Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-08-03

can say for the dake
Years and years ago the prince had
had a son: hat al the tender age Of
three the boy hal run away rom the
castle confines. and no enc ever heard
Of him again. The enemies on the
prince whispered among themselves
that the boy had run away to escape
compulsory military service. but the
boys age precluded this accusation.
The prince advertised, after the fash
ion OF those times. sent out detectives
and notified his various brothers; but
his trouble went for nothing Not the
slightest trace of the boy could be
found. So he was mourned for sea.
son, regretted and then forgotten; the
prince adopted the grape arbor.
saw the prince once. do not
blame the Princess Hildegarde for her
rebellion. The prince was not only
old: he was fat and ugly, with little.
elephant-like eyes that were always
vein-shot, restless and full Of mischief.
He might have made good father,
but | have nothing TO prove this.
Those bottles of sparkling Moselle
which he failed to dlspose OF to the
American trade he gave to his brother
in Barscheit or drank himself. He
was 6S years old
A nephew, three times removed, was
waiting for the day wnen he should
wabble around in the princes shoes.
He was a lieutenant in the duke s
body-guard. a quick-tempered. heady
chap. Well, he never wabbled around
In his uncle's shoes, for he never got
the chance. 1850
] hadn't been in Barscheit week
before heard a great deal about the
princess, She was a famous horse
woman This made me extremely aIix-
ious to meet her Yet for nearly six
months I never even got so much as a
glimpse of her, Half Of the six months
she was travelling through Austria, and
the other half she kept out Of my way,
not intentionally; she knew nothing
Of my existence: simply, fate moved us
about blindly. At court she was In.
'variably indisposed, and at the first
court ball she retired before | arrived.
| got up at all times, galloped over all
roads, but never did | see her. She
rode alone, too, part of the time.
The one picture of her which | was
lucky enough to see had been taken
when she was six, and meant nothing
to me in the way of identification. For
all knew | might have passed her on
the road She became to me the
Princess in the Invisible Cloak, pass
ing me often and doubtless deriding
my efforts to discern her My curl,
osity became alarming. / couldn't
sleep for the thought of her. Finally
we met, but the meeting was a great
surprise to US both. This meeting
happened during the great hubbub of
which | have just written; and at the
same time | met another who had
great weight in my future affairs.
The princess and became rather
man, according to her code, but, In
the historic words OF the drug clerk,
was something just as good. She hon
ored me with a frank, disinterested
friendship, which still exists. ! have
yet among my fading souvenirs OF
diplomatic service half dozen notes
commanding me to get up at dawn and
ride around the lakes, something like
is miles She was almost as reckless
a rider as myself. She was truly fa-
nous rider, and a woman who sits
well on a horse can never be aught
but graceful. She was, in fact, youth
full and charming, with the most mag
nificent black eyes | ever beheld in n
Teutonic head; witty. besides, and .
songstress of no ordinary talent. If
had been in love with her--which
solemnly vow | was not!-I shonld
have called her beautiful and exhaust
ed my store of complimentary adjec-
lives
The basic cause of all this turmoil,
about which ! am to spin my nara
tive, lay in her education. ] hold that
a German princess should never be
| mean TO convey that her education
should not go beyond German litera-
ture, German history, German venera-
ton of laws, German manners and
German passivity and docility. The
Princess Hldegarde had been edu.
Gated in England and France, which
simplifies everything, or, / should say,
to be exact, complexities everything.
She possessed healthy contempt
for that what-d'-ye-call-it that hedges
in king. Having mingled with Ems
disappearing people. she returned to
her native land, her brain filled with
the Importance of feminine liberty o.
thought and action. Hence. she be-
came the bramble that prodded tbc
grand duke whichever way he turned
His days were filled with horrors. hi
nights with mares which did not have
box-stalls in his stables.
Never could he anticipate her In
anything. On that day he placed
guards around the palace she wrote
verses or read modern fiction: the mo
ment he RELAXED his vigilance she was