The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-01-12

| ulng. Sucn was the young couple us
favor with the people that when they
rode In the royal coach to and from
the church not a shout of congratula-
ton was raised except by persons who
had been hired for the purpose.
The morning after the marriage
King John, surrounded by his minis
tiers and the magnates of the kingdom,
was about to sign his abdication when
man hastily entered and. approach
Ing the king, whispered in his ear:
"Your majesty, a pretender to the
throne has appeared, has claimed to be
king, and all the people in the portion
Of the city where he lives have. risen
to support him."
ION what does he support his pre-
tentionsT' asked the king angrily.
HE claims to be the true prince. the
son of King Alonzo."
But took the true prince from his
cradle with my own hands. commit
Serents and have kept him under my
eye ever since"
1.-THE pretender, your majesty. claims
that before you entered the royal
nursery the nurse placed her son in
the royal cradle and the prince in her
sons cradle. He AYERS that the prince,
your son-in-law, Is the son of the nurse,
while he, the pretender. is the son of
King Alonzo."
The king paled. In twenty years
that he had been enjoying the SOW
erelgnty 1t had never occurred to him
that mother could bring herself to
sacrifice her son for another. even
though that other were prince.
where is this woman?" he faltered.
"She is dead. your majesty"
"Dead! Then who is to prove that
this substitution was made?"
1.-The pretender claims that she fur
nished him with proofs; that he has
the infant clothes he wore the day Of
the revolution, and they are embroider-
ed with the royal arms"
The king cringed. He had not
thought when he took the baby from
his cradle to examine his clothes. He
had wrapped him In blanket he had
found on the floor He did not know
that 1t had covered Margaret's son and
she had dropped 1t in carrying him to
the princes cradle.
"Does this would be usurper bear the
lineaments Of a king?" he asked
"He is the image Of the late King
Alonzo."
us he educated or ignorant?"
Fairly educated. He claims that
his foster mother was enabled to send
him to school, having saved all the
money given her by the king for fur
nishing his son with sustenance which
enabled him to live-a sum very large"
At this point commotiOn was
heard without the palace. The king
rose from the throne In which he sat
and was observed to tremble. Call
ing the general of his armies to him,
he ordered him to quell the disturb
ance. ,,e The meeting broke up, each
person leaving to prepare for whatever
change might come. for the king was
unpopular even among his adherents,
and IL the story Of this young claim
ant could be substant.ated he was
sure to win.
The drums were beaten in the palace
court, and the kings bodyguard sprang
to arms. But 1t was too late. A large
concourse Of people, armed with all
kinds Of implements, headed by a
young man whom some who had
known the late king as young man
fancied to be Alonzo returned to life.
moved on the palace.
And so 1t was that similar scene to
that practiced by John when he made
himself king happened again, only 1t
was John himself instead of King
Alonzo who was attacked, and there
was no legitimate prince to be got rid
Of. But the claimant was a very diff
ferent man from the usurper. He had
the people all with him and could af-
ford to be magnanimous. On taking
adherents to kill any one. Having pos
sessed himself of the person of King
John and his daughter and his son-in-
law, he thus addressed the fallen mon-
arch:
"You are my fathers murderer, and
by rights ] should avenge his death in
yours. But l prefer that you should
live to repent the deed. therefore
spare your life. AS for this changeling
whom you were about to make king In
your stead, he and his wife shall go
into exile with you. May they console
you in your degradation"
At this those standing about protest
ed against such clemency and demand
ed the heads of all those who had
usurped the throne. but the conqueror
hushed the tumult by raising bis hands
and saying:
Il do not intend to enter upon my
sovereignty by bloodshed. as the usurp-
'er did. You see the end TO which he
Is reduced. l prefer TO rule over you
with your consent and the time will
come when you will be pleased that
your king did not take up the reins Of
government with an execution"
At this reply the murmurs ceased,
and the people seemed satisfied.
When the work was accomplished
the prince was proclaimed king under
the title of Theodore, but he would