The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1911-11-23


Napoleon acted toward Eugene with chival
rous loyalty. He laid before her all the disad'
vantages of the brilliant yet uncertain posi-
tion he was offering her. He explained 10 ner
his unpopularity with the old French ar1sto.
Gratis. the bad will of certain great powers the
possibility of his being assassinated by some
secret ociety of which he had become mem
Der in his adventurous youth There were hos
tilities even in the army, in his opinion the
most serious danger; but he could cut the"
short by declaring war.
81 would not have it otherwise" she an
swered 'T will take my risks beside you. So
may be worthy!"
Az queen she lacked dignity. She had
not been born to the solemn self-appreclalon
of ROYALTY: and she was a mixture of lightness
and austerity, generosity and sense, kindness
and Indifference, in which the TRANSITIONS
were abrupt and disconcerting to French order
Illness.
Alone among the sovereigns of Europe
Queen Victoria had received her cordially;
more. she had taken up Eugene and imposed
her on the courts of Europe Yet even at
Windsor. where the imperial couple were re-
ceived with extraordinary pomp, Eugenies IN
souciance threatened to play her a bad turn
that would have illustrated her un-imperial
attitude.
quarter of an hour before they were TO be
in the throne room, Eugene discovered that
among the hundred trunks of the French visi-
tors. hers alone had not arrived! The en-
peror was deeply mortified that the discovery
should have been made SO late, as showing
lack of discipline and serene orderliness, and
on his advice Eugene had already begun to
pretend a headache due to suppressed seasick-
ness when one of her ladies' dared to offer
her choice of gowns.
A blue dress of the simplest description
seemed the only one that promised well. Great
ladies and maids fell upon it deftly, and in
few minutes the blue gown was readjusted to
the empress. SO Eugenie-without jewels,
flowers at her corsage and flowers in her hair
appeared before the British court in her own
dazzling beauty. She made an immense sue
cess
What most touched victorias heart. it may
be told, was the pathetic and pretty way In
which the young couple spontaneously confided
certain doubts and fears to her an expe-
rienced matron and mother of eight They
had been married two years, and as yet there
was no heir. When the little prince-imperial
was born, one lady only was permitted to be
present with the doctors and the serving
women all the time This was the Countess Of
Ely, Queen Victoria's intimate friend, sent over
from England to help along
AS had been done for the King of Rome, it
FAINT be boy, cannon would fire. not twenty.
one times but hundred.
1t happened after midnight and the Paris
ians, awakening, counted the cannon-shots.
When they got past twenty-one, the Parisans
rolled over In their beds and yawned We'll,
she is lucEy!"
The bigamous old Jerome had bitterly per-
secuted her an interloper. His son, Plon-
Plon, her hater and detractor by inheritance,
-
poleon, who enjoyed smoking cigarettes with
the reprobate father of the present pretender.
Victor, was forced to visit him secretly. One
day. some tins after the marriage, he came.
sat down, and said:
Prince, does your wife make you scenes?"
NO." replied the husband of Clotilde the
daughter of Victor Emmanuel
There is no living with Eugene" sighed
Napoleon. 1.-THE moment give audience with
another woman risk violent quarrel"
Crack her on the side Of the face the next
time she makes you a scene" suggested Plon-
Plon.
Don't think of It," exclaimed the emperor
'You don't know Eugene; she would open
window of the Tuileries and cry 'Police!'"
To the end women took advantage of this
breezy independence, natural exuberance and
ineradicable unconventionality Of Eugene to
lay traps for her. Hers was a continuous per-
Comus Among others, Nine. de Metternich,
wife Of the Austrian ambassador seemed TO
have vowed Eugenie's destruction Once. at
Fontainebleau she almost led her into going
to the races in short skirts
my dear Pauline" someone asked her,
would you counsel your own sovereign to
get herself up in short skirts?"
"That is different" replied the Metternich,
my empress is a royal princess, a real en-
press, while yours, my dear, is Mademoi-
selle de Montijo!"
Was she only Mademoselle de Montijo?
Did she not keep her word: so may be
worthy" to the Empire and to France?
Twenty years later, in her dealings with
Bismarck after the FrancoPrussian war Eu-
genie had practically concluded treaty while
refusing to concede IAN inch of French terri
tory" The Republicans. taking the deal out of
her hands, agreed to the loss of Alsace and
Lorraine.
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