River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-11-09

Have you got her?'
Hoary old sinner, unrepentant of his deser-
ton, fifty years ago, of his true American wife
in Baltimore, he had the court ladies in full
SANDER of Eugene before Napoleon had made
up his mind, and he exercised diabolical in
genuity in trying to prevent an honest mar
riage.
Those first ladies of the Second Empire had
extraordinary manners. One evening, at Com
peigna when Eugene was going in to dinner
on the arm of Colonel de Toulongeon slight
confusion permitted him to whisk Eugene
ahead of Madame Fortoul, wife OF the minister
of that name.
"How," exclaimed audibly to her cavalier
"do you permit that - creature to push
past me?"
The next morning Mile de Montijo, with
tears in her eyes, stood on the terrace apart
from the others. 1t was no to attract
Napoeon's sympathy, the girl saw her prince
hero disappearing in nightmare of hateful
gossip. Napoleon, who had sought her, asked
the cause of her sorrow.
ST must leave Compeigne," she faltered-
and told of the sights and insults to which
she was subjected. -A
The emperor listened to the beautiful girl
Then, when she had finished, he tore green
string of ivy from park tree, deftly twisted
it into crown and said loudly-that all might
hear-as he placed it on her head:
"Wear this one-meanwhile.
It is a twice-told anecdote, but, it
Napoleon's proposal of marriage, I way
to omit it. He never actually asked her hand
he took it. Not another murmur arose from
the court ladies. At once they focked around
Eugene
1t was another matter, however, for Napo-
leon to force his choice the statesmen and
soldiers backing his still risky empire. Opin-
ions were divided on what royal alliance he
should make. Some were for a princess OF
Sweden; some for a Braganza. some for the
Hohenzolern. Then, suddenly, Napoleon,
speaking of Eugene, sprung the mine by say
ing There is no question but the right of
hand"
mo question but the right of hand!" The
words ran through his hackers like an alarm
of fire. One with the strongest hold upon
Napoleon-De Persigny, his minister of the in
terior-was sent to tell him in the name of all
that it would not do.
De Persigny, mixed up with Napoleon in
many an adventure, had kept his oldcomrade
liberty of speech. He joked about Napoleon's
admiration for Eugenie surely the emperor
must amuse himself. When he noticed that
Napoleons face grew stern, he rose to fighting
arguments brutally accommodating proofs and
reasons why marriage would be idiotic both
dynastcally-and otherwise. He sneered at
the Montijo title; brought out the grandfather,
Kirkpatrick bankrupt Malaga raisin merchant
and then he took up Eugenie's rowing life,
What was the girl doing here in Paris?"
did you ever hear of the young Duke of
Sesto?" asked De Persigny did you ever
hear of Merimee?"
"Merimee is a great writer" said Napoleon.
"Surely-for he writes Eugenie's letters to
you!" laughed De Persigny. Mother, daugh-
ter, and newspaper man sit round the table
and concoct the beautiful letters that you cher
fish, Really it was not worth risking the coup
d'etat to arrive at that!"
What a triumph for the aged lady to recall
Napoleon's steadfast love in face of both policy
and SANDER! It was always known why Eu-
genie hated De Persigny, Prince Jerome and
the Princess Mathilde. She could forgive po-
litical counselors who pressed the royal prin-
cesses upon Napoleon; she could not forgive
the powerful ones who sought - take away
her character behind her back
Napoleon heard them all alike. He answered
nothing. Fould and most of the military back
ers with Edward Ney and Toulongeon for
their Spokesman, formed rapidly "The Clan
of the Lovers" In vain did Mathde drag her
self at Napoleon's knees. begging him to re-
nounce marriage that would be the ruin of
them all. The emperor had decided "You will
give great ball to announce the engagement"