The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-07-01

though he inherited his fathers degen-
 eracy he was not alcoward like Milan. There was a state banquet at the pail ace. It was a brilliant company. At the table sat the regents and ministers, diplomats and army officers, and among the women was Madame Draga, whose eyes. fixed on the king. had a strange light. Many spoke of her dark skin.
 black eyes and raven hair. She was not beautiful. yet she. seemed to faset- nate men. Her neck and arms and fln- gers were loaded with jewels. Three courses of the dinner had been eaten, and the walters were clearing away the dishes. when the king arose and said:
 My dear regents, for four years past you have, in my name. administered the kingly power. thank you heartily for the trouble you have taken, Now, however, I feel able to administer the kingly power myself. and I will exer- else it from this moment. I beg you, therefore. at once to hand me yorr re- signations in writing"
 One of the regents gasped in the eff fort of saying something; but the king l left the room without hearing him. Draga followed him. He had obeyed her instructions. The army rushed to his support; for the plot had been deep ly laid. The coup detat was success, Alexander was now king in fact. After Alexander had made a tour of the courts of Europe in search of a bride, and had been spurned every where he returned to Belgrade. to fall still more under the fascinating sway of Madame Maschin. She gave fancy dress ball. 10 which she invited the king and ali the court Then she used the most potent weapon a woman has to charm. She treated him with utter scorn. In vain he showered handfuls of confetti on her, and, having no more, he scooped up the powdered paper from the floor and threw it at her In vain. Draga lavished her attentions upon others The king was mad with ieal- ousy. He waited till the other guests were gone. On his knees he implored forgiveness.
 'sYet you went away to find wife, she said. "Oh, have read about you in the newspapers. And all he prirl- cesses called you ugly. Now you come back to me-
 The king protested, but the ambitious woman paid no heed to him until he at last promised to make her his queen.
 After the betro.hal, which startled even Servia and caused the ministry to resign, Alexander made Draga his queen at great public wedding in 1900 The woman was sixteen years older than himself. The jests over this disparity of ages, which came to his ears, appeared to annoy him far more than talk about their difference in rank. One day a circular chanced to fall into his hands which read:
 Does the king sit on the queens knee and does she rock him to sleep? Draga has two grown daughters, so she is an experienced nurse
 Alexander flew into a passion, and, seating himself beside his mature queen on a sofa, he held her hands. Summon ing his ministers and other members Of the court. he said:
 "QIeen Draga is a young woman. The two young ladies with whom she is SGCl Su OltGl dIt llUl ilcI QduSH utll her sisters. The queen is also the most beautiful and gracious lady of the realm"
 That Draga's influence over Alexan- der increased with her elevation to the throne was soon shown. After all Eti- rope had been mystlfied by stories of an expected heir, of the queens efforts to dupe her husband by a suppositieus child, of palace auarrels and threat ened divorce, Alexander announced that should he have no child he favored the queens brother, Lieutenant Lun- gievitza. as his successor, The cabinet threatened to resign and the premier called on the king and asked him in the name of the people to abandon such a thought. Queen Draga was by his side as he said with q wave of his hand:
 T shall carry out my will"
 Your majesty" ventured the pre- mier. "the will of the people should also be considered \
 Sir exclaimed the queen. before all his maiesty's will is most iinpor- tant." So saying she turned on her heel and fairly dragged the youthful monarch from the room, New York Tribllne