The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-07-09
Jane thought I had gone stark mad.

Jane thought had gone stark mad.
rvs sympathy toward Louis, for the
young queen soon took it upon herself
to make life burden to "the Father of
His People," and in that particular line
suppose she had no equal in all the
length and breadth of Christendom.
/ heartily detested King Louis, large
~, I think, because of prejudice alb
sorbed from Mary, but 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 in head, espe-
c1ally where women were concerned.
Take his crazy attempt to seize the
Countess of Croy while he was yet
Duke of Orleans, and his infatuation
for the Italian woman, for whom he
built the elaborate burial vault-much
1t must have comforted her! Then his
marriage to dictatorial little Anne of
Brittany, for whom he had induced
Pope Alexander to divorce him from
the poor little crippled owlet Joan. In
consideration of this divorce he had
put Caesar Borgia, Pope Alexander's
son, on his feet financially and polit-
ically. I 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.
Bat this last passion, the Pickering,
sputtering fame of his dotage, was
the worst of all, both subjectively and
effectively, both as to his senile fond
ness for the English princess and her
impish tormenting of him. From the
first he evinced the most violent delight
in Mary, who repaid it by holding him
OH and evading him in manner so
cool, audacious and adroit that it
stamped her queen of all the arts fem
mime and demoniac. Pardon me, la
dies, if couple these two arts, but YOU
must admit they are at times some
what akin. Soon she eluded him so
completely that for days he would not
have glimpse Of her, while she was
perhaps riding, walking or coquetting
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 man who is the victim of prac-
teal 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 manner 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 indecorous
for him to behave so and brighten her,
poor, timid little child, with his i'm
petuosities. Then she would manage
to give him the slip, and he would 20
OF and play game of cards with him
self, firmly convinced in his own feeble
way that woman's nature had a tine
ture Of the devil in it. He was the soul
of conciliatory kindness to the young
vixen, but at times she would break
violently into tears, accuse him Of cru
ely mistreating her, helpless woman
and stranger in his court, and threat
en- to go home to dear old England and
tell her brother, King Henry, all about
it 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 in.
vented and try to coax her into a good
humor. Thereupon she would weer
more bitterly than ever, grow hyster.
zeal and require to be carried off by he1
women, when recovery and composure
were usually instantaneous. OF course
the court gossips soon carried stories OF
the quick ,recoveries to the king, ani
when he spoke to Mary of them she
put on her injured air again and turned
the tables by upbraiding him for be
lieving such calumnies about her, WIZ
was so good to him and loved him 8.
dearly