The Ely miner., 1915-10-22

and by no less Q parsonage than his
highness, Prince Niklas Of Montene
gro, or Chernagara, as the inhabitants
of that barren district call their coun-
try.
Prince Niklas has always been, for
me at least, one of the most fascinat-
Ing personalities In Europe. 1t Is the
complex nature of the man that ap-
peals to me, that Is to say the many
characters that lie possesses and that
crop out IN him at unexpected mo-
ments. A warrior ruler, bearing the
scars of innunerable battles, poet
Of high reaown, chivalrous, ardent,
the hero Of his little people. he is also
famed for his financial necessities and
his willingness to accept monetary as
sistance from any quarter In which II
presents itself.
The greatest coup Of his reign was.
of course, the arrangement OF the mar
Rage of his charming and accom-
plished daughter Helena to the crown
prince of Italy, Victor Emmanuel, now
ruling as Victor Emmanuel III. BY this
naster-stroke Of policy he secured one
Of the great powers as firm prop for
his rather unstable throne, and bound
The dynasty of Italy securely to the
wheels of the chariot Of his own for
tunes.
Ever since the marriage Victor En-
manuel has allowed his father-in-law a
certain fixed annual stipend. There Is
nothing indiscreet In mentioning this;
Il is a matter Of common knowledge.
When war between Germany and
Austria, on the one hand, and France,
and England on the other was seen to
be inevitable, Niklas was In great per-
plexity.
Austria had also invaded Serbia
and bombarded Belgrade, the capital.
Montenegro, allied to Serbia by blood
and treaty, had not yet declared her
self upon her side. as she was shortly
20 do. And the cause of Niklas' hesita-
lion was that Italy, as the third part
Ter Of the triple alliance, was ex-
oected to take sides with her Teu-
ionic confederates. If she did so, the
irst fruits of the alliance would be
he invasion Of Montenegro by Italian
troops.
or course we all know now how
promptly Italy disavowed her responsi-
,ilities toward her allies, on the
ground that the triple alliance was for
iefense and not aggression. We know
aow ardently Italy's decision to re-
main neutral was greeted In Franco
ind England. Still. the unprejudiced
person may candidly confess that
taly's game was a very shrewd one,
md dictated more by fear of the Brit
sh fleet than by qualms Of conscience.
Perhaps Italy might legitimately have
stretched point In favor Of her part
lers So. at least. thought Victor
Emmanuel III.
In those first days of the war Italy's
Iecision was awaited with the most
intense anxiety by all the warning ma
IONS And it Is an open secret that
ling Victor was in favor Of carrying
ut. at any sacrifice. what he consid-
red to be his treaty obligations.
Picture, then. the Quirinal. rent by
iissension, the Marquis di San Clio
ranni upon the anxious seat and irres-
,lute, Victor demanding war, and his
,wn household, In the person of his
;racious consort, frantically appealing
O him not to engage in a struggle
which must mean the invasion Of her
ather's little country. Upon this
cene enters old, rugged Prince Ninlas
VI Chernagara, bent upon securing
Tictor's neutrality.
got the story of his exploit from a
riend of mine at the Italian court
me Of the Black aristocracy, that is
% say, a sponsor of the Papal claims
who, with a foot in either camp, OUR
nal and Vatican. was not averse from
:elling a tale for the confounding of
King Victor Pietro Della Campagna's
clever Italian mind was. In fact, the
irst to penetrate the mystery of the
Montenegrin cipher. before the dis
patch from the Italian minister at
Vienna convulsed the Quirinal-all ex-
.ept King Victor-with laughter. But
had better tell the story imperson-
illy-for the first portion. at any rate.
You see the spectacle in the OUR
nal: Victor pressed on all sides to
Ieclare neutrality, and obstinately re-
solved TO vindicate what he consid
,red to be his country's faith, by join
ng Austria and Germany; Di San Gio
ranui prophesying revolution should
,e comply; and the beautiful queen
or the first time In her life at odds
with her husband. Enter then, old
Siklas, who. with the suaveness of a
tather-in-law and the leverage of a
ellow-ruler. demanded audience.
He got 1t, two hours after his arrival
N the large audience room in the west
wing of the Quirinal, looking out down
he muddy Tiber. The Marchese di
San Giovanni was the third of the
party, and the only witness. Yet some
low the report of the meeting was
spread abroad with tolerable accuracy
afterward. Probably the old man bab-
oled to his cronies in the one-story
palace at Cettinje.
Niklas had not been idle during
hose two hours of waiting. He went
arst, of course. to find his daughter,
tumbling up the stairs and calling her
by her childish diminutive Finding
her in tears, he surmised at once that
his mission was going to be a hard
one. He found maid Of honor in the
corridor, and grasping her by the
wrist. dragged her into the queens
apartment, and stood by, his rugged
face wrinkled with anxiety. while she
aDD1ied can do coloppo opd cnollino ~
salts. Nothing ever satisfied old Mix.
las during his visits to Rome unless
her majesty evidenced signs of faint