The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1892-10-28

A1LL1 al-AAAA1-4Al men AllE SICK Ola 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 di-
late with a naughty hope. For those
two other heirs, had they not been sick
" from their cradles, ana was not one
Of them q fragile girl with pulmonary
i'll Of stubborn menace2
The girl died within a year after her
brother, and the old king, who deeply
loved her, become almost an imbeciie
through this double bereavement, Then
tidings were brought the princess in
Naples that her son might soon inherit
the rule of Saltravia. as both the reign
ing monarch and his last left child were
at the point Of death It was BOW that
she hurried to her OWE child, whom she
had seen only at intervals, and in
bored, perfunctory way, during the
past decade,
But Clarinond, taking the reins of
government at an age when his wrists
were quite siueTy enough TO hold them,
had no sympathy with his mothers die
tates and desires. To the princess his
views, his tendencies his avowais, were
a mingled amazement and disgust.
y am covered with remorss and
shame" she would say to her intimates,
that this rebel against all the most sa-
cred customs and precedcnts of royalty
should actually be my soul He will
bring Saltravia to the verEe-of. ruin; he
will infuriute the emperor he viii COM
promise himself past remedy and plunge
me into untold embarrassments."
Her new position had caused her to
surround herself with Il suite of
ladies' and gentlemen in waiting. There
are always people ready to play sycO-
plants for those on whom q throne has
cast its shadow, and if she had chosen
to organize a political party in OpPosi-
ton to her son the task would not have
been difficult But in spite of her in
dignant disapproval she shrauIz from
such course After all, though "a
cousin twice removed Of the emperor
whom she professed to vcnerate, her
new greatness had come to her from
Clarimond alone. For "a good while
she remained in Saltravia. treated with
faultless though somyvhat sarcastic
Difference by the son whom she had SO
long neglected, and then, angered into
hystesia by his new intimacy with a
young adventuring American architect
who was to demOlish all the old time
hallOwed structures and rear horrible
braud-new ones in their place, she gath
cred her little household about her and
fed to her beloved Italy.
The king, who had remained COurte-
Gus as he was obdu-ate, simply shrugged
his shoulders at her departure, and
bresthed q long sigh of relief.
''She is incorIigible," he said to Eric
and find her as hard to argue with
as If she had been a figure that had
stepped forth from one of my precious
bits of antique tapestry, Golf on head
and hawk on wrist. ] shall continue
to act just as if she had never annoyed
me by her curious worm-eateu preju-
dices and l shall write her regularly,
a Left Frrl OF I.Ear
dutious hlial sentiments"
This resolve ClarimOnd faithfully car
ried out. The princess, meanwhile, though
she had rctreated, had not given up her
battle. She was secretly ugitnted by
a dread that her son would make some
terrible democratic marriage; for he
had already shocked her by asserting
that he thought inorganic unions re
voting and even criminal, and there
was no written law in his little realm
against a sovereign marrying WhomsO-
ever he chose.
Repeatedly OF late months the princess
had written her intention Of coming to
see the new palace. Her son had given
courteous assent to this arrangement,
while inwardly Froaning at the parade
Of ceremony and puuctilio which it
would be certain to cnEendcr.
Now, at last, after many false alarms,
q telegram had abruptly come to him
stating that she had reached q small
town about three miles distant, and
there awaited his presence. It was
then a little after nightfali. The king,
who was just seating himself at dinner,
gave a despairing sigh. There seemed
to linn the most studied kind of mis-
chief in this entire proceeding. But Of
| course her entrance into the kingdom,
after SO long an absence, must be
greeted with due and prompt honors
As for hOnOrs military, these, at such
an hour, We're next to impossible. A
cOrtege of royal coaches and a fairly
copiOus escort the annoyed ClarimOnd
soon caused to be prepared. But as a
! consequence Of what she chose to con
slider his Notifying rudeness, the
! princess was driven to the palace in one
Of her most superciliOus furies.
A first, during the hOmeward drive,
she would scarcely speak to her SON.
Beside her sat q beautiful young girl of
( a very pronounced blonde type named
Blanca d Este, allied to the nlustriOus
/ race who bear that name. The princess
I had recently induced this young lady to
/ become her chief companion, and with
/ what motive it was only too plain In
I one OF her recent letters to ClarimCud
! she had openly written:
Il have added to my household the
/ most charming Of girls, Blanca d Este.
1 In lineage she is your equal, for her
/ blood is not merely royal, but very
ancient as well should love to see
her seated at your side on the throne OF
{ Saltravia; and it Is high time you mar
ried, as you must surely admit"
Z Ciarimond was not the man 70 be
either coerced or counselsd on matri-
monial questions. He had never yet
seen the woman. whom he would have
/ taken any great joy in making his wife,
( but he had seen at least four or I've
I who might, even to his fastidious taste,
have worn the crown OF queenly con
sort with satisfying distinction
As he now let his eye rest on BIZ
anea d. Estes plump, yet dignihed, fig
I ure and creamy, Pink-and-vhite face
& he felt no stir of interest whatever. She
was undoubtedly a handsome girl, but
I behind such a look as hers there could
not lie the intelligence which alone
makes y7Omau-s beauty otherwise than
/ a mere Pastime OF the senses to mem
and our young king was a man who had
never shown his senses very much re-
spect, a fact which something in the
siIvery gray OF his eyes and IN the lines
OF his clesr-molded chin went strongly