Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-01
doctrines, and his early death had seemed
to her like heavenly vengeance for such

doctrines, and his early death had seemed
to her like q heavenly vengeance for such
audacity.
Marrying soon afterwsrd an old italian
Prince of great wealth and extreme conserve
tism, she again became a widow before 1t
even vaguely entered her head that the son
whom she had left with his tutors and guar
dians, in Saltravia. stood the re-
motest chance Of being King. The
Princess adored Italy, and shrank from
the cares Of motherhood. Besides, were not
Conrad's people taking charg. of the boy
and his enormous fortune? But suddenly,
when the sick old King lost his heir by q
lightning-stroke of disease, and when only
two other lives could be counted on between
himself and the succession, Hildegarde,
Princess of Brindisi, began to feel her spirit
dilate with naughty hope. For those two
other heirs-had they not been sickly from
their cradles, and was not one of them q
fragile girl with pulmonary i'll of stubborn
menace?
The girl died within year after her
brother, and the old King, who deeply loved
her, became almost an imbecile through this
double bereavement Then tidings were
brought the Princess in Naples that her son
might soon inherit the rule of Saltravia, a.
both the reign1ng monarch and his last-left
child were at the poiat of death. 1t was
now that she hurried to ker own child, whom
she had seen only at intervals, and in q
bored, perfunctory way, during the past
decade.
But Clarimond, taking the reins Of gov
eminent ct an age when his wrists were
quite sinewy enough to hold them, had no
sympathy with his mothers dictates and
desires. To the Princess his views, his ten
denotes. his avowals were mingled amaze
ment and disgust.
she would say to her intimates, "that this
rebel against all the most sacred customs
and precedents of royalty should actually
be my son! He will bring Saltravia to the
verge of ruin; he will infuriate the EN-
peror; he will compromise himself past
remedy, and plunge me into untold embar-
rassments."
Her new position had caused her to sur
round herself with suite of ladies and gen.
tlemen in waiting. There are always peo-
pie ready to play sycophants for those on
whom q throne has cast its shadow, and if
she had chosen to organize political party
In opposition to her son the task would not
have been difficult. But, in spite of her in
course. After all, though a cousin twice
removed of the Emperor whom she so pro-
fessed to venerate, her new greatness had
come to her from Clarimond alone. For q
good while she remained in Saltravia,
treated with faultless though somewhat sar-
castle Difference by the son whom she had
so long neglected, and then, angered into
hvsteria BY his new intimacy with young
adventuring American architect, who was
to demolish all the old time hallowed struct-
ures and rear horrible brand new ones in
their place, she gathered her little house.
hold about her and fed to. her beloved
Italy.
The King, who had remained courteous as
he as obdurate, simply shrugged his
shoulders at her departure, and breathed
long sigh of relief
"She il incorrigible," he said to Eric,
''and find her as hard to argue with as ii
she had been figure that had stepped forth
from one Of my precious bits Of antique
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