Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-22
Telephones els s9t.

everywhere. while several pictures, her pri
vate e,cretoire her bedroom table and
wheel chair also travel with her, and
as all Of her bedrooms are panolled in pale
green broCade they all closely resemble
one another. The pictures she never has
parted with are water color and miniature
portraits Of the prince consort, Princess
Alice duke Of SAKE Coburg. Empress Eu
genie Boaconsfeld and some family groups,
including those Of the duke OF Yorks chill
dren. The furniture, appointments and
decorations OF her private rooms are OF the
finest Louis Seize, and until quite recently
she always read by the light OF Cola lamps,
which thirty years ago replaced the wax
candles which are still exclusively used on
the royal dinner table. Her bedroom is
adjoined by two private little sitting rooms,
with spacious corridor between, in which
she often took slight walking exercises,
leaning on the arm OF her Indian attendant
when the weather was too unpropitious to
venture out No one, not even Princess
Beatrice. ever entered the queens rooms
unannounced, until the last few days. when
the hand OF death has waived etiquette
aside. The queen always preserved her
dignity. and really only unbent with her
children, though cordial and charming to
all.
Devotion Of the Indians.
The household has been much struck by
the devotion OF the queens Indian attend
ants, who arc like stricken creatures In
the face of the imminent loss OF their royal
mistress. Their desolation Is tragic In It's
Intensity their only appeal being that they
may be permitted to do something for their
beloved queen, but the doctors and nurses
now monopolze the royal bedroom, and
pIty at. fpan hn
mitted to enter. Great public inconveni-
ence has arisen owing to the accumulation
OF urgent state documents awaiting the
royal sign manual at Osborne. The princ
pal reason Sir Thomas Barlow was taken
Into consultation today was to give his
opinion on the probable duration of the
Illness, as II II is to be lingering the ap-
pointment OF n regent is absolutely eS-
sental. The most serious difficulty In this
connection is the delay of warrants author
izing provision for money for South Afri-
can purposes. which the clerks OF the privy
seal refuse to stamp without the queens
signature. The law officers were consider
ing yesterday whether Parliament should
he summoned Immediately to provide for
a council of regency, or whether all re-
ouired functions OF the government should
be carried on until Parliament meets. when
an indemnity bill could be introduced to
absolve the ministers for infringements of
constitutional practice.
Presentment of Her Death.
The queen is Inclined to be superstitious
and held firmly that three deaths always
follow each other close in royal families.
Thus, when the duke of Coburg and Prince
Christian Victor died she became pos
sessed OF the idea that she was fated to be
the third and nothing could dislodge this
idea from her mind, which naturally
enough, greatly aggravated her melancholy.
The prince of Wales health is eagerly dis
cussed in society and much divergence Of
opinion prevails among his friends as to
his prospects OF life In appearance he
now certainly is better than he was before
the accident TO his knee, due to the fact
that ne acquired habits of careful living
while invalided, which he still observes.
He Is somewhat fatter. but while his color
Is healthy. on the other hand, II is un-
Questionably noticeable that one side OF
his face has gons down and he suffers
from incessant twitchiug OF the left eye.
He drinks sparingly at meals, either of
whisky and soda or champagne and seltzer,
rarely taking wine nowadays, except 1t is
altogether OF an eXceptionable quality.
Formerly he was fond of heavy, highly
seasoned dishes. like Irish stew. curries
and salamis, but these he now avoids. Sun
day evening, while the prince was waiting
the arrival of the kaiser N Charlng Cross,
! scanned him narrowly at short dis
lance and was struck by his appearance OF
physical robustness in walk, gesture, gen
eral demeanor, There was only that CON
stant rather violent twitching of the left