The Washington weekly post., 1899-12-05
THE DUCHESS ELEANOR
BY NIAARrEN NrAARTENs.
rs,~,s,, is's BY w.sr,,n Nsa7sa')


have been eithev-you are mis-
- taken. She vas a Duchess OF
r--.-s...H. ~ The msdiatzed house OF
z-r..-G,I I,Iande. She IL dead. and
,...r aao ,arsd f0r her. except her
,-rs-r. need be- sorry 90 should be- 50.
They lived 90 Stolzenau always the
,.sa. and She ia the heart OF the famous
--. forest. with sand wastes beyond In
'- dark loneliness. On splendid, glded
arb ON very rare occasions when eu-
...a compelled. they would spend q few
r. .. B.r.lu-iB the gloomy old palace
.s-r. .-aa-tr trdsSe-but a. soon a. be pos
...- ..... sue duke would return 10 his
,.g. and his poultry yard. The duke was,
p. --.farerea. a gentleman farmer, on
.-.. extensive and cugF0sslng amusement
sa..... 4u absgrdly dispropOrtIouatc 0f
....,..s cons s.deTab.e income. a stlll larger
..-. ~ ..- .aI less considerable inteiu-
.... and almost the whole OF his nearly
........ leisure lie was a great, biz,
.. n... ul s.chy complexion, with
-.....at mustacAe and q constant ten
.... .. lu.s. In his youth he had con-
......s . strange little habit OF shifting.
,... a. dimes simply maddened mis- wife.
--. Duchess Eleanor had committed
Gill. t.-s. mistake of accepting husband
she had previously twice refused. She
.. accepted him because everybody ad-
..... rar TO au SO. and also because she
F.l succeeded In convincing herself that.
really. so accept him was the wisest and
E.-ls-t ta.ag she could do. The kndest,
.gr.r...r. IL BE- aH very well 10 say that
...,. g.. AKIN f0 love. so be IL, but pity is
....t- .- closely connected with contempt
,..s.. .n -8m. women. kills love FOR gOoC
.ra.u Tia. Duchess Eleanor would have
..rr.f .r g.mrd had any one told her
--.- -r, had married the duke from pity
.. a.. raustaucy. nor would such a view
....- r..n correct. as no woman ever mar
-... s.r. single reason only, but certainly
r...r..r remains that she had first refused
hin. twice one refusal surely may be a
...-- charming prelude TO aCceptance-but
-a..
Wsu they were married and had many
.a.aI,a Half a dozen children fill the
r.g-r-. house. but small children are put
-. B.l a. carly hours, and then come the
t...-m.Hau.e evenings. Up yonder, by the
E..... ylI can seldom sit out after sun
sri. essen lu -umrser you must be content
-. LIZA, YOUR lamps indoors, and reflect
that !. % week or TWO you Will have 10
.-4. them earlier.
Duke Ernest hated twilight, being al
VANS for too busy 10 waste the precious
moments. lie could not converse, he new
or read. bee did accounts, all through the
longest evenings, about eggs, and pounds
u. pork. and carloads Of manure.
r was The evenings. undoubtedly, OF
Which she first Toticed the monotonous
length Even that took her several years,
during which she realized very little OF
ANYTHING. There could be no more diff
..Lr woman TO comprehend, had any one
taken the trouble 20 examine her charac-
r,r than this Duchess of Lauenstein. She
#a- one Of those human beings who de-
.Hsrately undertake TO misunderstano
their own disposition, and, therefore, IL
Lave uudevelop,d or to misdevelOp theu
.Nu natural qualiIieS-or, rather, 10 alloN
lat these qualities should misdeyeloI
themselves With that innate timlditS
which is born of hereditary prtdr, she
aad set herself from childhood TO ignore
every natural impulse or instinct or ebul-
HN1u Of feeling, CheTishing that dread OF
the ridiculous which was ever present be-
Tore her eyes. checking herself, curbing,
EpsB.ug back intimidated by d mother
Who laughed at her fretting inwardly
under the self-impOsed strain. An Aus
uian by birth. she had partially broken
down some of her barriers during a few
years OF society gayety in the reserved
circle of NienEese aristOcracy; once mar
rcd 10 Duke Ernest. she had disappeared
behind the hedge. she had never. from
her youth upward, come into contact with
any form OF real life outside her castle
walls. she had no idea how the poor eX-
listed. or the rich. or what anybody did in
art commerce. philanthropy, politics, be-
youd the little set of cOroneted cousins
Ulo formed 10 her-although, of course
she knew there were common people. and
also gainamen-the whole sentient hu-
man race
Unfortunately for her the duke, her
husband, discouraged her taking any in
-crnsl iu Tie many things which for him
bad uo existence and also in the few pur-
suits, which, engrossing most Of his at
ttauon. lay, as he said, beyond her kel
he mad. or course, a small army of off,
Gals under him-an ''intendant" a treas
uItr inspectors, stewards, head-foresters
h.li-keepers. &c; he was under these in
g" Tar as he listened to all their proposals;
D. stood next to them in so far as he al
"dy# suggested something else His
valet morning and evening, reported all
tae gossip and the scandal that ought
never To have reached so august a per-
S.rlge. and kept back, at his own dis
eletlau- any mention Of abuses the duke
would have combated had ne known. Un-
able Jo delegate work 10 others, con
Fu.eI that ne could do everything far
better himself his transparency pOkel
a sl.F,r-HeaGed cane into every dung-hiI
'H his rsta,e and ordered il TO be removed
Ia some equally offensive corner. Often
j |-s not removed. And Il he found il
~-a." hr had either forgotten all about
~ " he passed il by in silence, or he
mace an immense to-do about it-a small
tNu.uou-according to the humCr H.
happened 10 he in. The part he should
nave played in public life. IN the govern
"e-i Hi lhc country, he was utterly un-
-.-r- Tor. ana so he stopped al home and
TITLED
he interested himself in the welfare OF
-.0 servants and their wages, and Insisted
upon personally Srolding them One after
"AotA'' lae duchess hOusekeepers left
am. A'T servants gave warning-there
We're TWO of three loyal domestics. heredi.
ial1. WHO made life impossible for any of
i-r o'hrF~-ali The srmi-royal hnusehold
was h.iea with kitchen souabbles and
'-'a-rla.is abuse such as many would I'm.
aetae 90 be perfectly impossible in r,,,-
a.ss- The duchess paid little attention "a
'"e.e matters. Tor whenever she tried "a
.. ST., her husband luyervened snubbinc
a.f and telling her thar she oueh. 10 have
managed II all very differently. aud NOW
Boo would have 20 put j, right. and n
wished she hadn't iuterfcred She had
t"' INTO The habit Of not responding tn nj,
"..n.,, excepting by an irony he never
understood once. on the terrace. among
... t.abej myrt'cS- myrtleS.-jus1 as sha
slowly moving away a beautifully
naughty figure. from discussion about
"- i.yrimani of his she had tried "a
.-.r down, She paused and turned. With a
"r.l..loWu sweep Gl her li,tle dark head
au never % interfere" she said be
'H'.H Fol and the maidse / have no In.
.'.taE or doing 80. Not even when yoy
dis. 'l5m'' And she Iefr him and walkel
away 'I whore she could hear her chIldref
calling across the Wide stretch Of lawn.
Dear me- how exceedingly awkward o.
t- Said tI himself violently suI0ibas ss h.