The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-20
ROMANCE OF A KING.
Tho Late William Ill and Nine.
Musard.
n Lovo Afrair That Placed nm American
Hotel Servant Girl Upon n Throne
Amidst Royal Sur
roundinRs.

= lAs
the life and history of it's latest repre-
sentative. William III. of the Mother
lands may hDvo boon q fnirly good
King, but hc was an uncommonly
vicious man in private life, writes Lucy
II. Hooper In tho Chicago Tribune.
He had not even tho good qualities Of
his dofccts, being neither genial nor
good-humorcd. In faot no was u royal
masculine prototype of the celebrated
little girl who ''hatcd everybody and
wished that everybody was dead" lie
hated his first wife, tho high-spiritod
and intellectual Sophia of Wurtemborg.
He hated both of his sons, and ii is in
decd said that the hagrantly immoral
life and premature death of his eldest
son and hcir was owing to his fathor's
nl-trcatmont no less than to his fathers
example.
The Prince was made unutterably
wretchcd ut homo, owing to tho Kings
jealousy of him, and 80 he took refuge
i'll Paris and plunged over head and
cars In tho designations of the gay
city, dying finally, q brollen-down dc
bauchc, while still in the prime of life.
His second son, Alexander, inherited
diseased brain from his mad great
grandfather, the Emperor Paul of Rus
STA, so it WINS rather u comfort for his
family, as well us for his possible
future subjects, when he took his de-
parturc from the world which his wits
had left before he did
Old King William, during his long
disgraceful career, indulged in in
Vulnerable love affairs more or less
serious, but of all the five females that
he set ut the left side of his throne, the
most remarkable was IN American
woman, tho celebrated Nine Musar11.
She was u realization of the wcll-lxnosyn
line of Byron: Born in u garnet, In a
kitchen bred" Yet, notwithstanding
the obscurity of her origin and her lack
of education and breeding, she bloomed
forth into one of tho most elegant wom-
en- In Europe. Shc was New-En-
glandcr by birth, and began life in
some mcnial capacity in hotel In Bos-
ton She is snid to have been extreme
~ beautiful in her youth in graceful
Spanish style, her figure being at once
slender and shapoly, and perfect
enough In its contours to have driven
any sculptor to despair who might have
tried to reproduce it.
Her eyes were large and dark, her
head small and finely formed, md her
features of II piquant dclicacy of out
line. Her vast fortune came to her
from her royal ndorer in very singu-
lar way. He flew into u passion with
her on one occasion, and, catching up
the nearest object thnt came handy, he
hurled it ut her head. The lady clever
ly lodged the missile, which was q
bulky package OF papers, but, taking
possession of it, she carried It Off in tri-
umph. 1t was made up of shares IN
certain unproductivc oil wells in Ca
licia- few years later the company
"struck OIL and TINT quarrel with
King William made Of Mime. Musard
one of the richest women in Europe.
Like Nine. Dubarry, who in her
childhood pcddlcd pins and staylaccs
about the streets of Paris, and who be-
gan life rs n dress-makcr's apprentice,
the cx-hotcl drudge of Boston became
noted for the extreme elegance of her
surroundings and the perfect propricty
of her dcmcanor. Her taste In dress
was faultlcss, her hotel, her cquipagos,
her Jewels, were oil renowned for their
splcndor. She came to reside in Paris,
and was Il munificcnt patroness of all
artistic or charitable enterprises. A
stroke of paralysis, which brought
about an incurable droop of one of her
cyclids, deprived her Of her beauty be-
fore she had attained middle age.
Covered with magnificent Jewels, her
slender waist cncirclcd with u girdlc of
gems that matched the rost of her
parurc, and shielding her eyes from the
light with IN antique fan, painted by
Vatican or Boucher, and worth in itself
u fortune, her dark hair dccl1cd with
roses, and her still exquisite figure set
off by the best efforts of the Partisan
drcss-mallcrs, she was a noted and note
worthy figure to the last VIII it be
believed that the last years Of her mag
nificcnt existence were cmbittcred by
a vain craving to be received in respect
Die society? She did every thing that
tact and intelligence and lavish liberal
ity could suggest to bring about that
end, but all to no purpose.
She subscribed 10 all fashionable
charities. She patronizcd all the relief
funds and benefits, the bazaars and the
balls, making munifcent gifts to each
OF them. She always engaged tho most
expensive box in the house whenever n
new operate enterprise was started.
Her life, from the hour that she quilted
Holland, was entirely sans reproche.
But none of the fashionable ladies OF
Parisinn society would receive her or
invite her to any entertainments. Once
She offered to n certain philanthropic
Duchess subscription of ten thousand
dollars for that lady's pet charity in re-
turn for an invitation to dinner. Tho
offer was courteously declined
Einnllv She foil n victim 10 tho ;nsid