Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1902-02-20
THE czAR.s oLD NURSE.
Grief OF an Autocrat Cor the Woma
Who Had I.nxed Him.


Grief Of an Autocras for the Woman
Who Had Loved Him.
A picture OF the way In which love
levels all earthly distinctions Is given ~
James Creelman's book, ION the Great
Highway" Mr.. Creelman was In Rus.
sta as q special correspondent at the
time when the CHar, Alexander llls
walked. grief-strleken mourner'
through the streets Of ST. Petersburg,
behind the coffin OF bis old English
nurse He says:
on that dark. stormy day when the
Cars English nurse died In the WIN
ter Palace. was IN st Petersburg, aud
I remember well how the wet snow fell
from the blotched sky, and the Wind
whlstled up the frozen Neya.
Wherever went In Russia there was
always present In my mind the. figure
OF Alexander ILL.,. as | once saw him,
riding at the head OF bis culrassiers, an
arrogant giant. on great black horse
towering above his soldiers the incar
nation OF brute force, splendid aud ter
rible. But was yet to see the human
nature hidden under that glltterlng hel'
met and breastplate.
The Gar was with bis ministers
when a messenger told him that his
nurse was dead. Through the duh,
harsh nature Of Alexander there ran
one stream OF tenderness for this
woman, Kitty. who had mothered him
in boyhood. And she was dead.
The autocrat OF all the Russlas went
alone through the storm to the dark.
ened room In the Winter Palace where
his dead nurse lay, The giant kpelt be-
side her body with a great cry, and the
attendants withdrew and left him
alone.
For a long time he remained there
with bowed head. and when he came
out OF the hushed chamber there was
look on his face that no one had ever
sen there before.
A whisper went about the city that
none but himself and his brothers
should keep watch over Kitty's cottin,
Alexander was the second son. and
while bis elder brother. the heir to the
throne. was alive. the big. awkward
boy was neglected. Even then. how.
ever, he was the favorite child OF the
English nurse. and his sullen nature re'
sponded to her touch.
There was little known about the life
Of this humble woman. She was quiet
and shy. rarely seen outside the mag
nlficent Winter Palace where she lived;
patient soft-voiced subject. of Queen
Victoria, but she modified and subdued
the boys hard nature.
How true was the love OF the CzaV
for this friend OF his boyhood is shown
by the humility with which he followed
her to the grave. No mourner rode that
day. Through the snow and the slush
the Czar and his brothers walked be
hind the hearse, side by side. the CzaI
In the middle. Not note OF pomp vio
lated the simple pathos OF the scene
The autocrat was simply a man walk
ing humhly and reverently after the
corpse of the woman who had loved
him.
1t was a long way to the cemetery
but the Gar walked the whole dis
lance. He sat In a pew OF the Church
OF England for the first time. aud
watched the coffin at the altar rails. Al
the cemetery when they lowered til,
coffin into the frozen ground. the keep
er OF the cemetery laid piece OF car
pet at the feet of bis imperial lord, and
the Car sank on his knees. He knelt
there with the snow falling upon his
bare head until the grave was filed
Then, as he went away. he turned foI
last look at the mound where he had
laid the woman who had loved him
ever since be was a boy.