Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-12-15
THE DEATH OF PRINCE
BRANCOVAN.
BY ''CARMEN SILVA" I'll. n. Quee. Of Roumania.)
Copyright, 1885,
IIVAs Hs NJ Vua
Copyright, 1895.

J
Brancovan had been governing for a
length of time as voivod of Wallachia.
He was now nearly 60 years old; wise
prince, and much beloved by his people.
Four handsome sons had been born to
him, who were the pride of his house,
and the consolat ton of his old age.
Renewing in these noble princes his
own youth. Prince Brancovan and his
still beautiful wife, with their daugh-
pie, uneventful life in their capital city
of Bucharest. The people looked upon
the prince as their father, and he justi-
fed this attitude by the pains he took
to make his rule a blessing to them. i,
In these days there does not remain
any trace of the insecurity in which the
inhabitants of the two principalities
then lived, and which compelled them
to conceal their treasures in wooden
Golfers, which, covered with carpets
and the richest Turkish stuffs, formed
part of the furniture of a chamber,
and were capable of easy removal to
a place Of safety when their enemies,
the Turks, made raid into the country
Prince Constantin Brancovan had
long grown distasteful to the sultan
because of his wise and noble charac-
ter, and of his having made himself be-
loved by all his subjects. He had also
accumulated vast wealth, and had
caused gold pieces to be coined; this
was looked upon as an act of insubor-
dination to his suZerain.
There were certain individuals at the
porte willing enough to aggravate the
anger of the sultan, and amongst these
was Greek doctor who had presumed
to fall in love with the beautiful Prin-
cess Roxandra.
With his courteous ways and knowl-
edge of men and countries, he found
favor with the four young princes, and
accomplished his desire of being now
and again with the Princess Roxandra
herself. What had at first been mere
ly passing whim now became the
necessity of his being, and the Greek
passionately resolved that, in spite of
her rank and his nationality, the prin-
cess should be his.
At last, having done all that he
could to further ingratiate himself with
Prince Brancovan, the Greek ap-
preached the question:. He dwelt upon
his wealth (Which he had taken care
tc give an appearance of during his
stay in the capitaD, his influence with
the Turks, his desire to see Wallachia
freed from her bondage, and, unfet-
tered, beginning nobler future. Then
he touched upon his personal hopes.
But he had hardly expressed. himself,
before the prince interposed. Taught
lily and emphatically he declared it i'm
possible for such request even to be
considered, And when the Greek
pressed. his suit, Prince q, Brancovan,:
" usually so calm, grew angry, and sum
marily dismissed his visitor. That was
the end of the Greeks hopes, but not of
his designs. He had, in his selfish de-
sires, pretended to be what he was not,
and he was no, sooner out of Prince
Brancovan's presence than he began to
think of revenge. He at once removed
ITO Constantinoplea and sought all means
of ingratiating himself with the sultan.
He was so servile and hattering that
he soon became prime favorite, and
then, with subtle cunning, he COM
menced systematic persecution Of
Brancovan. He represented himself to
the sultan as friend of Turkey and
anxious that the provinces over which
she possessed suzerainty should Sloetln-
der more effective control than was the
case at present. Heproceeded to relate
that he had visited Wallachia in order
to- ascertain the opinions Of the people
s8s.tlnd their ruler with regard to Turkey;
and then repeated parts Of converse