Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1902-12-18
CHOWFA'S LOVE NOTES
Siamese Princes Wooing OF
an American Actress.
SENT HER MANY WARN VERSES


man While He Was NJ College In
England.
The passionate press agent for Ma
belle Gilman has broken into that ac-
tress writing desk and stolen there
from packet of letters, and the other
day he gave to the world the love let
tiers of the Prince of Siam, says the
New York Tribune. Miss Gilman, who
is called Tcherno Okaya by her STA
mese swain, was sorry-quite grieved,
She could not understand how the
press agent dared to take them with
out her permission.
The prince, by the bye has left the
country and is well on his way TO
Siam. The wise heads may take this
fact for what il is worth.
The Prince of Siam first met Miss
Gilman in London, when she was there
with "The Belle OF New York" and "a
dangerous rival OF Edna May In the af
fections Of royalty" 0he phrase is a
bubble from the lips Of her press agent.
Their friendship seems to have In
spired the crown prince to pour forth
verse that II quantity counted should
have won for him the Newdigate prize.
Letters from him to her In 1901 bear
the seal of Christ college. Oxford, and
in all OF them are inclosed verses.
sometimes two or three separate
poems. On the backs Of the photo
graphs he sent her he was more mod
crate, contentng himself with quoting
from the poems OF other men. II the
letters themselves did not furnish proof
Of the gentineness of the story, the
fact that these quotations are FIR" N
Lovelace, Carew. s. L. Coleridge q Il
Omar the Tentmaker would at oil e
put them beyond the invention of Miss
Gilman's press agent.
The first of the letters made pubic
is dated from the Siamese legation,
London in ecember. 1900, and begins
my Dear Hiss Gilman"
One year later, writing from Oxford.
he opens as follows:
My "Tcherno Okaya"-I hope you know
what this means by now. for you should
have got the book ! sent you the other
day. But in case of accidents / had best
explain that "Tcherno Okaya" Is Russian
and. being translated, means sparkling
eyes" Who deserves the name better
than you?
This he signs "Bijou."
In this letter the verse begins. 1t Is
funny how oxford affects people, as
Sue used TO remark to Jude. The poem
Enclosed is called The Princes Rev
erie" and consists OF five quatrains
modelled on the Rubaiyat and prefaced
by the famous quatrain beginning "Ah,
love, could you and | with him con-
spre." which the prince misquotes.
though Mabelle probably didn't know
1t. His problem seems to be some
thing like that which faces the hero of
"Alt Heidelberg" for he sings, after
three PREDATORY and ardent stanzas
An, love. IL only thou vert born princess
Or else myself were only something less
Than that which ] am now-of rank so
Oh, then we two might know such happi-
ness
The best hours of my life away have
flown,
But am so thankful that have known
The best and sweetest Joy upon this
earth
And that once l did call thee, love- my
own.
NV
Writing from Washington In October
of the present year he again reverts to
verse for consolation, the shadow of
coming parting cast across the paper.
The poem is Of four stanzas. wherein
he goes Lovelace, who furnishes the
model, one better. The poem closes as
follows:
All would go, were II not such
AS Lovelace sang Of yore-
81 could not love thee. dear, 30 much
Loved not honor more7'
At the BiJou theater the other night
Miss Gilman said she might some day
visit Siam, but, on the whole, she con-
sidered America good enough for her.
In reply to the question put to her by
an unabashed reporter whether or not
the prince proposed, she replied. What
would you have doneT
This seemed to admit Of but one an
swer, and she was allowed to make
her entrance on the stage, where she
could be heard singing. "Oh. listen 10
NI..., t.... n