ulQ llOU lOOh pltbSCb
when they told him he must present second
daughter to the ministers. However, it is
well known that the King soon forgave his
daughter for being girl, for until the mo-
ment of his death she was his favorite child.
He used to carry her about and show her
with pride to everybody. She was wonder
fully like her father. Her christening was
not as grand an affair as her sisters She
was named after the famous Empress of
Austria, Maria Teresa, and the Queens
mother, the Archduchess Isabel, carried in
her arms the baby to the Royal Chapel
When King Alphonso died, Mercedes was
5 years old and Teresa just 3. 1t is touch
ingly told how the two little girls were
taken to see their dead father, and how
Mercedes said to her sister: keep quiet;
poor papa is sleeping" A great painter has
Just finished for the room in the Palace del
Pardo, where the King died, superb picture
representing the dead King lying in state,
covered with roses, and the Queen taking
bis children to see him. The eldest child is
staring wonderingly at her father and is
cGnging to the Queens hand, while Maria
Teresa is held up by lady-in-waiting in
order to be able to kiss the King. The ex-
preston of the child's face is so truthfully
rendered as she holds out her little arms
that she seems to be saying: Papa, why
don't you answer me9'
When the Queen came into madrid from
Ell Pardo, following her dead husbands re-
mains, she brought her children with her,
and the crowd pressed respectfully forward
to catch a glimpse of the royal family
The poor, widowed Queen could just be
seen under her crepe veil as she sat far
back in the closed carriage, but the little
girls looked sweetly sad and pretty at the
windows, with their locks peeping from I'M
der little black bonnets. Then the royal
palace was, indeed, gloomy to them, and
they wondered why their mother cried and
why everything had changed No one had
time to give them their lessons or to play
with them. Mercedes could stand it no
longer, and SO one morning she wrote to
her father:
You ought to sleep no longer, but come
nome. Mamma has cried all day long,
everything seemed SO lonely; she cannot
live without you" The child then filled the
letter with rose leaves and gave it to a
courtier, whom she begged to send it to her
father without telling anybody" The
letter was given to the Queen, who finally
summoned up enough strength to tell the
little girls that their father was dead. They
cried bitterly when they heard the dreadful
news, for he had been their constant COM
panlon and even playmate. When tired of
state cares and in bad health, Alphonso
All. used often to go to his children and
ENJOY merry romp with them.
For short time little Mercedes, Princess
OF Asturias, was conditionally Queen of
Spain, and would have became the real
Queen had Dona Christina been delivered
or another girl instead of boy. Until this
thlrd child was born no one knew who was
on the throne of Spain. But Mercedes was
bright enough to perceive that those around
ner treated her more respectfully than they
dld Teresa. One day she came to her
mother with a series of questions. She
wanted to know who she was, why some
courterS had called her Majesty and why
heT sister would become Princess of AS
turlas. Il am Princess because | am the
elder, she said on one of these occasions
l eresa is only an Infanta.n Queen Chris
una did not like to have her children flat
tered and spoilt, SO she soon made the nurses
ana governesseS understand that no dis
JUNCTION Should be made between the prin-
cesSeS, Sometimes the little sisters quarrel
9ver the place they ought to occupy, and as
teresa is the stronger she generally has her
own owl, way. Once they fought for the seat in
lne carriage next to their mother, and
since then the Queen generally drives out
WIN both little girls sitting beside her.
mercedes is now nearly years old, and,
according to Spanish court customs, must
appear at all great ceremonies She is con-
eldered to have left the nursery, has her
own little room and a special maid to look
alter her. Many prefer Teresita to Mer-
eeaes' She is q lively, romping little girl,
wnlie Mercedes is very dignifed and re-
served. Teresita has, TOO, the sweeter tenn
per OF the two, is very tail for her age and