Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-04-05
Unconscious Beauty
[Original. I

directed that their only child, a daugh-
ter, should be kept from seeing her own
features as long as possible. The queen
died when the little princess, Henrietta,
was an infant, and the king placed the
child In one Of his palaces, where she
was brought up in charge Of her aunt,
the Duchess Margaret. Not Il mirror
was permitted in the palace, and the
king ordered the water in the artificial
lakes and basins with which the spa
cious grounds abounded to be drawn
off, for fear the princess should catch
the reflection of her face. From time
to time the duchess was required to
make reports to the king concerning her
charge.
"The princess is growing to be very
beautiful" the duchess reported when
Henrietta was sixteen years old, land
is absolutely unconscious of her
charms"
"Tell her," replied the king, chat she
is very homely."
The order was obeyed. The princess,
who up to this point had not thought of
her own appearance, was seized with a
desire to see what she looked like, and
the duchess was obliged to double the
distractions she had thrown in the
way of her doing so, but in time Hen
rietta began to consider that the sight
Of her ugliness would only distress her,
and she made a VOW w to see a re-
Election Of her face.
When she was twenty her father
died suddenly, and she became queen,
Those near her at once broke the Sc,
cret Of her beauty to her, but she
would not believe them. Now that
I am queen you are all disposed to
fatter me- she said, "and, though
be uglier than Medusa, you would
make me believe I am beautiful as
Venus" Her first edict was that any
n being instrumental in showing hel
her features should at once be behead.
ed.
Many neighboring princes proposed
for the hand Of the queen, but she, be
lieving in her ugliness, feared thai
when they came to see her they would
be shocked, and she would listen tt
none of them.
Now, Queen Henrietta, having nc
strong minister to assist her in gov
erning or to foil her enemies, soon be
came a prey to a coalition Of kings
who formed an alliance to invade bel
kingdom, conquer it and divide II
among them. The queen did the bes1
ch1 could IN c{op, tho ti1o thof cot r.
against her; but, having no general OF
whom she could rely, her forces were
beaten, and there vas every prospeci
that her kingdom would soon belong
to her covetous neighbors. For some
time a young officer, Theodorus,. ha(
been rising through merit alone from
one command to another, and at las
the queen decided to appoint him he!
general in chief. She had seer
him-lndeed, she knew nothing of hin
except what be had accomplished il
her service.
Meanwhile she was so troubled abou
her affairs that no one dared risk be
ing instrumental in showing her tina
she was beautiful instead of ugly, TO
in her present mood even the discover,
that she had been mistaken might LEAF
her to deal numerically with her in
former.
No sooner had the young genera
come to the supreme command thai
the tables were turned against tn
queens enemies. In a series Of bat
ties in which he displayed not onl.
great vigor and generalship, but per
sonal bravery, he routed the armie
Of his foes, laid waste their WI king
doms and annexed them to the king
dom Of his sovereign.
When the war was owe great prep
arations were made at the capital t.
receive the victorious army. Even be
fore his arrival the queen made Theodo
rus a prince, but this was only the be
ginning of the honors that were to b.
given him. He marched homo with tina
portion Of his army not needed to con
troll the newly acquired Kingdoms ant
rode at it's head on it's entry into tn
capital. The queen had directed that
throne be placed on the spacious eleva
ton forming a front to her palace upol
which to receive the young hero. Flo
fear he might break the law in show
ing her her supposed ugliness and thu
lose his head she sent him a copy o
the edict embroidered IN velvet. Upo
his arrival at the palace he threw him
self from his horse before the thron
and was about to kneel at the queen
feet when he was startled at sight Q
her transcendent beauty. Then, II
stead of kneeling, he thrust his polisf
ed shield before her face. The efec
was electrical. The queen gazed for
moment at her features, then, rlsin
from her throne, knelt at her subject
feet.
"Be thou king" she said. Il am u
longer worthy to be queen, for 70
have disobeyed my edlct, and as you
sovereign l should be obliged to b.
head you. That I cannot do"
Theodorus, raising her, led her bac
to the throne, then knelt before her.
"Gracious queen," he said, IL al
ready as ever to die in your serv1c
In the field I served al unseen soVe
eign, facing death from a sense