The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-24
HER LAST YEAR
A BRILLIANT ONE
Queen Christina Is about to Begin
Her Final Series Of Drawing
Rooms as Regent Of Spin.

(Ey Helen Ward, Author of Royal Eco
pie I Have known.D
In spite OF the fact that during her re-
Sency the country OF SPAIN lost It's navy.
its colonies. nearly all OF its standihs
army ara its ent re bank account. Queen
Maria Christina mas recovered her SPIRITS
and is celebrating. VITA all the porfip at
her command. the asst year, OF her reign
as Queen Regent OF SPAN
In little more than another twelve
month -AIfhotiSo VIII have como o. age,
and. orcs UPON the throne, will taks Tie
ru5ersrI1 OF the country into his OWL
If ne pa-take Of the spirit Of his am
cest5rs he VIII govern Spain 50 entirely
and so vigorously that the poor ouesn
Mother will not be able To realize that
OF the dons-
Of all the women who have bsen in the
publ. eye the past few yeIrs none nave
commanded a more general respect than
Maria fsTristig-14. An Austrian oy o=rtn,
trans2.anted into country wheIe ths'
aeC1ie were different IN teIroeraInent.
custom ard deed, she - once adapted her.
self 10 Spanish ways and oaeanc as span
in as; tgla dusl..est sa.l-rtta that ever p.ek-
ed q. Eight guitar o. brought the sou'
from q mandolin. She even adopted the
s1ua.sn methods of dress and wound her
Austrian head VITA i rcantGla, caught at
the throat with a rose P'ctures or her IN
this sGIiSs decorate the Ea.aSe. for t was
thus that Ter husband loved to see her.
With y;ther a difficult mate. FOR Al
Jilonso MI. brought 20 her q heaft that
had been broken years before BY the
death OF his early sweetheart. the Pr.n-
cess Mercedes. shs accepted HIN and the
situation with grace. Size 5stted as az
tens ard htnlorsd his mods, and wAsu
there was to De christening she a.towsd
him TO beStow the None - Mercedes upon
TIE baby whose very being. she felt, should
have s-crwded the thought OF Modes
from MS mind
Mercedes is now twenty and hetTotbed.
, Then came Marie Theresa. and when sie
little girls were aged four and six res9ec-
lively, the King died Six months lttet
little 4tphonso WIS born ard spain av.ose
from It's istha-gy Of waiting 30 ctjo &c
that q King of the hose OF the 2ouraors
would reign over them
In tie events preceding thu S2an.sh W;er
meme can deny thar the c9sduct OF tfs
Queen Regent was eaove repeoach. shs
j made no secret OF the fact that she
thought ire united states would win: out,
at The Same sine she declared TINT Spain
! must atsenp, 70 dsfeati fc-sc,s.
! "or how staff bear the rsnraaciies Of
my zoy? IN the years 10 Gomez she rsised-
,,a;f,ettcaftv. o. the statesmen who urged
[ fe. TO Weld without IL struggle. 1T times
/ she might have teca rush ai.d badly adj
yisa{, bur. on tire WFoIe. no woTua n
could have gone through the disastrous
struggle with more C-eG'.
slphonso Is row nearly p-er7reG for
.he throne ttis earonat on will .a!se
place in Madrid with 81 axe Ceremony
bntstrtng the crowriu2 OF the ruler OF ore
OF the oldest kingdoms in she T.2-'s'
Maria Christina will then. il Is said
rr1arry-tnis time an Austrian. In fset.
ser kinslnan. Francis Joseph. the
widowed King of Austria, has been named
again and again possible match
for her
Gut IN the intervening year she will
enjoy herself 10 the utmost. and viii re-
tire in 81 blaze OF social glory