Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-06-20
A FAIR NIHILIST.

III the late SeyentleS, o rev years De1Ore
the death of the late car, one of the most
important personages of the Russian en-
pire was Prince Michael Radloff. Duringa
trip to Franco, soon after the Franco Prus-
sian war, he had met at reception the
superb daughter of General de Contre-
mont, whom the Partisan world already
knew under the name of 'la belle Made
lcine." Michael was hard hit, in spite Of
his 40 years and his confirmed bachelor
hood
Mother" Madeleine remarked one
evening to the widow Of the hero of GRAY
clotte, would you be satisfied to see me
princess9"
mot quite, for you are beautiful enough
to be queen"
In fact, do not recall ever having met
in any assemblage so perfect tpye of hui
man beauty. I can see her still as she APP
pearcd one evening at the opera some
weeks after her marriage There were in
the orchestra, should judge so spectators
who were or had been more or less in love
with her. 1t was probably tho most MEM
orablc night of Madeleine's younger years.
She felt that she stated her vengeance then
ON sex that inspired her only with ha-
tired, for among these men who would
have beggared themselves now to be loved
by her for single hour there was not one
who had not, before that, found her too
poor to make her the companion Of his life.
That evening an American widow, many
times a millionaire, but nevertheless
very pretty woman, made the following
avowal as she sat in her box:
II do not hope to look like the Princess
Michael, for that would be to ask too
much. But to have simply her teeth I
would give my hotel in the Champs Ely
sees and everything in it, even to my jew
els. With such teeth as hers woman
need not be pretty. She can smile OF yawn,
according to tho circumstances, and the
world is at her feet"
''That is to say, at the feet of her teeth, ="
said diplomat. but am afraid the
princess is not destined either to smile or
to yawn. His excellency, her husband,
looks neither amusing nor agreeable. La
belle Madeleine will 1.-Two to regret Paris
more than once"
In truth, the prince was not agreeable,
even on his marriage day. But few
years later he was even less so, as the
princess could testify. TO his wife's CO.
quetry he owed it that he had become jeal-
GUS as tiger, and to the favor of the car
that he had been made minister of police.
1t is scarcely tenablc that these two facts
combined arc calculated to make q man
amiable.
However, he had found means to make
his public functions sllbserve his private
jealousy He had selected from his best
men in the secret service the coachman who
drove his wife's carriage and the concierge
who kept the door of his hotel. And in adj
dition he had tho ''cabinet noir."
At first the unhappy minister of police
read dozens of declarations of love, adj
dressed to his wife in every key and every
measure Then the number of these mis-
sives fell off, not that the princess had be-
come less beautiful, but that the admirers
became more wary. Those who had con-
tided their avowals to the postal and tele-
graphic services Of his imperial majesty
had not failed to notice that i'll luck sud
denly fastened itself upon them in the
most diverse and unexpected forms. 1T
must be-" said one of these victims, THAT
Unc prlllCCSS His lIlC wi wv, VI giittV AiSA
husbands eyes are too good.
The replies, of course, as well as the first
letters, passed through the cabinet noir'
also, and his cxcellcncy had abundant OPP
portunity to convince himself that he was
the husband of a most outrageous 1iirt
but nothing more, from which he derived
a comparative satisfaction. 1t is consoling
when one hears cry of ''Fire!' in the
house to know that the conflagration is
confined to an ill swept chimney AS to
sweeping the chimney himself, the poor
prince had scarcely the time, for the life OF
the car was as much assaulted by nihiiists
as the affections of his wife by signing
SWANS.
Therefore his unboundcd surprise may
be imagined when he read the following
note, written in too familiar hand, though
signed only with an initial:
1t seems that the emperor starts for varsovia
earlier than had been expected. Hold yourself
in readiness to travel at the first call, for who
knows when we shall have such another
chance? have not kept you in ignorance OF
the difficulties Of the enterprise. Be ready,
then, to succeed at the first attempt and with.
out any preliminary trials. You will present
yourself at my house Us q friend of my family
travelling in Russia for pleasure. See my moth.
er before you leave. She will give give you
some sort of o commission or message for me
and 1t will serve to introduce you in case OF
need.
The poor princes reason nearly left him
by the time he had read this terrible note.
So this conspiracy that he fought night
and day with steel, prison and exile-this
monstrous, pitiless war Of whole army
of monsters against single man-con-
fronted him even ut his own flresidcl II
was his own wife--his beautiful Made
leine-who said to the assassin, The hour
Is come; be rcady!'' I
What was the good Of keeping up the
fightP What fatality ranged even foreign.
ers against his unfortunate sovereign!
This woman had everything beau
ty, luxury, admiration--yet she was nj
hilistl What could possess herr What
bitterness was 1t that drove her thus tC
crime, at the risk of the dungeon and pal
let Of straw that would bruise her tender
flesh, Of the gallows rope that would crush
her ivory throat, of the Siberian SHOWS
that would turn to leo her snowy little
fceti
"Alas," thought the unhappy man, ~
have utterly failed to make her happy.