Evening star., 1922-03-07
MME.s sFATIMA TO SAIL
BACK HOME MINUS HER
DIAMONDS AND DIGNITY
CONTINUED from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
guest" Of Great Britain. The Brit
ish consulate here has supplied her
with funds and she Is living her last
days in America in a rather COM
apartment in a Lexington avenue
boarding house.
Princess Fatima's honegoing Is to
be a very sad one. She has found
that the dapper young white-clad ma
val officer who took her to Washing
ton and introduced her to the Presi-
dent and to the Secretary of State
ceived her and the high government
authorities at the National Capital,
but squandered much of the all too
small amount Of cash capital she
brought with her.
She has found that the Prince Ter
decheno who went with her to Wash
ington and was introduced to the
President as the Grown Prince Of
Egypt" has been classed by the Brit
ish foreign office as unknown"
Prineely Estate Here.
The plan of settling down on a
princely estate somewhere in the
United States-Central Park probably
preferred-is shattered. Where Fati-
ma got the idea that this exceedingly
generous government would be de-
lighted to give her a vast grant of
land upon which to live, with her
heirs and assigns forever, no one
knows. But in any event she thought
that all that was necessary was to
ask.
This the unslim princess was not
long in doing. The chattel of the
reigning house of ancient Afghanis-
tan wrote to the authorities at
Washington that she had heard SO
much Of this fair land she could
conceive no greater glory" than liv-
ing here. upon a proper estate. where
she might rear her sons into Ameri-
can citizens.
An assistant secretary of state. or
some one in Washington. wrote back
that it was frightfully gratifying
and all that sort of thing to have
her royal highness say such sweet
things about America. and to enter
tain such a laudable ambition as
American citizenship for her three
stalwart and worthy sons. but there
government could give a grant of
land and set her up in light house.
keeping.
The princess thought there must
be some mistake about this, and
wrote that II she could see the Pres
ident she thought she could fix
things up satisfactorily. The Wash
,ngton authorities heard no more of
her until she appeared upon the
scene one day, accompanied by the
bogus naval officer. the unknown"
lately dressed. with silk topper and
everything, and the three sons. The
princess at that time was q sight
for the gods.
The weather in Washington was
somewhere in the hundreds-it was
much gaudy and gorgeous raiment
that as she swept from the Willard
Hotel lobby to a waiting automobile
she looked for all the world like
ra inbow ship in full sail. The most
marvellous part of her costume was
an exceedingly short skirt beneath
the flowing outer draperies. which ex-
Iosed a wide expanse Of cerulean blue
&C ctton stockings. Why the blue stock
irgs? Well, the President had gra-
at 3 o'clock in the blueroom Of the
White House.
Empty Of Pocket.
What she said to Mr. Harding about
the grant of land Is not known, but in
any event Fatima returned to New
York empty handed and almost empty
Of pocket. But this did not alarm her.
She had brought with her the great
diamond which had been in her family
for centuries, and which she said was
a real rival Of the famous Kohinoor.
The princess called her diamond the
Dayainoor.
The bogus naval lieutenant took a
great fancy to the diamond and en-
tered into a contract with the princess
to sell and convey" the stone. The
contract stipulated that he was not to
sell for less than $350,000.
With that tidy sum the princess felt
she might buy that princeiy estate
If she go wished-or that she might
convert the 350.o00 gold dollars into q
million or SO Indian rupees. return to
the borders of her native state, and
live happily ever after.
The diamond, however. did not find a
ready market. nor did the diamond ap-
praisers OF this intensely commercial
city place the same upset" value on 1t
named by the princess. 1t is reported
that eventually she received an offer
Of $25, 400 for the stone. which she de-
clined with all the royal dignity at her
command.
BY this time. however, the hotel pro-
prietors and other creditors had become
clamorous. The princess seemed to
have no other visible means Of support
than the sparkling Dayainoor. So the
diamond was attached-not once. but
many times. Then one of the sons
negotiated a loan of $4,000 additional
on the stone.
The stone Is in the keeping Of a trust
company, there to remain until long
after Fatima has departed these shores,
when It may be sold-or possibly cut
up among the importunate creditors.