Evening star., 1919-03-23

Eas poor soldier. ne was unpopular
Tith the Rumanian officers: His
broken health and weak will have
{ong since helped to give his wife
her place as the dominant power in
the kingdom.
But the girl of sixteen fell in love
Tith her young husband. and did all
In her power to win his affection.
That she failed at first to do so Is
tribute to her dark-eyed rival. Hailed
Is the most beautiful princess In
Europe. she was a dashing. athletic,
tcadstrong girl. Her youth. her deli
facy OF feature. her clear complexion.
her big blue eyes and golden hair
you'd have charmed any man who
was not held by the Fascinating spell
ime Mhe was brousht
tp in Paris. is described as Roman
With French improvements" She
bad abundant black hair and deep.
lustrous eyes. Her charms were ripe.
heck and arms had thrown a strong
epell around the blond German
trinceing.
1t was the princes mother who first
met her in Paris. where she had been
brought into the limelight by Victor
Hugo. whose protege she was. The
young French poetess became the
queens favorite maid Of honor. and
Coon had the prince among her train
Of admirers. The queen encouraged
She marriage and even wrote poems
bn the attachment as representing
true love. When the council of min
3sters protested. forced the abandon
tnent of the proposed marriage by
Threats of change of dynasty and
Axiled the fascinating Helene. the re-
quilt was an estrangement which
tasted for some years between the
Did queen and her husband. who was
pot In sympathy with her match
Such were the Incidents preceding
fhe marriage Of the present King and
Queen of Rumania. At the time. Ma
fie was deeply in love with her hus-
band. but she soon learned of her rival.
All her passionate tenderness and re-
$harkable beauty were insufficient to
Hin his affection, and even her chill
Rren did not change the situation.
In desperation she left Bucharest,
titted from court to court and fire.
Auented the gayest spas and casinos.
She took delight In amorous con-
Quests. Whether she had n purpose
IN pursuing this course will never be
known. BE that as it may. Ferdinand
Eventually woke up to the fact that
bis wife was attracting attention
from men everywhere. and his indif-
Ference changed to a most intense
tnd jealous love. One moment, 1t is
$aid. he was raging and storming and
fhe next he was on his knees plead
ing with her
But her ardent love for him had
long been cooling and he could not
coax 1t back, 80 that the marriage
T.as never blessed with complete hap
piness.
The queen is devoted to her chill
Hren, and one Of the great tragedies
pr her life is the death of son, just
before the first retreat from Rumania
pr the royal family. She has had each
bne taught a trade, and her oldest and
$avorite son, Carlo, Is an amateur
printer Of some repute. On his press
he prints some of his. mothers liter
AIRY productions, among which are
Several books written for her chill
hren.,
Besides writing. Queen Marie is an
accomplished musician, both as plan
list and violinist. To her linguistic
talents she adds the charm of being
End DIN in the the al affairs Of Of everyday life
bhe shows a keen brain, strong will
and great organizing ability. 1t has
been said that to the most fascinating
attainments Of professional beauty
she adds the executive ability of
corporation lawyer This undoubt
edly has been of greatest Importance
to the war work of Rumania, in
which she has been a leader.
One of her greatest contributions to
her adopted country was her interest
IN the revival of Byzantine art, which
marked the closing days OF the last
century. From her Russian grand
parents she had inherited a fondness
for Byzantine luxury, as well as the
Mherewithal for satisfying her taste.
Her love of beauty and her artistic,
although extravagant personality, was
Expressed in her Rulnanian castles.
The famous golden chamber in one
of them has walls Of gilt. A golden
throne under a golden canopy is her
own special seat and is placed under
the dome ceiling facing the deep-sct
painted windows: There is a gold ta-
Bile covered with precious boxes and
richly bound books and frames Of
chased gold. In the corner stands a
spinning wheel. inlaid with gold and
set with precious stones, and over the
grand piano is thrown a heavy cover
of cloth Of gold, embroidered with
ascension lilies. her favorite flower.
She loves to dress in the gorgeous
Byzantine costume of the olden days
and has endeared herself to the Ru-
manians by often appearing in public
in their national dress. When she Is
4 hor aoun ta n hopa eho So,,, i'm "a