The morning times., 1896-05-31
CUBA'S KING.
Little AlfOnZO YearnS to Command
His Army in Person.
BY ALEXANDER HARVEY &.
Copyright, 1885,

To be boy king when war is raging has
an excitement alItS own. spain's ten-year-
old monarch finds his life turned upside
down by the trouble bothin andou account
OF Cuba. His household is a strictly mill
tary Que now, this expire ssion meaning that
royal etiquette has altered entirely and that
day in the rulers young world is truly
strange thing. Little AIphonso has not even
j confessor now That functionary is called
his chaplain.
Instead of wearing a robe Of state on cere-
monial occasions, the boy donS a generals
uniform. He puts on no crown except when
he attends solemn high mass in the cathe-
dral. Instead. ne wears a three-COrnered
cooked hat a little sword, made especially
for the emergency, Is always at bis side,
Tor the Spanish troops now fighting in
Cuba are a. least nomindIIy commanded 5y
the king.
Those who have seen AlphOnsO lately,
and among them are the newly created
Cardinal CaSSanas and Sir Henry Wolf, the
diplomat were much impressed by his
juvenile majesty's eJgernesS couCerning 9
Cuba. The cardinal IN particular had quite
talk with AlphOuSO XIII on the subjeCtof
the war. The king has all boys ca gerness
to retain sovereignty over the CubdnS. He
told the cardinal that never would he be
robbed OF his dOminCnS by traitors. But
more surprising than all this is the fact
that his ma ajcSty wants to come Quito Cuba.
He is eager TO see the war with his own
eyes His mother, the queen regent, must
sit down every evening and give him the
latest Cuban news. One bulletin, reveal
ing the unpleasant fact that the Cubdns had
gained victory seems TO have affected
the youthful ruler 50 uufavor;tbIy that he Is
r.alt I
tiers stand.
One thing is yery evident from the ac-
counts hOJn OF the cardinal and Uf the
diplomat. AlphOuso diSlikes US Ameri-
cans very decidedly. He takes, ii seems,
/ a precoCIous interest in public affairs
I and says that we are his enemies. How
/ lie arrives at this conclusion d oeS not
appear. But the blessing which the pope
| gave TO the Cuban Spanish army that
/ last left AlphOnSos dUminiUns was the
! result of a special request from the king
| There is no evidence as yet that the king
[ knows OF his having been burned in effigy
! by our hot headed college boys. If tho
news ever reaches him lie Will no doubt
| think worse of Us than ever. He has an
| elaborate outfit of toy soldiers and forts
and plays with them daily. He men
! toned this fact to the cardinal and asked
| with curious inconsistency if the Cuban
| war would last till he was man.
| a lphOnse expressed the greatest conf
! dence in his own troops. He is very
| sure that the rebellion Will he put down.
! In fact his little heart would be broken
| by any other result. That is why, ap-
parently, such great care is taken at the
| court OF Madrid, to keep the real truth
| from reaching AlphOnso. He is told all
manner of untruths respecting Cuba and
| said things to Sir Henry Wolf which made
! that diplomat smile. This one, quoted
in an Italian newspaper, is perhaps the
funniest:
| Il am glad those Americans are afraid
| of me-
! In fact the war in Cuba has made the
| young monarch q very noted and importar.
| character in European royal circles. The
| Journals abroad, especially inFrance, devote
| considerable spaceto whathe aysand thinks
| on the subject of Cuba. For example, he
| drilled one regiment now in Cuba, himself.
| He told them how to deal with the inSur-
| gents and when to advance and when to
| attack. he also said:
Soldiers; my grief is that I CanHO:
! go with you. In some happier time
| will make a tour of my distant domiE,
| ions. My people Will not then misuuder-
stand me. 1 commit my honor TO your
keeping
This is pretty. 1t sounds far prettiel
In the kings boy Spanish.
SO whatever may come as a result oi
| this Cuban trouble, one little boys heart
| is beating high over il. Some day it may
beat to bursting