Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-09-07
PRINCESS AND YET VERY POOR.
Sad story from Paris That is Declared
to be True.

l. oAA7 SSA' oAi -huii bdLSlte.l
When we first met her she was living in
the Hotel Bristol pretty, aristocratic
little lady, a tri1e too fair, with curly
white hair, pale blue eyes and a beautiful
complexion. Some people said she was
Russian. spy, but she maintained that she
was Russian Princess, and insisted on
being addressed as "Your Excellency."
We have a notion thome that Russian
Princesses abound like blackberries in the
month of September. 1t appears that
Russians hold different opinion; but that
is detail. So our aristocratic little lady
had no difficulty in getting herself ad-
dressed as "Your Excellency," and spoken
of seriously as the Russian Princess, yet /
doubt if any of US believed in her high
rank. We put it down as one of the delu-
sions of a charming lady, whose manners
certainly justified her claims, if we are to
credit august persons with the best man.
ners. She was very extravagant and gem
erous, had lady's maid, man of affairs,
and lady's companion, and she occupied
a fat on the first floor.
One day she announced her intention of
visiting st. Petersburg. 1t was whispered
that she was connected mysteriously with
an august person in that capital. This we
accepted in the same skeptical spirit as we
did her rank as Princess and her limited
assertion that high quarters in st. Peters
burg would be futtered by her appearance
The fact is that we had grown into the
way of disbelieving her pretty and ro-
mantle fairy tales. wherein sovereigns and
courtiers and diplomats, courts and
palaces and embassies figured largely.
When she heard that my friend, who
writes for several fashionable magazines,
was literary man to whom the doors
OF the best society were open, she cried !:
Comment done! Mais on ne recoit pas
des gems de letteres. Ce ne sont das des
gems CONNIE il faut."
So we continued to wink and smile and
watt her wishes for bon voyage and
pleasant return as she drove away from
the Hotel Bristol with her companion, her
maid and her homme Rofaires, followed by
the very sincere regrets of all the menials
of that arIstocratic establishment. Judge,
then, our complete dismay to learn in a
couple of months that our charming little
Russian lady had been flung into mad
house-yes, madhouse she and her poor
lady's companion. She might have had
few harmless eccentricities and delusions
upon her birth But if we are all to suffer
Imprisonment for the sake of an innocent
delusion, good graciousi would the world
hold together? We made inquiries at the
Russian Embassy, for we were honestly at
tached to the pretty little creature. We
were either met by mysterious silence or
by naughty refusal to listen to us. At last
we betbought ourselves of the English
Embassy, remembering the English COM
panion. And here we learned that our
curly-headed Princess was not so much
astray as we had imagined. Unfortunately
for herself, the claim was oblique. She was
the daughter of late august person, dur
ing whose life she had been brought up at
court, hence her glib mention of courtiers
and ambassadors. Uupon his death the
next august person allowed her a splendid
pension as sort of recognition of her as a
stepsister, but exiled her to Paris. Her
father, in the worlds eyes, was an illustri-
Gus Russian General who had lately died,
leaving her large fortune
Now, Just at that moment the powerful
person to whom she owed her pension was
prematurely called away to land where
pensions of a different sort are settled.
His sudden withdrawal caused sensation
we all can yet recall. 1t had hardly SUBJ
sided when our poor little Princess placed
her foot on her native ground, to be at
once captured and flung into an asylum.
They could not on the spur of the moment
cast her into prison, s, they decided she
was mad. As precaution they locked up
the English companion, and some months
elapsed before she was able to get the ear
of the English Embassy. The English
Embassy rescued her and paid her fare
down to Paris, and that was how we
learned the story. Through the English
Government, or, as my little Princess will
have it, the personal friendly efforts of
very illustrious parsonage, she was at the
end of nine awful months liberated, enfee-
bled in health and deprived of her'pen-
sion. She was conducted to Brussels,
thence forcibly conveyed to Paris, and as
preventive against further voyages, the
poor lady has been deprived of her
fathers fortune left to her, as well as. her
pension.
She is dressed in rags almost, is in deli
cate health, unable in sickness to have a
doctor to attend her because she cannot
afford the fee, to have iood, wines, or
medicines or any comforts She lives in
a cheap pension on the fifth floor in most
desolate circumstances--an inoffensive,
gentle, we'll born lady, used all her life to
luxury and unlimited attendance. Hating
Paris, she is forced to remain here, and,
not willing to believe that it is her own
country that has done her this vile wrong
because of her birth, she persists in believ-
ing that the President of the French Re
public receives her pension and pockets it
10 keep the republic going.