Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-01-26
EUGENIE'S LOVE STORY.
How Louis Napoleon First Saw the
Beautiful Mile. de Montijo
and Fell Captive.

In d pretty little compartment in the
Avenue DIES Ternes, Paris, there lives an
agreeable old lady. with snow white har
and snappy black eyes. who is brimful "a
stories about the family that welded the
last imperial destinies of Franco. She i
Nine. Meaagere, for many years Dame
de Compagnie to Princess AIathilde. thc
sister of Napoleon ILL., Even since she
has passed those duties on to younger
hands. for the old princess still keeps up
considerable state in her daily life, the
ties of friendship remain strong between
the two old ladies. and when the Partisan
hotel OF the princess Is occupied by that
personage her landau. with its two
pomrous men on the box, arrives once Or
twice a week at the house in the .Avenue
dies Ternes, fetches the old companion
for a cup Of tea and a tiresidc chat 1t is
then, over the steam of that harmless
uepenthe, that old times and old scenes
are reYiYed-scenes of those mirthful
days when the beaureous Eugene was
the idolized Empress of the tickle Fl ench
1t is to this friendly gossip that the fol-
lowing story of the proposal Of Napoleon
for the hand of Mile de Montijo is due,
and coming from such n source, ii may be
relied upon as possessing more the 0d0r
Of truth than those romances that were
woven and Scatterd broadcast by Il GER
tain Miss Howard.
Everybody knows the story of how the
Young Emperor saw and fell captive to
the charms of the fair Castilian while
She was riding in the Bots, but few know
that that was not his first glimpse of her.
That event happened years before. ac-
cordinS to NJ de Saint-Amand, who was
minister of foreign affairs during the
second empire, and who spent much time
at Compiegne as the guest of the En-
peror. After the Strashurg fiaSco of
1886, the young Louis Napoleon was ar
rested and shut up in the barracks until
the lettering throne of Louis Philippe
had gained its equilibrium. and his min
listers decided to send the pretendor on
the four-months' voyage to America that
all the histories now tell about. He was
hustled across France in the night and
in Paris, where halt was made. he was
taken to the prefecture of police and
given his breakfast in the great hall
The project Of police at that time was
NJ. Gabriel DelesSart, whose mother-in-
law, the CounteSSe de I4aborde, was 4
warm friend of Nine. de Montijo. Il
friendship that was responsible for the
sharing of certain educational advan-
tages between Eugenir and her sister,
and the two children of NJ. Delessart. 1t
happened that the very hall assigned for
the temporary habitatiOn of the prisoner
prince was the one devoted at less I'M
portant times to the children and their
studies, to which they arrived just as
the unfortunate youth was being led
from the door.
1t was at Compiegne, however, that
the real courtship began, in the autumn
Of the year 1852. Louis had been En-
peror for almost a whole year. He had
ousted the Bourbons from their unhappy
supremacy, and was making merry in the
very chateau that they loved above all
others in royal France. Mile. Montijo
was among the merrymakers. One morn
ing as a gay hunting party rode out into
the forest in which the Kings of the
biood-royal were wont to chase the stag
in former days. the dew lying thick upon
the grass attracted Eugene. Gould any
gem be more splendid?" she said, stoop-
ing to pick clover leaf. upon which
snarkled dlop of dew as pure as crys-
tai.
That very day a special envoy left the
castle for Paris and did not return until
he had found a frosted golden trefoil
II the center of which gittered superb
diamond. 1T is not brighter than the
dewdrop," said the gallant Emperor. Of
fering it to Mile. Montijo, but it is more
lasting"
It was on December 81 of the same
year that the real declaration of the EN-
perOrS sentiments We're made, and at
the very hotel of the Princess Mathilde, |
in which she still holds, at rare intervals.
her charming receptions. She had a
chimney in her salon to welcome the new
year. which promised to ne so momentous
for the Bonaparte family. Nine. de Mon
uJo and her two lovely daughters were
among the guests. At II: 80 the EN-
peror entered the room and found n seat
beside Eugenie She was radiantly beau
tiful then, and on this occasion she were
white velvet, with the jeweled clover
ieaf-the imperial gift-nestling upon her
BOSOM When midnight struck, accord
ing TO custom which still prevails at
the Princess Mathilde's New Years eve
parties, each gentleman imprinted kiss
upon the forehead of the lady at his |
right. But at this point the superb tact
Of the Countess de Montijo asserted it
sen, and Just as Napoleon was about to
press his lips to the fair brow of her
daughter, the latter uttered sharp cry
ana then whispered. "0h. mother. Won
hurt me" Then collecting herself she
gently pushed the Emperor away and
presented to him her slender white hand. |
sire, she said, ''in Spain it is not the
custom for ladies to grant such favOrs
70 gentlemen even on New Years eve. |
ahd-this is all l can do for YOU" Ma
poieon kissed the tips of the pretty fin
gers and said in a low tone. next wear
L, shall kiss hand and brow as well"
me presence of mind that had caused
her to tread hard on her daughters toes
vas coup de pied the Countess de Mon
no never regretted
MS and many more episodes equally |
interesting. the dear old Princess Ma |
lhilde and her former Dame de Com
payne recall over their steaming tea. |
while the heavy winter nists obscure thc
fG3fiy, afternoon into Paris twilight
hltlSburg Dispatch.
refused a Fortune.