The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-30
THE AGED EMPRESS AUGUSTA.
Tho Joyless and Unloved Days of en-
Imperial skeleton.

Tho Joyless and Unloved Days OF an
Imperial skeleton.
A strange, weird figure, is that Of the
eldest of the three German expresses, the
aged widow of William |. Sorrows and
bereavcments have accumulated upon her
head, but have not sufilced to bend her will
or to quench ! er astounding vitality. She
possesses what was once given as a recipe
for long life-a hard heart and good di-
gestlO1. 'She will never diel' once said Of
her ali exoSperated German shopkeeper at
the time OF the demise OF her husband.
she loves to worry people and TO give
trouble, and she will keep on living just 70
keep on making herself disagreeable. IL
is said that she was once beautiful, with
genuine royal beauty tall, slender, and
graceful, with brilliant ewes and finely
formed shoulders which she delighted In
displaying, covered with jewels, under the
low cut corsages of her state toilets. But
tnat IS so long ago that probably no one
now living remembers the charms or her
prime Her shoulders were her latest point
OF vanity, and of late years she wore fa'se
ones modelled i'll wax, the juncture with
the throat being concealed by a collar neck
lace III diamonds or pearls. But for the
last twenty Years she has been little more
than living skeleton, kept alive by medl-
cal appliances, and too feeble TO walk, a fall
that she once had at Baden Boden some
years ago having deprived her Of her pow
erS of locomOtlon Yet she has invariably
and nlexiby fulfilled her social duties as
empress. Rolled in a wheeled chair TO the
entrance OF the thronc-room Ter attendants
would atUtr"ard place her on the throne
the days OF grand ceremOnialS or the even
lngs OF grand balls 1t was painful to see
tins remnant of woman, installed in her
place of pride, tho weird, Witlered face and
SUN shining eyes emerging from mass
OF costly Stutts, and apparently concentra-
ting in them all the energy and vitality Of
the hidden figure. II used to take hOu;s to
prepare her for one these brief appearances,
during which her active participation was
limited to the exchange Of few scarce
audible phrases with some prominent guest
or high dlguitary after which she would
disappear like an apparition. For some
years past she has been too feeble to bow to
tue passer5-by during her daily drives, so
she caused her carriag sc seat to be mounted
on rockers i'll such a way that a touch from
the foot Of the lady in-waiti0g who sat OPP
pOSite TO her would cause the aged empress
to bend forward at the right moment.
Sac has always been, above all things, the
queen-conSort. Never a happy or loving
wife, welded from political necessity, and
ruled with rod of iron by thet daspotic
martinez her husband, she ma never been
especially devoted to tee two children born
Oh that loveless union. She has taken de-
lignt in the exercise of her social functions,
first as queen and afterward as empress.
She is also an intelligent woman, and is
well versed not only in German but in
French literature as well, always taking
care, with a certain degree of affectatlon
70 exchange few words in public with the
French Ambassador in his own language at
the great court ceremonies. She has al
ways cen fond of dress. but as an act ess
is fond of her costumes, taking great inter
est in arraying herself to appear IN public
TO play her art as Il sovereign. This frGil
skeleton, wrapped in all imperial mantle or
shrouded in laces aud embroideries and jew
lis, showed like the ghost of some vanished
aud ancient dynasty at the grand official
entertainments She was the She" of Rider
iiaggnrd, who had survived her last pas
sage through the fire.