The Washington herald., 1916-07-29
YOUR WEDDING DAY
And the Famous Men and Women
Who Have Shared It
July 2e-Anna Tyhewick and Alex
ander Potocki.
By MARY MARSHALL.

To all admirers Of pretty women the
portraits Of the Countess Potocka, the
celebrated Polish beauty and writer,
ought to be familiar and those who wish
to pass an idle hour or so over interest
ing memoirs should become familiar with
the memoirs Of that famous lady. When
scarcely more than a child she was to
have been given in marriage to her uncle,
the Prince Stanislaus PoniatowskL This
plan luckily enough fell through and at
the age of twenty-six the beautiful young
woman became betrothed to NJ Alexander
Potocki-a name which Anna later spell
ed with a final a instead of an L
The countess speaks modestly OF her
prospects at the time OF her marriage.
Il had an old name" she writes in her
memoirs. a pleasant face and a thor
ough education. I was, in a word, what
is conventionally called a good match.
At the age of fourteen I was to have
married Prince Stanislaus Poniatowski,
my mothers brother: but as he was ap-
preaching fifty. was lanky. dry and sober
would not hear of him, and I with
stood the inducements of Jewels and q
marriage outfit" And again: II wanted
heroes like Racine's, or knights like Tan
cred. Mighty passions were my need. in
stantenous affections, great and sublime
deeds! I waited"
say that as her ideal did not appear
she made up her mind to descend from
the clouds" Various matches were
proposed and finally she and her parents
agreed upon NJ. Alexander Potocki, "ac-
knowledged as one of the best matches in
Poland
Il can still fancy myself hearing his
carriage drive into the court Of honor"
she wrote many years after in describing
h l. rzN v4-F-
an evening of the month of April; I had
caught cold and had been forbidden to
leave my room The sound of a post
horse reused me. l ran to the window
and saw young man jump out. most
gracefully. from a travelling calash, and
quickly mount the steps to the main en-
trance" Later in the evening, she tells
US, her mother brought the proposed
bridegroom to meet her in her room.
Tea was served" she goes on to say,
"and We scrutinized one another. NJ
Potoch had seen me when I was very
young indeed, at my mothers. I remem-
bered him; he had made the impression
on me of a disdainful dandy who did not
talk to little girls We looked at each
other surreptitiously, and experienced sur
prise mingled with satisfaction We were
better pleased with our prize than we
had anticipated being. Three weeks
elapsed, at the end of which we thought
we knew and suited each other perfectly.
There was. however, not the slightest
similarity in our characters or tastes
Concerning the marriage itself Anna Po-
tocka says but little. The ceremony took
place at wilma where her father was
stopping. "As he was suffering severely
from an attack of the gout, he had been
forbidden to leave his room, and the
ceremony was held in his saloon"
With her husband she went to his home
at Willanow, in Warsaw. In taking
possession of the charming apartments
my mother-in-law had prepared for me-"
she says, II fancied myself arrived at
the summit of bliss My mother had
brought me up to habits of thrift, on
principle, and I all at once found NV
self rich and Independent
Without being passionately In love
with my husband, I began to conceive a
tender fondness for him." she comments
In spite of this fact the young bride de-
cided that her happiness in life depended
upon having her husband fall nadlv IN
love with her. In order to bring this
state OF things about she wrote an i'm
letter to herself which she
took care should fall into her husbands
hand. She believed by arousine his Is.l-
ousy she might inspire the passion for
which she longed. In spite of all her
precautions the deception was discovered
and the new nother-in-law took her to
task for her foolish behaviour.
Eventually. however, Potockt seen. n
have become very much in love with his
wife and their life together was ono of
great happiness.
tcopyrisht, ns)
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