Arizona republican., 1911-08-23
MARIA PA OF PORTUGAL.
Though Stricken by Grief, She Was
 Queer to the End.

The daughter of King Victor Elm manual, founder of United Italy. mar ried Luiz l. of Portugal. grandfather of Dom Miguel. when yet in her teens. and the lovely girl she then was, and the lovner woman she became is still a tradition in the land she made her own.
 Foreign Queens have sometimes found it difficult to win the hearts Of the Portuguese. an affectionIte. but suspicious people. which has not always taken kindly to those who have served it best, but Maria Pia was always pro nounced to be sympathica. She did lit tie to win heretitle of Angel. of Chari- ty in comparison with queen Amelia, and she had grave secret ir which the latter did not share. Having nev- CT learned the value of money. she spent 1t royalty. most on clothes. and contracted heavy debts without having the means to pay them.
 There is a story of how she once bought up the whole contents of hat shop in Paris and. exaggerated as this doubtless is, the amount advanced to her by the Treasury over and above her Civil List reached a large sum for a small and poor country to provide Not withstanding. she did not pay her trIdcsmcn in Lisbon. and within the last year or two more than ono judG- ment has gone against her by default. From her Dom Carlos inherited his eX- traVagant tastes, and that mainiI for greatness which made him SD disliked may be traced to hereditary influences. though in his case they were carried so far that he dispised them, and there fore showed small sorrow at his end, 1T his rash courage facilitated his as- sasSination. it was the question of the adeautamentos and their solution by an increase of the Civil List which served as an excuse for the conspiracy leading to his death.
 Yet. strange enough. the Portuguese pardoncd in queen Maria Pia. the fail
 ing which outraged their feeling in her son. not for the chivalrous reason that she was a woman. but because of her
 rristiblc charm of manner. and admir- ed her because she was always per fcctly dressed. Rarely have secondary qualities served their owner better, She was popular with even the most violent opponents of the monarchy, who. if they condemned her spend thrift ways. never. in late years at least abused her in the press; and when as is reported. she petitioned the Re publican government for leave to re- turn and live her last days in Portu- gal. the request was not refused. but referred for decision to the Constitu cnt Assembly.
 Next to Maria Pia's charm came her courage a quality which every portu- guese acknowledged and respected. She first proved this soon after her mar riaGc SaldInha, a veteran of the Pc ninsular war. made the last of his many pronunciamontos. and required the King to dismiss his ministers. Dom LuiZ bowed to force swallowed the af- front. and received the marshal with his usual bouhomic Not SD the queen When the old soldier presented his re spccts to her. she boldly said If I were the King | should have you shot, A decision worthy of the daughter of the regalantucmo, Needless to say. Said anha suffered no such penalty. but his vanity was satisfied by his appoint ment as minister in London. where he could do no harm.
 Maria Pil carried her courage tO the end When Dom Manoel was persuad- cd to fly the country in october last she refused to go. and only consented when it was represented to her that she would cndanEcr her grandson by further refusal Those who witnessed
 the historical cmbarcation of the royal family at Ericeira will not forget her regal air at that trying moment. saw much of her at Cintra on the eve of the revolution and she attended the gymkhana. and amateur theatriCals, which were the last social events under the monarchy. Though her beauty had | fatcd. the eagle eye darted its gaze around with some of the old fire and resolution. and the strong face sur mounted by red wig recalled later portraits of the great Elizabeth, with out the vicious look that marked and marred the Virgin queen. one felt in l ..f p .barqst4r