Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-05-15

SF&aAS I'm dashed If l do"
kTS11 My darling child
.MkSN exclaimed the grand
MNM duchess, you're impos
~ sible. If any one should
hear you!"
Its he who's impossible" the prin
cess amended. I'm just trying to show
you
"Or to shock me. You are SO LIKE
your grandmother"
THAT'S the best complimentary ont
can give me. which is lucky, as it,
given SO often" laughed the princess
Dear. adorable Virginia. She cud
died into the pink hollow Of! her hant
the pearl framed ivory miniature Of ,
beautiful. smiling girl which Away!
hung from a thin gold chain AROUND
her neck. "They shouldn't have named
me after you. should they. If they
hadn't wanted me to be like you?"
1T was partly a question Of money
dear" sighed the grand duchess. I'll
my mother hadn't left legacy to my
first daughter only on consideration
that her own extremely American
name Of Virginia should be perpetual
ed
ut was delicious way Of being pa.
triotie. I'm glad she did it. love
being the only royal princess with
American blood in my veins and an
American name on my handkerchiefs.
Do you believe for an instant that II
Grandmother Virginia were alive she
would let Granddaughter Virginia mar
~ Prince Henri de Touraine?"
Il don't see why not" said the grand
duchess. "She wasn't too patriotic to
marry an English duke and startle
London Us the first American duchess.
Heavens. the things she used to do II
one could believe half the wild stories
my fathers sister told me in warning!
And as for my father. though a most
charming man. Of course he could not
-er-have been called precisely e.
Unable. while Prince Henri certainly
Is. and an exceedingly good match
even for youth present circum-
stances"
Os~AA nAA1 u A1aSNu ~ y w UkC, uDVlU-
er. He's undoubtedly a stick. But,
no: he's not match for @me. There's
only one on earth" And Virginia's
eyes were lifted to the sky as II. in
stead Of existing on earth, the person
In her thoughts were placed as high
as the sun that shone ,above her.
II should have preferred nm Eng.
lishman for you" said the grand Ouch.
ess, III only there were, one Of suitable
rank free to-
I'm not thinking of an Engdshman."
murmured her daughter.
"If only you would think of poor
Henri
"Never Of him. You know, u said ]
would be DASH
Don't repeat it! oh. when you look
at me In that way. how like you are to
your grandmOther's portrait Mt home
the one In white. painted just before
her marriage! One might have known
you would be extraordinary. That sort
Of thing Invariably skips over, gen.
Grafton"
The grand duchess laid downs the ,the.
Ory rs law, and, whether or no she
were right, 1t was at least sure that
she had inherited nothing of the first
Firginia's daring originality-some OF
her radiant mothers beauty perhaps,
watered down to gentle pretthess, for
the hereditary Grand Duchess Of Bau-
menburg- Drippe at flfty-oDe was still
q daintily attractive woman. a middle
aged Dresden china lady. with a pcr-
feet complexion preserved by an al
most perfect temper, surprised eye
brOws, kindly dimples and a conven-
tional upper lip.
She was not by birth Hereditary"
Her lord and very much her master
had been that and had selected her to
help him reign over the hereditary
grand duchy OF BaumenbWg- Drippe.
not only because her father was an
English duke with royal Stuart blood
in his veins. but because her virgInian
mother had brought much gold to the
Northumberland exchequer. Afterward
he had freely spent such portion of
that gold MS had come to his Golfers in
trying to keep his little estates intact.
But now 1t was all gone, and long ago
he had died Of grief and bitter disap-
potntment. The hereditary grand duchy
Of BaumenburgD rippe was ruled by
. cousinly understudy Of the German
Emperor William H.: the one son of
the marriage had been adopted as heir
to his crown by the c1lildless king or
Hungaria; the handsome and laments
bly, extravagant old Duke Of North
moreland was dead: his title and vast
estates had passed to a distant and dis
agreeable relative, and the widowed
grand duchess. with her one fair
daughter. had lived for years In a pref
ty old house with n high walled gar
den at Hampton Court, lent by the
generosity Of the king and queen of
England.
For a long moment the Dresden
china lady thought In silence and some
thing of sadness. Then she reused her
Self again and asked the one and ONLY
royal princess with an American name
what. In the way Of a match she real
~ expected
-"Whar do expect: echoedyirCinia.