Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-07-06
ON A ROMAN RACE COURSE.
The King and Queen at the Royal Derby
at the Italian Capital.

The King and Queen at the Royal Derby
at the Italian Capital.
One Sunday afternoon paid the sum
of ten cents admission to the grounds
of the race course at the Capannelle.
Apart from the interest excited by the
programme of the horse contest an
nounced to take place, and the charm
and scenic beauty of the spot, and the
historic memories associated with the
immediate neigh borhood, there was
the distinct attraction, put forward on
posters in letters two feet high, that
King Humbert and Queen Margherita
would assist at these races. Indeed,
one of the ''corse" might be regarded
as specially belonging to the king, the
''Derby Reale,' or Royal Derby, to
which he gives annually the sum of
forty-eight hundred dollars.
As the visitor enters the grounds by
a tree-shaded passage, brilliant with
white and scarlet azaleas and banksia
roses of rare fragrance falling over the
wall of verdure his steps are arrested
by a shrill sound of trumpet call.
This sound is answered in the distance,
1.-THE alarms and excursions" of Shake
speare, and then the delightful fanfare,
the Italian royal march, breaks upon
the ear, and everyone knows that roy
atty is approaching.
Aswagonette drove by two fne-loolz-
ing horses comes in sight, and the
plainly dressed gentleman wearing
the tall silk hat, who drives so deftly,
who is SO easily recognizable by his
portraits, by his large rolling eye and
his thick bushy mustache, all white, is
Humbert, king of Italy. There is no
display of force; g few armed police
men are seen here and there
in this passage to the race
grounds, but they never in
terrupt the view, and you may count
the wrinkles in the royal face, if you
will, as this very constitutional king
is whirled past. 1t is true that at the
turn of the road which leads here,
and at intervals on the new Appian
way by which royalty drives, there
are gendarmes and guards of public
security grouped in considerable num-
berS.
More trumpet sounding, answered
in the distance, and Queen Margheri-
ta's carriage drives up. 1t is preceded
by an outrider in flaming vermillion
livery. The driver and footman of
the royal carriage are in the same COM
spicuous-hued liveries, and the coach
man wears a white wig of unapproach-
able elegance. The queen looks very
pretty and comfortable as she reclines
in her carriage holding a gay parasol
over her head. Her tiny mantle of
cream-colored white, with sprays of
gold, forms harmonic contrast
with her fair healthy complexion
that adds to the charm and beauty at
tributed to her AS she approaches
the royal stand and ascends it you
hear a respectfully low murmur of
voices, and the applause has muff1ed
sound from the daintily -gloved hands
from which it proceeds. There is no
enthusiasm, no cheering; the populace,
which have paid ten cents per person
entry money, have something else to
occupy themselves with to-day.
The races are not epoch-malzing.
They never are nowadays in Italy.
Twelve horses start in the ROYAL
Derby. There is momentary enthu-
siasm exhibited by the crowd and the
inmates of the royal stand and the two
adjoining stands become interested,
and the voice of the bookmaker is,
like the voice of conscience heard above
all other noises. The ways and manners
of the turf in Italy differ but little from
those of other lands. AS races they are
undoubtedly inferior to those of En-
gland, Australia and the United States.
AS rule all the horses are ridden by
English jockeys, but the horses are not
at all equal to those of other lands
where horse-racing is fine art accom-
panied with the possible requirement
of wealth.
In the intervals between the races
the king would come forward to the
balustrade of the royal stand, over
which foated the Italian tri-color, and
there converse with his acquaintances,
from whom, in outward show or ap-
parent dignity, he in no way differed
The proverbial cat that may look at a
king would have had his fill of gazing
at monarchy had he been here. The
queen was not visible. She held sort
of reception in the inner chambers Of
this royal stand, and probably found
that more to her taste than watching
the maneuvers on the turf, for which
she probably cares very little.-Balti
more Sun.