The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-27


Characters in Royal Drama
Milan Obrenovics ....An ex-Monarch
Alexander ........... -. .ktnglet of Servla
The Prince of Bulgaria. Fighter
The Metropolitan Theodosius. A Prelate
Pierre Ivanovitch Kechko.. .......A Russian
NatnaIle hecnko. ..................:A Heroine
Marina kechko. ................A Wise Virgin
ArtemiSia Cristics. ..........A Demimondaine
Peasants and Princes.
, A queen is about . take the veil. There
is tragedy in that announcements Behind
it is romance. Before it is history. Wedged
between is a tale tan gled with treachery, a
chronicle of sheer sin iltering through a
story as pathetic as any that legend holds.
The prologue has the charm of a ballad.
The climax is memorable as fate. 1t sounds
like fiction and happens to be fact
ACT 1.-THE UPLANDS OF DREAM
Once upon a time at the Hotel Della
Pace, in Florence, there rescended a Rus
sian colonel. With him were his wife, two
daughters and ten servants. His name was
Kechko. His wife, who was Stourdza,
was very beautiful. His daughters. who
We're young. were very pretty. The colonel
himself was very rich, and his servants
were very proud. In short, they differed
not at all from the average Russian family
en- voyage They were not en- voyage. how
The object of the trip was to put the girls
at school
The girls took after the mother Marina,
the younger, had eyes of porcelain blue
hair the color Of wheat, kissable lips and
complexion of claret and cream. The
elder, Nathalie, resembled nothing so much
as rose. Both were a caress to the eye.
Both We're gracious with that graciousness
or which the secret is known only to the
Slav. And being on the maternal side well
born, and on the paternal presumptive heir
Elorentine contestants, English misses and
German backfish with whom the pension
where they were placed was filed.
And so the years fell by; three, to be ex-
act. Then it so happened that young man
auventured that way. he was a Rou-
manian. descendant of Hospodars, more
his youth and good looks, he had not much
else to boast of. He asked for Nathalie
But Nathalie was ambitious. He was re
FUSED. Then he asked for her sister. The
latter was ambitious, too but only to be
loved. He was accepted. Where heiresses
are concerned. there is nothing like trying
Princess Ghixa and danced for sheer joy
Nathalie, meanwhile, had developed from
caress to an afiurement. Her features
were chiseled to the brow. Her mouth was
q scarlet thread. Her hair was a jungle of
light. She just lacked being. tall, and she
the festival of life.
Presently another young chap CHANGED
that way Less good looking than Ghika.
the descendant, not of potentates, but of
swineherds. destiny had SO shuff1ed the
cards that instead of being a peasant he
was King: His monarchy-the nlyria of an
tlquity the Servia OF to-day--had seen
many bandit at the helm This young
cnap was not bandit. He lacked the force
by way OF compensation he had the guile
OF wilderness of tiger cats-the same
sickness, the same predatory instincts the
same rapacity the same Inconsistencies of
shame. "A thinker declared that no man is
wholly base. He had not met Milan.
AT the time he had just completed tour
or the European courts. In Belgrade there
was a throne waiting TO be filled and dy-
nasty waiting to be perpetuated. In none
of the courts which he had visited could
cesses whom he had met there was not one
who would share his crown. The same mis-
adventure befell that other upstart, Napo-
leon the Little. The latter dispensed with
royalty and took for consort a commoner:
only he took her poor. Eugene Montijo
brought her beauty; nothing else Nathalie
kechko represented not beauty merely, but
wealth. Milan saw Badjnguet and went
him one better. He asked for both and got
them. Where heiresses are concerned one
may go farther and fare worse
The diadem which Milan produced in Bel
grade glowed on the girls forehead like a
star. 1t set her off, crowned not her alone
but her ambition. About her were the
blare of bugles. the swirl of plumes, the
pomp and pageantry of court. Where she
was not admired she was beloved; among
others, by the Austrian legate Things
went very we'll then. Presently a son was
born The dynasty was assured. Milan
Vienna troupe of Partisan dancers. The
incident disturbed a local lady to such an
extent that she shot him.
II is one Of the characteristics of gentle
woman that she never sees or hears any
thing that is not intended for her Nathalie
kretended not TO notice. But Milan loved
Wcuement. He paid visit 10 neighbor
" the street. the Prince OF bulgaria, and