Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-03
5ngands Ever-Youthfu1 Queen Making Lot Of Trouble

his country when the dowager empress
visits England. SO that he will not be-
compelled to meet her. He usually leaves
a day or two before she comes, and re-
mains away until she has gone.
-
It is when her sister is with her that
Alexandra is in her element, and Incl
dentally that she gives most trouble to
her attendants. The two women delight
in running about London like two Or
binary persons. visiting the shops, the ex-
hibitions and the hospitals, and they
never give any notice of their coming.
They like to believe that they are quite
unattended and unescorted, but any one
who knows the ropes in London can al
ways pick out half a dozen quiet. deter
mined-looking men somewhere In thelr
immediate neighborhood. These men are
members of the political branch OF Scot
land Yard. whose duty 1t is to guard roy
atty, but they find 1t particularly hard 10
do so in the case of the royal sisters. who
think nothing of calling carriage and
dashng off to an exhibition or a picture
gallery at a moments notice. In such
cases there is nothing for their guardians
to do but to follow in swift motor cars.
On one occasion. when the queen and
her sister suddenly made up their minds
to visit the London Hospital. which lies
in the heart Of an East End district popu-
lated largely by eX-subjects OF the dow
ager empress, who have no great lovefor
the house of ,Romanof, the guardians
were caught mapping. and the royal car
rage was out of sight before they real
lied that their charges had gone out. Inc
royal servants on the carriage knew well
enough what had happened, but they
dared not tell the queen, for she probably
would have declined to stop and would
have given strict orders that she should
r1l1 ttaf ,tft Ia 1N no.
left was the telephone. In few min
utes every police station in London was
ordered to turn out every available man To
search for the royal carriage and report
the direction 1t was going. The carriage
was soon located, but the ladies arrived
at the hospital before the detectives, who
had spent very uncomfortable hour and
were much relieved to find both their
charges safe.
These unconventional visits form one OF
the explanations Of the queens wonderful
popularity. She thinks nothing of walk
ing unannounced into a hospital and
strolling from bed to bed, chatting with
the patients and expressing her sympathy
with them. II 1t is children's hospital
she is in her element. for Alexandra loves
children, and the little ones seem to have
no ffar of the gracious lady who is so
friendly and sympathetic. Sometimes the
doctors and nurses have rather bad
time, for as likely as not the queen will
produce big box of candy and offer II
to little patient who is forbidden all
such Iuxuries. 1t would never do TO Of
fend the queen by forbiddlns heI to do a
kindly act but in some of the childrens
hospitals which her majesty delights to
visit 1t Is the custom to make q search of
the cots after she has left the ward and
confiscate any forbidden dainties.
In spite of her trying shortcomings.
which. after all. only affect those who
come Ii daily contact with her, Alexandra
is the most popular woman in England
among the plain people.
Copyright in America and Great Britain by
Curtis Brown