Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-27

seated apart and in state and their
entrance and departure were in the
nature of a beautiful pageant, during
which all present rose in Difference.
Guards, in wonderfully picturesque
costumes of richly colored velvet, with
plumed hats, lined the magnificent
stairway. Following this entertain
ment was a theatre party, where the
boxes were reserved for the members
of the royal family and the delegates
to the congress.
We were pleasantly placed in the
! box with the delegates from England.
l remember We went at P. M. and
the performance lasted until A. NJ.
Elk Queen Maria Christina was there,
and l remember with what keen inter-
est and apparent pleasure she watched
the three little one-act comedies pre-
sented
1T was that night, I think, King
Alphonso returned to his capital, and
Immediately cards were delivered by
messengers summoning us to the royal
palace of Madrid for reception to be
given on Friday evening from to s
O'Clock. Full dress was specified for
1NNfNAAiNAit anu we lett tIliL the HOuf
for behaving our very best was come
AS Minister lde had been unable to
attend social functions for some rea-
son or other he was represented by
his charge daffaires, Mr.. Turner, of
Virginia, an unreconstructed rebel
who was evidently a trifie afraid lest
his American Quaker proteges, unac-
customed to consorting with 'coronets
and kings, might be guilty of some
breach of Spanish etiquette. AS a
matter of fact, we did feel somewhat
| helplessl
We implored him to tell us exactly
what to do, and especially what not
to do, and were instructed that it was
vital that we be on time and that we
were not expected to kiss the hands Of
the SoVerelgns. And so with some
what quaking hearts we set out for
the beautiful marble palace, centuries
old, where the Emperor Napoleon in
troduced his brother Joseph when he
set him on the Spanish throne, with
the remark that Joseph would be bet
ter housed than he was himself.
Our wraps were laid aside in what
seemed to be the guardroom and we
.
ment that opened on one side into
private room and upon the other into
the throne room. All the foreign del
! egates were ranged in National groups
along the state apartment and the
Spanish committees were assembled
in the throne room.
In America the President stands
still and guests are presented. In
Spain it was the reverse. The King
and Queen, with their family and
royal suite, entered from the private
apartment and passed from group to
group, few out of each group being
formally presented.
1t had been agreed that Mr.. Turner
should present DR.. Janney and myself
Mrs. American and Miss American to
the royal personages. Those of the
gentlemen present who did not wear
evening dress wore uniforms and as
soon as the Sovereigns entered the
musical click of spurs tinkled through
the salon. The King was in full uni
form and carried in his hand golden
helmet. curiously and beautifully
wrought.
THE Queen looked exquisitely love-
her large, clear gray eyes.
Her costume was not decollete. 1t
! appeared to have a foundation of
white satin with yoke, sleeves and
/ train of Irish point lace and an over
dress of smoke tinted chiffon. Her
| jewels were smoke-tinted pearls.
when their Majesties were present
| ed to us / had been racking my mind
to think what possible subject the
Queen of Spain and an American
! Quakeress could have in common. The
only thing l could think of was that
we were both mothers, and when l
said to Her Majesty that l had seen
her three pretty children taking their
drive, the brightest smile flashed
across her countenance and she said
| her eldest son, Alphonso, Prince of
Asturias, not quite years old, had
come to her that day with a blackened
eye and a multitude Of scratched, but
had scorned her efforts at coincidence
on the score that now he was a
boxer
| Upon my expressing pleasure that
our conversation could be carried on
| in English the Queen said that in their
/ home life she and her husband and
the children spoke this language, but
| that she had studied Spanish when
! her marriage to the King of Spain
was arranged and now spoke and un-
! derstood and loved it. =
I'm the meantime DIR. Janney had
| been expressing to the King his
| pleasure that the sovereign should
lend his personal support to the cause
| for which the Congress was convened,
and King Alphonso replied that he felt
his individual responsibility in the
moral state Of his kingdom and had
| been earnestly striving to bring his
Army to a high standard of efficiency.
! THE royal pair moved on, followed
! by the beautiful Ex-Queep Maria
| Christina, who smiled and bowed, but
did not speak. Then appeared the
cheerful and cordial Infanta Isabella,
| who wanted to know how we were
and had we seen Christina We
must see Christina, and we assured
her we had
"The personalities of these three
royal ladies were most interesting.
The Infanta intensely absorbed in all
| their National interests and sports.
1 L. l...1I ~1,k