The Detroit times., 1914-01-15

lcall him. and Water Franz" which,
being translated means, the oiu
Frank" Father Frank.
It was shortly after the attempt TO
lassassinate him was made that FrahL
Iosef's romance opened. HIS mother
had been hectoring him for some
time 10 marry. 1t was not hitting
that the ruler of great nation
should be without consort or an
heir. She had wife selected LOT
him. Helena, the eldest daughter OF
the Bavarian Duke Max. franz
IIosef had no special wish TO marry
her nor. indeed, to marry any one,
when the scheme was first broacheu
10 him, but since IL was part OF the
duty OF king. he consented ne
act out for the dukes castle TO ask
for Helenas hand, IL being fore
gone conclusion that the request
would be granted.
And now we see how fairy stories
sometimes work out, even IN the
Ilives OF kings. The young king
ldidn't know there was Cinderella
lin the Bavarian Dukes household
a Young sister without any dowry
,r social emineuce. He saw her hrst
while he was driving through the
mark that surrounded Duke Maxs
castle She was strolling in tho
Garden and she vas only Is and
very beautiful. with long chestnut
hair that quite ensnared the neart
Of the 23.year-old king. Her name
was Elizabeth, and the king seems
to have fallen IN love with her at
FIRST sight. quite as real prince
should
He would not marry Princess
Helena. whom his mother had Sc
lected he announced No. he would
marry Cinderella OF the garden or
nobody. His mother stormed, the
duke objected; all his councillors
pointed out the folly OF such a plan,
but Franz was quite unmoyed. What
was the use OF being emperor II you
could not marry whom YOU chose?
So he married Elizabeth. and she
| became empress OF Austria and
queen Of hungary, and a power for
good in the land She worked re-
forms in the prohlgate Austrian
court. and her beauty and her char
]
/ husbands domains.
/ Did Not Live Happy Ever After
But sad 10 say. they did not live
happily ever after. Ike the prince
and princess of the fairy tales. There
came period OF arrangement. when
the queen kept court apart for years
and was very wretched and unhap-
py, SO that some people whispered
she walked perilously near the dark
country Of Madness But they We're
lreoonciled before the last terrible
chapter in her sorrOwful life, when.
walking on q sunny quay beside the
blue Jake OF Geneva this gentle lady
was stabbed 10 death by an Italian
anarchist That was 5 years ago,
but the king never married again.
There have been other tragedies,
too, In Franz Josefs life. There was
the sordid story OF his only son,
found dead IN a lonely hunting lodge
with "A young countess who had been
his mistress. dead beside him Of
lhclal announcement said the prince
had been assassinated. built seems
probable he killed himself as we'll as
the woman.
The who'll world knows the story
hQf Macmillan and his littla\ dream
Of crvpTe and how he died az the
hands of Mexican firing squad in
a sun-washed plaza, asking his slay-
ers TO shoot low that his mother
might look upon his face unmarried
by Bullets.
And John Orth." who was born
Archduke Johann Salvatore and re-
signed al his pomp and titles To-
/. marry an actress and become plain
. John Orth and sailed away I'm a nier
chant vessel that was never soon
again he. too. was no small source
Of grief 20 old Franz Josef Always
J ne hoped that John Orth" would
leone back, and he has never permit.