The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-11-01
ROCKED BY A QUEEN

soOry tellcrS There IL always q Kingdom Of
Bohemia-was travelling in the most strict
end modest incognto under the title of
the Countess of Septchatcaux, accompa-
MED only by old Baroness Georgenthal, her
lady in waiting, and General KorschowitZ.
her gentleman in attendance.
III spite of furs and foot warmers the cold
In the saloon carriage was intense, and
when the queen, tired of her English novel
wished to look out on the snow covered
landscape She had first to wipe with her
handkerchief the carriage window in
crusted with sparkling mica and delicate
ice ferns.
The journey had proved trying one
The whole of Europe was covered with
snow, and they had travcrscd the half of
it, with many delays and difficulties, on
railways where the seventies of the season
had disort;anizcd the service.
At night, although the foot warmers
were nearly cold and large snownakcs were
FALLING i'll the darkness outside, the baron
eSs and the general were both fas; aslccn
under furs and rugs.
But the queen WAS not asleep Fcvcrish
and shivering in her cloak of silver fox
with her large eyes wide open in the
shadows, She was listening mechanically
30 the vague AMI PARKWAY music that
seems ever present to the ears Of weary
travellers in the rustliny speed! of az cx-
press.
She passed in review the whole of her
short life, poor young queen! and thought
herself most unhappy.
She SAW first II little princess with red
hands and slim figure side by side with
her twin sistcr-shc who was married IN
i'll the NORTH the sister she loved so fondlv
ana whom size rcScnbled so closely that
when they wore the same froclls they had
to have bows of different colorcd ribbon
tied i'll their hair to distinguish them.
This was before the revolution overthrow
their parents throne, and she loved the
quiet, drowsy atmosphere of the small
court where etiquette WAS tempered with
simplicity.
Then came her marriage and the grand
presentation ball that July NIGHT. when
the murmurs OF the tllrong in the illlmi.
mated gardens entered the opcn palace
windows
How she tremblcd when for IN instant
they left hcrn!oEe in the conservatory with
the young hng But she already loved
him, had loved him from the irst moment.
when she saw him coming toward her,
with the white aigrettc in his cap so hand
some and so distinguished looking in his
b!nc uniform covered with diamonds ard
After the first waltz Ottakcr had led her
into the conservatory, and there. s,anJin,,
before her, he had taken her hand with,
grace and dignity, and gazing long into
her eyes had said, "Princcss, will you be
my wiics'
Flushing ard dropping, her eyes she has!
pressed one hand to her foolish, throbbiu,,
heart and answered, YES, sirc.''
Alas, how short lived Ind been her haDpi
nessl six months of ill,;sion, barely Six
months and ihcn one day n cruel accident
had shown her She was dcccivcd; that The
King did not love her, lad never loved her.
The queens love died at IL single blow.
the tind, tender love she had never ven
tured TO aTow 10 her husband. and which
now She ihencd 10 IL bird she had once ns u
child sttlcd! N her hand, on being suddenly
star'!td by the failing; of !, vase thrown
down by a careless servant
OiteiI, sitting beside the gildcd cradle
decorated with the royal crown. in which
ne: LITTLE Wladisla wrapped in slumbcr.
the queen would feel III icy pans through
h"r heart rs che i,azcd at the Child of the
man vino had treated her so cruelty.
Morcovor, she never had him to herself,
never 10 herself alone. \ whole troop of
duennns, ancicnt DANES with high caps and
solemn micn, watched beside the royal
cradle, and when the queen wished to ca
ress her son and know how he was they
would infor.i her cravcly that his rovnl
hShEcSS had cCughct, IL little in the niyh;,
his royal highness was suffering with his
teeth.
IL seeined as though the breath of these
women WAS enough TO freeze and kill the
heart OF the poor young mother.
Sometimes, poor queen, she felt rs though
she could endure it no longer. Life was so
hard!
Then, faint and sick with grief, she would
OBTAIN the kings permission 10 visit the
queen OF Morlvia. and would escape. as
though from prison, alone--for custom
would not permit the heir apparent To
travel without his father-;;nd in floods of
tears throw herself into the arms of he,
gray haired mother
But this time she had left suddenly
without waiting to obtain leave Of the
King, with hasty kiss on the brow of the
sleeping Wladsa, for she was almost mad
with grief and shame
The kings dissipation was BECOMING
every day more and more of Il public scan
dal, ana satirical couple.s were sung ahout
the streets ol Prague, in which he was
compared to the notorious Augustus ".
10 deiray the expenses of his cxtraya-
CANT living the king raised money in every
direction, draining the country and run
ming into debt.
The sale of orders especially grew SO
scan'.alohs that report said tailor i'm
Vienna had made II fortune by selling blacl,
coats the pockets and buttonholes of
which held the brevet and ribbon of the
most i!lnstrious military order i'll Bohemia
one That dated from the thirty years. war
But what had banncncGs rPbn tr,;n ~
moving ut snail's pace and then it STONED
what was the meaning of Il stoppuge in
the open country in the middle OF the night,
l.lLe .-rnnrnI ;ili.l iln l..,raI