The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-29
LovnLIEsT QUEEN IN EUROPE.
What IA Correspondent Says of the
Wife of ItaIy's Ruler.
Roma .ntfer in Rnetnr1 Pilot

Or almost any Of the roads outside the
city gates you may meet Queen Margaret.
You may recognize the crimson livery of the
royal carriage a mile Off There are some
people who conscientiousy avoid meeting
the royal family, they will not salute
the Queen as she passes, and they do not
desire to appear rude to lady, and as the
flaming color of the royal livery indicates
afar off the coming of royalty they get out
OF the way. queen Margaret IS undoubt-
eddy the handsomest queen in Europe to-
day And she is also the best dressed.
Women look upon her toilets with admira-
ton, mingled with a spice of envy. AS she
is whirled along rather rapidly one has but
little time to study her features, and she
passes as vision of beauty rather than a
reality
The traveller who would have wandered
into the Teatro Nazionale on Thursday
evening last to see the play of "Cyrano de
Bergerac," performed in the original
tailment, as l did, might also see the Queen
and several members of the royal family as
sisting at this most interesting perform
ance. In box. or rather, gallery at the
left of the stage the royal group was as
sembled. They were full in view of the au-
dience, which was scant, filling about one
third of the theater. The Queen was dressed
in black and looked pale and cold. Her rich
yellow hair and the clearness of her COM
plexion stood out against the dead blackness
of her velvet mantle and the darkness of
her hat. She wears well, in spite of the
troubles which agitate Italy and threaten
the throne. She looks much younger than
y
ty-seVenth year
Opposite to her sat her daughter-in-law,
the Princess Helena of Montenegro, wife of
Victor Emmanuel III Prince of Naples, and
future Queen, If all goes we'll with royalty
till then. This lady is young, terribly dark,
with ebon hair and heavy eyebrows. and
mulatto-l1ke complexion, and black eyes al
most devoid Of expression. There is Il sad
hess on her face as If she felt herself fated
to some DOOM the expression of the mouth,
which droops at the corners, is that of one
to whom tears are more familiar than
smiles. She forms the strongest of con-
trasts to her mother-in-law. The Prince of
Naples himself is here in evening dress.
There is no badge Of his dignity about him
not even g. colored button or tiny ribbon
of a decoration He is quiet and gentle,
though his face Is not devoid of power. He
has Just entered into his thirtieth year.
To appreciate to the fullest the titles and
claims of the majority of the other occu-
pants of the theater, one would require to
know the Almanac de Gotha" by heart.
The persons in the royal box were more
simply and quietly dressed than most Of the
others in the theater There was nothing in
their manner to distinguish them, except
THAI the Queen bowed from time to time to
her lady friends in the other boxes, and
that most of the time she was eating or
chewing sweets. This is an almost inVari-
able habit of Queen Margaret during her
attendance at an opera or play. 1t Is also
to be noticed 80 her credit that she was in
her place long before the curtain rose. and
did not leave it until the last word was ut
tered and the final curtain fell.