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

he said to his weeping cousin And she did 1t,
Napoleon acted toward Eugene with chival
rous loyalty. He laid before her all the disad-
vantages Of the brilliant yet uncertain posi-
ton he was offering her. He explained to her
his unpopularity with the old French aristo-
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 nos
tilities even in the army, in his opinion the
most serious danger; but he could cut them
short by declaring war.
"I would not have it otherwise she an
swered ct will take my risks beside YOU so
may l be worthy"
AS a queen she lacked dignity. She had
not been born to the solemn self-appreclaton
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
received by Victoria and her beloved consort
in the throne room, Eugene discovered that,
among the hundred trunks of the French v1s1-
. 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 headache due to suppressed seasick-
ness when one of her ladies dared to offer
her a choice of gowns.
A blue dress of the simplest description
seemed the only one that promised we'll. Great
ladies and maids fell upon it deftly, and In
few minutes the blue gown was readjusted 10
the empress So Eugene-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 contided
certain doubts and fears to her as expe-
rienced matron and mother of eight They
had been married two years, and yet there
was 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 fr1eEd, sent over
from England to help along.
AS had been done for the King of Rome, it
was announced in advance that should the in
one times but a hundred
1t happened after midnight and the Paris
ians awakening, counted the cannon-shots.
When they got past twenty-one, the Parisians
rolled in their beds and yawned well,
she is lucky!"
The bigamous old Jerome had bitterly per-
secuted her as an interloper. His son, plon-
Plon, her hater and detractor by inheritance,
was not persona grata with Eugene. So Ma,
DOloOn smoking
the reprobate father of the present pretender,
Victor, was forced to visit him secretly. One
day, some time after the marriage, he came,
sat down, and said
Prince, does your wife make you scenes?"
mo-" replied the husband of ClotildI the
daughter of Victor Emmanuel.
There is no living with Eugenie" sighed
Napoleon. 1.-THE moment / give audience with
another woman | risk violent quarrel"
Crack her 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 thiR
breezy independence, natural exuberance and
ineradcable unconventionalty of Eugene tc
lay traps for her. Hers a continuous per
Torrance OF the Lady walking amid the rout OF
Comus. Among others, Nine. de Metternich
wife of the Austrian ambassador, seemed tc
have vowed Eugenie's destruction. Once, at
Fontainebleau, she almost led her into going
to the races in short skirts
my deay Pauline" someone asked her
would you counsel your own sovereign tc
get herself up IN short skirts?"
THAT Is different" replied the Metternch'
my empress is royal princess, real EN-
press, while yours, my dear, is Mademoi
selle de Montijo!"
Was she only MadenloiseIe de Montijo?
Did she not keep her word: $50 may be
worthy" to the Empire and to France?
Twenty years later, in her dealings with
Bismarck after the Franco-Prussian war, Eu.
genie had practically concluded a 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.