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

young man who dominates all around
him. He wishes To take for his bride
girl who could not by any possibility
herself he heireSS to throne. bal
fancieS that his desire IS to mold his
wife and therefore to take a girl with
out too many important and importu-
! nate relatives, for he is not one who
/ would dream OF adding to his great
ness 10y using the wealth or position
of woman. He has all he needs or
wants of that sort. And then. bal re-
minds me. Leopold is very partial to
England. which helped Rhactia passive
/ ly in the time of her trouble eight
years ago. The fact that you have
! lived in England and had an English
! education would he faVorablv regard
ed both by Leopold and his chancellor.
; And, though I've never allowed YOU to
have 4 photograph taken since YOU
We're Il child q hate seeing young girls
faces in the newspapers and magazines;
even though they are royal their fea-
! lures need not be public property and
| you have lived here in such scclusion
that you've been little seen. sti. tie
rumor has reached I;hactia that you
nre-good TO look at. Leopold las been
heard to say that, Whatever else the
future empress of Rhaeta may be. he
won't give his people an ugly woman
to reign over them. And so alto
gether"-
and SO altogether. my references
being satisfactory. at Il pinch | might
do for the place" cut IN Virginia. with
the hot. impatient rebellion of her
youth. 'Oh. mother. you think me
mad or Il fool. know, and perhaps |
am mad. yet not mad enough not to see
that it would he Il great thing Il Won
| dcrful thing. to bc asked in marriage
by the one man in my world if-ah.
that great ii'-hr had only seen and
fallen In love with me Il might have
happened. You know. Is You say. I'm
not ugly. and can be rather pleasant
If l choosc-so believe. If he had
only come to this land to see what |
was like. as royal men did in the dear
old fairy stories. and then had asked
me to be his wife. why. ! should have
been coaceited enough to think 1t was
because he loved me even more than
because of other things. Then ! should
have been happy-ycs. dear. I'll con
fcSS ii to you now-almoSt happy
enough to die of the great JOY and tri-
umph of 1t. But now I'm not happy.
| 7 will tnorrv I nnpDI,J ,r- I'll no
man. but | swear to you | won't be
married to Leopold in Count Won Brett
STEMS hateful old. cold. cut and dried
way"
It's the emperor's way as well as
Won Brci;stcins."
Then for once in his big. grand. OBJ
siinate life he'll have to learn that
there's one insignificant girl who won't
play Griselda even for the sake of be-
Ing his empress"
The girl proclaimed this resolve. ris-
ing TO her feet with her head high
and n look in her gray eyes which
told the grand duchess that 1t would Ee
hopeless for her to argue down the
resolution. At first II was proud look
and n sad look. but suddenly a beam
Of light flashed into 1t and began to
sparkle and twinkle. Virginia smiled
and showed her dimplcs. Her color
came and went. In moment she was
n different girl. and her mother. be-
wildered. fearful still. dared to hope
something from the change.
How odd you look" she exclaimed.
you've thought Of something. You
are happy. You have the air of-of
having found some plan"
ut found me. | think" the girl an
swered. laughing. "all suddenly. just
In n flash. That's the way 1t must be
with Inspirations. This Is one-I know
1t. It's all in the air. floating round
me. But shall grasp 1t SOON"
She came close to her mother. still
smiling. and knelt down in the grass ut
her feet. looking up with radiance in
her eyes
Luckily there was no one save the
Dresden china lady and the birds and
flowers TO see how a young princess
threw her Ctntic of dignity away. for
the two did not keep royal state and
royal retinue In the quaint old house
ut Hampton Court. and the big elm
which Virginia loved kindly hid the
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