Rock Island Argus., 1896-09-16

not hc considered nS otherwise than as
reelection upon the character of her charms
and attractions, and the knowledge of the
!iltinS Is confined to her immediate rela-
tiveS and friends and is soon forgottcn.
But royal ladies are esoconspicuous so by rea-
fon uf their lofty station that when the
prirCcly knight breaks the troth that he
has plightcd and rides away the whole
world j. ut once informed thereof in a
manner that is intensely CALLING to the
pride and dclicaCy of the iliustrious dam
sci
Attention TO the jiltiHg of royal prin-
cCsScs Is called by the official betrothal the
other day OF Princess Helene of Montene-
gro to tho only Onand heir OF King Hum
bert uf Italy. Tall, stately and very dark,
her beauty being of the statuesquc type,
she was educated from her earliest child
hood at the court of 1T. Petersburg under
the personal direction as well as mt the cost
Of the now widowed czarina, the avowed
object Of the latter being to fit the girl for
the position of consort to the czarowitz,
ROW the emperor. AS soon as ever she was
old enough she was aflianccd to him.
ut the last moment, however, Nicholas.
with that contrariness that distinguishes
yoJng people whom their parents wish to
marry oi, absolutely declined to we'd the
bride selected for him, and Princess Helene
was accordingly compelled to return, deep
ly mortified, To her fathers tawdry and
one horse court at Ccttinjc. Her fiance
subsequently led to the altar Princess Alix
of Hcssc.
Princess Helene has now accepted the
crown prince of Italy rs n husband and
having been disappointed in her anticipa-
tions Of sharing the throne of the emperor
of all the Russias, will he consoled by the
prospect of becoming on the death of King
llunbcrt queen of Italy.
Princess Helene is not the only damsel
of high degree who, after being disappoint-
cd in the expectations of one crown or coro-
net. has been consolcd with another Thus,
before being led to the altar by the cmper-
ar Of the French, Eugene of Montijo was
Tilted in turn by the Spanish Duke of Scsto
and also by Prince Napoleon, surnamcd
"l'lonplon. The latter was officially af-
fanccd to her, but broke off the engage
mcnt at TIE last moment in Difference to
the loud protests of his reprobate father,
Old Jerome, cX-king of Westphalia and ex-
husband of Miss Elizabeth Patterson Of
Baltimore, who, in II letter since published,
and which IL on record, pointed out to his
son that Mile de Montii 10 was neither as
regards birth nor antecedcnts the sort
Of person whom the son of king could
we'd Plonplon yielded to his parents ar
gumcnts, and to this, above everything
else, must bc attributed the intense ami
mostly which the empress manifested to
him throughout her hushand's S reign, and
even afcr she became widow her hostility
to the man who Tilted her was SO great
that she furnished his son Victor with the
financial means which he needed to start
ON his own account as u rival pretender to
his father
Empress Elizabeth of Austria owes her
Position on the dual throne of Austria
Hungary to the fact that Francis Joseph
lifted her eldest sister. Helene, for her
sake. Princess Helene of Bavaria. like
her namcsake at Ccttinje, was betrothed
almost in her childhood to the present en-
| pcror of Austria and was most carefully
( trained and educated with q view to fitting
her for the proper discharge of her even
tual duties as empress When, however,
! the time for the marriage drew near, Fran
cis Joseph fell violently in love at first
sight with her younger sister, and, much
| tn the dtsmay of all concerned insisted on
| Jilting Helene in order To marry the school
! girl, scarce Is years old. whom he literally
! adorcd Proud. ambitious and deeply in
/ love with her faithleSs fiance. 1t was a ter.
rihle blow to Helene To see the Cinderella
of the family carry off the man she loved
and the crown which she would have been
sn delighted e. wear. However. her good
sense induced her 10 keep her troubles and
sorrow 10 herself and to put the best face
! possible on the matter
The Duchess of Teck, mother Of the
: young Duchess Of York and sister Of old
Duke George OF Cambridge, was Tilted in
! the most shameful manner by the late
Prince of Orange, who used to he known
! in Paris by the nickname of "Citorn -
/ The Official engagement had been an
nounced, all the arrangements made for
the wedding. and the prince had left The
| Hague for London, where he was to re-
! main until after the marriage had taken
place. Unfortunately, he Travelled by way
of Paris. and gs Napoleon III. for political
reasons, was aversc 20 the match. belicv-
, ing that an alliance of this kind would be
detrimental To the interests of France. he
caused the up TO that time perfectly well
behaved prince IN b. environed by such a
! network of temptations that he literally
could not tear himself away from the bril-.