South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-22
BEHIND THE SCENES
With Rulers and Leaders of Wartime Europe
By the Princess RddziWin
Copyright

tate where her parents spent the
whole OF the year.
Aunt and Niece.
She felt grateful to the aged lady
who had come so unexpectedly to
her rescue. and she showed her this
gratitude by many small attentions
which quite won for her the heart
OF her protectress. The latter tried
20 help this niece OF whom she had
become so fond and introduced her
into the best circles Of this exclu-
sive Moscow society which is or
rather was at that time. far more
difficult Of access than the more in
ternational one Of St Petersburg.
Natalie became very soon a faNorite
with all the people 10 whom she was
presented.
Soon after the end Of her first
season she was married 10 young
officer in one Of the smart guard
regiments. who happened 10 be in
Moscow accidentally and who fell
Immediately i'm love with her pretty
face. He was rich, handsome. but "a
hopeless drunkard. fact which
was carefully concealed from the
knowledge Of the Systematically
family. Very soon Natalie. who had
been taken 10 -. Petersburg by her
husband. found out that she had
linked her fate TO a brute, who i'll
treated her i'm every way Happily,
Russia always was the land where
it was possible for woman TO seek
through divorce, heT deliverance
from an in assorted union without
being ostracized for il by the So
ciety 10 which she belonged. Ma
talie, acting on the advice Of her
father and mother applied for a di-
vorce and obtained il without any
difficulty.
For a year or two. she led a very
retired existence in Moscow. whittier
she had returned, settling in a
small fiat of her own. next TO the
aunt who had befriended her in her
youth. And there i'm Moscow she
met Capt. Wulffert, an officer in the
Yellow Cuirassiers, a crack regiment
stationed in Gatscr.na. which since
her widowhood had remained in the
summer residence of the Dowager
empress of Russia.
Grand Duke Michael.
The younger son of the latter
Grand Duke Michael Alexandra
witsch. happened to be also an Off
Ger in that same regiment where
Capt Wulffert commanded a squad
ron. In Russia regiments under the
old regime were very much like one
family, and the officers used to mix
Familiarity with each other, no mat
ter what social distinctions might
have existed between them. Grand
Duke Michael, therefore, found
himself admitted into the intimacy
Of the Wulffert menage, just as if
ne had not been the brother of the
sovereign. He was at that time
smarting under his first love disap-
pointment. an attachment which he
had conceived for the lady in wait
ing of his sister, the Grand Duchess
Olga, to which the Dowager en-
press had objected. insisting upon
the girl being sent away before the
grand duke had made up his mind
TO marry her against the wishes of
his family. The young man. thwart-
ed in his affections. found in the
lovely Mrs Wulffert a symp1thizing
listener. and took TO pouring out his
supposed wrongs into her willing
ears The friendship thus begun
became soon an intimacy. and at last
matters got 50 far that Capt Wulf-
fert, who throughout behaved in a
most chivalrous manner, accepted a
divorce which left his beautiful wife
free for the second time.
She left Russia and went to
Vienna There the grand duke fol
lowed her. and they were married
without. Of course, the cars per
mission. The scandal was immense
and the grand duke was deprived OF
his rank, the command of the regi-