The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-06-04

| n III
q III to the long list of strange love
" affairs which have famed up
in the House of Hacsburg, the
most eccentric reigning family in Eu-
rope.
The hero of this latest story is the
Archduke Eugene, the tallest and hand
soonest OF the male Hapsburgers, who
are all big and fine men. Archduke
Eugene is a brother of the queen re-
gent of Spain, and consequently uncle
OF Alfonso Kill, while the aged en-
peror of Austria is his cousin.
For many years Archduke Eugene
was the poorest member of the family.
having had nothing beyond his sparse
pay as an officer, except the allowance
of $40, 900 per annum which every arch
duke receives from the family funds
from the moment of his birth. Although
an ordinary citizen might manage with
economy to worry along on that income
1t makes a poor showing beside the mil
lion dollars year received by Arch
duke Franz Ferdinand, who is theoreti-
cally next in line to the throne, or the
huge income of Archduke Otto, younger
brother of Franz Ferdinand and father
of the little Karl who is thought by
many to be the only one of the line of
heirs to the throne sufficiently popular
to succeed Emperor Francis Joseph.
But in 1896, when Archduke Eugene
had attained his 32nd birthday, the
sudden death of his uncle, Archduke
Wilhelm, who was killed by fall from
his horse, made him the possesscr of
eight immense estates in different parts
of Austria and Hungary of a magnifi-
cent palace on the Ringstrasse in Wen
ma, of six other castles and palatial resi-
dences in various parts of the country,
and of fortune estimated at $40, 000,-
600. This windfail made him a most
important member of the imperial fam
lily and one of the leaders-in-chief of
high society in Austria, so that hence
forth he VIZ harassed and pursued by
all the mothers who had daughters elig-
ible for matrimony with a royal per-
sOnage.
Archduke Eugene, however, remained
proof against the charms of all the
archduchesses and princesses from
whom he could have selected wife, land
it now appears that a romantic attach
ment for a girl of humble birth has
kept him single all these years.
Unlike most of the Austrian arch
dukes, Eugene is extremely popular
among all classes of society. In Vienna
he is particularly well known to the
population, for when in the city he ap-
pears every day on the fashionable
promenade on the Ringstrasse, and may
often be seen strolling about the streets,
looking in the shop windows and watch
ing the crowd with keen human inter-
est. On such occasions his imperial
highness is always followed by a throng
OF curious spectators, for he stands 6
feet inches in his stockings, and in
variably is accompanied by a diminu-
tive aide de camp, who sets off his
gigantic height to picturesque advan-
tage.
1t was eight years ago that Archduke
Eugene first met the girl whom he now
desires to make his recognized wife. 1t
was on Sunday afternoon, and the
archduke was walking alone in a re-
mote part of the Wiener Valid, the i'm
mense forest stretching away to the
west OF Vienna, when suddenly he
came upon little family party con-
sisting of husband, wife and one plump
daughter of considerable beauty, pic
nickiIg on a patch of grass among the
trees. The archduke was in plain tour
list costume, and as he was not known
to the little group of persons by sight
they had no idea that he was anything
more than an ordinary Sunday excur-
sionist. In his free and easy, courteous
fashion he stopped and asked them the
way to Baden-bei-Wien and having re-
ceived the information he wanted, he
fingered to chat with them, for he had
at once beer attracted by the personal
magnetism of the Young girl
Herr Mayer.
On such occasions little formality
is observed by the Austrians, and soon
the picnickers invited the archduke to
sit down on the grass and join them in
their lunch. He accepted the invitation
and introduced himself as Herr Mayer,
a civil engineer employed on the state
railways, while his hosts introduced
themselves to him as Herr Goeb, owner
of bakers and confectioner's shop at
Budapest; his wife, Frau Goeb and
their daughter, Fraeulein Anna Goeb
aged Is. Herr Goeb had taken fort
nights holiday from the cares and wor-
ries of his business and had brought
his wife and daughter for visit to
Wiener Valid, but, he added, their time
would be up in day or two, and they
must return home to Budapest
The archduke remained with them
all the rest of that day, and accom-
panied them back to their lodging be-
fore parting with them for the night
with promise tC call for them again
on the following morning. This he
did, and spent their last two days en-
tirely with them, coming early in the
morning and leaving them at night. 1t
was quite clear to the parents that
their daughter was the attraction
which brought him so often; but they
raised no objection, for it seemed to
them that an engineer on the state rail-
ways would be most acceptable match
for her.
Engaged.
After they had returned to Budapest
the archduke, still in the character Of
Herr Mayer, the engineer, visited them
as often as he could find time, and be-
fore long he and Anna Goeb had ex-
changed engagement rings, and her
parents had accepted him as her future
husband.
In this period the archduke enter
tanned the idea of marrying the girl
secretly and of keeping the fact Of his
r. Co.,