The San Francisco call., 1903-01-25

HHlEnI-DlL
which ! had been carrying under my arm
On his head. cut a few capers in ar en-
tiroly new and equally antic step. and
then drew back and knocked that Bac-
ohus down. Jane thought I had gone
stark mad, and her eyes grew big with
wonder but ] walked proudly back TO
hey after MY victory over Bacchus and
reassured her-with few Of Mary's mes
sages that J had still left over, If the
truth must be told. Then we made ar
ranEements that resulted in our marriage
next morning
Accordingly. Queen Mary and one or
two others went with US down to a little
church. where. as fortune would have II.
there was n little priest ready TO join to-
gether in the holy bonds Of wedlock little
Jane and little me. Everything so appro-
PIRATE YOU see; ] suppose in the whole
world we couldn't have found another set
~ cOnditons so harmonious. Mary laugh
ed and cried. and laughed again, and
clsnped her hands over and over, and said
fl was like a play wedding: and, as she
kissed Jane. quietly slipped over her head
a beautiful diamond necklace that was
worth fun ten thousand pounds-aside,
that is from the millions Of actual value
because II came from Mary. "A play
wedding" il was. and a play life II has
been ever since.
We were barely settled at court in
Paris when Mary began 10 put her plans
in motion and unsettle things generally.
7 could not but recall Henry's sympathy
toward Louis, for the young Queen soon
took t upOn herself TO make life a burden
TO the Father of his People: and, in that
particular line. 7 suppose she had no equal
I'm an the length and breadth Of Christen-
dom
] heartily detested King Louis, largely,
7 think because Of prejudice absorbed
from Mary. hut he was. In fact a fairly
good old man. and at times I could but
pity him. He was always soft in heart
and softer I'm head. especially where wo-
men were concerned. Take his crazy at
tempt 10 seize the Countess of Croy while
he was yet Duke of Orleans; and his in
fatuation for the Italian woman. for
whom ne built an elaborate burial vault
much it must have comforted her.
Then his marriage 10 dictatorial little
Anne of Brittany, for whom he had in
duced Pope Alexander TO divorce him
from the poor little crippled owlet, Joan.
in consideration Of this divorce he had
put Caesar Borgia. Pope Alexander son,
on his feet financially and politically. 1
think he must have wanted the owlet
back again before he was done with
Anne. because Anne was a termagant-
and ruled him with the heaviest rod Of
iron she could lift. But this last passion
the flickering. sputterinG fame Of his
dotaCe-was the worst OF all. both sub
jectively and effectively: both as to his
senfle fondness for the English princess
and her impish tormenting Of him. From
the first he evinced the most violent de-
light in Mary, who repaid IL by holding
him of and evading him in manner so
cool. audacious and adroit. that it stamp
ed her queen OF all the arts feminine and
demoniac. Pardon me, ladies. If I couple
these two arts. but you must admit they
are at times somewhat akin Soon she
elUded him so completely that for days
he would not have a glimpse OF her, while
she was perhaps riding, walking or CO.
cuettfng with some Of the court gallants.
who aided and abetted her in every way
they could. he became almost frantic in
pursuit Of his elusive bride. and would
expostulate with her, when he could catch
her and smile uneasily, like a man who
Is the victim Of practical Joke Of which
he does not see, or enjoy. the point. On
such occasions she would laugh in his
face, then grow angry-which was so easy
for her TO do-and, grieve TO say, would
sometimes almost swear at him IN a man
ner TO make the pious. though ofttimes
lax-virtued, court ladies shudder with hor-
ror She would at other times make
sport OF his youthful ardor. and tell him
IN all seriousness that It was fndecorous
for him TO behave so and frighten her, a
poor, timid little child. with his impetu-
ositles. Then she would manage to give
him the slip; and he would go off and
play q game OF cards with himself firmly
convinced in his own feeble way that
woman's nature had q tincture Of the
devil in It He the soul of concilia-
tory kindness TO the young vixen. but at
times she would break violently into
tears. accuse him OF cruelty mistreating
her, a helpless woman and a stranger in
his court, and threaten to 90 home to
dear old England and tell her brother
King Henry all about II. and have him
put things TO right and redress her
wrongs generally. In fact, she acted the
part Of injured innocence so perfectly
that the poor old man would apologize
for the wrongs she invented, and try to
coax her into a good humor. Thereupon
she would weep more bitterly than ever,
grow hysterical and require to be carried
of by her women, when recovery and
cOmpOsure were usually instantaneous. OF
course the court gossips soon carried
stories Of these quick recoveries to the
King, and, when he spoke to Mary Of
them she put on her injured air again
end turned the tables by upbraiding him
for believing such calumnies about her,
who was so good to him and loved him
50 dearly.
] tell you II is a waste OF time to fight
against that assumption Of injured inno-
cence-that impregnable feminine re-
doubt-and when the enemy once gets
fairly behind II one might as we'll raise
the siege. I think It the most amusing,
eXasperabng and successful defense and
counter attack IN the whole science of
war, and every woman has IL at her fin
ger-tips, ready for immediate use upon
occasion.
Mary would often nout for days togeth-
er and pretend illness. Upon one occasion
she kept the King waiting at her door all
morning. while she, having slipped
through the window, was riding with
some OF the young people in the forest.
When she returned-through the window
she went TO the door and scolded the
poor old King for keeping her waiting
penned UP in her room all morning. And
he apologized.
She changed the dinner hour TO noon in
accordance with the English custom. and
had heavy supper at night. when she
would make the King gorge himself with