Evening star., 1921-09-11

Balkans. who turned the scale Of
iFerdinand's destiny.
Now. what have you to say against
n,;Sas Essoid !, Fss,ss3is. fsiss,as as9s
did not recognize him. Why risk his
agreeable life of Paris and Vienna
for the riots of a, half-Turk hand?
Then he met a blonde. and a new
Ferdinand showed IN day. She was
cess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parmas
Of the legitimate old line of French
kings. daughter of Duke Robert,
owner of lordly Chambord- This
grandest of French royal chateaux
their childless uncle, the Comte de
Chambord, along with sixty millions
of very romantic money, the private
estates of Marie Antoinette and Louis
XVI, reimbursed in the restoration
and accumulated during nearly a CEN
tury!
She was the bride chosen for him
by his wise old mother. and the young
folks dreamed gorgeous dream upon
their gold at Chambord. 1t was her
dream. He absorbed it. While she
walked beside him. saint and bride.
1T had its power.
FERDINAND was nominally prince
l of Bulgaria. He must become so
in fact-and get together four kings
to regain Constantinop1e for the
Christian world!
Four hundred and fifty years had
passed since the white horse of Ma
homet II sullied the floor of st. So
phia and the basilics Of Justinian be-
come a Turkish mosque. The times
seemed ripe to the unworldly princess.
She had only a legend to go on. st.
Sophia shall becUme Christian
cathedral again when four kings sit
beneath its dome and hear Te Deum
of Thanksgiving for its recovery.
When the Turks took Constanti-
nople, the pillage was incalculable.
The Russian CARDINAL Isidore valued
at $4o0, 100000 merely the coined gold
found in residences. The jewels. plate.
ornaments. furniture. ETC., taken in
palaces and churches were never esti-
mated. Precious carpets. tapestries.
etc, served as bedding to the Asiatic
camels, and. 20O.00S volumes of the
library heated the baths of the bar
barians.
Now, for the legend. When the
Janissaries burst into Constantinople
the splendid city was SO vast and tht
cowardly negligence Of its citizens SO
great that the Turks were looting pal
ace and hippodrome before the resi-
Dental quarters knew that the walls
had fallen. Those who had time
st sophia, where 100000 people bar
rioaded themselves to the dome.
The battering in Of the bronze doors
announced the arrival OF the Turks.
The non-resistance of the trembling
multitude made even the soldiers OF
and profit, and at that moment came
q fortunate diversion. To solemn
music, a great procession OF the
priests Of st. Sophia placed themselves
between the people and the Turks.
The rude hordes were impressed. A
popular captain sheathed his sword
and laughed. Sound and gesture were
contagious. No murder soiled the
floor Of st. Sophia. The Greeks
stretched out their arms to the hand
cuffs.
Their last look was for the priests
who had so courageously intervened.
None were visible; all had dissp.
strange disappearance rose an em-
broidery Of the legend-not 10 i'm
plicitly believed. perhaps. as that OF
the four, kings-that when Constan-
tinople shall again become Christian
and four kings hear the prophesied
ne Deuna, the floor Of st. Sophia Will
reopen and the old procession rise up.
with the holy objects in their hands.
"When are these things to be!'
asked Ferdinand. tit was his honey
moon, rsmemberO
sThe legend Is Venetian" said his
Irincess. All will happen when q
DatriSrch Of Venice sits In the chair
of ST. Peter. Let us do onr part.