Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1934-11-17

! unthinkable and the consequences
might fan terribly upon him.
TN gladly take the chances there,
chances which your fears exaggerate,
my Catherine. DO you think / can en-
dure the thought OF your bearing these
infamies until you die"
A curious smile took shape on her
lips. THAT win not happen"
Not happen? II he is what he Is
whilst awe Of the Empress restraints
him, what win he become when he Is
Emperor and holds the whip? And that
win happen soon"
II have provided"
Something in her calm and in the In
scrutability Of her smile almost made
him afraid.
1T is great secret, Stanislas. I tell
you Of 1t so as TO quiet your fears. The
Chancellor Bestucheff cares no more
about drunken imbecile for his mas
ter than care about him for a hus-
band. There is an understanding be-
tween US. Bestucheff win contrive to
obtain the signature Of the Empress
to a decree giving me Joint sovereignty
with Peter. He viii not be quite master
then"
Her tone betrayed something OF that
spirit which had been tempered by suf-
fering as steel is tempered by fire.
She was now very different person
from the gentle, awed little German
princess Of the insignificant house Of
zerbst-Anhalt, who had been summon
ed more than 10 years ago to Russia
BY the Empress Elizabeth.
The prospect Of becoming the bride Of
her Imperial Majesty's nephew and
heir. that other German Of the house
of Holstein, had seemed a dazzling one
until she beheld the crapulous degen-
ate she was doomed to marry.
He hated her for an intelligence that
made him recognize her superiority;
ret in doubt or difficulty he would fly
% her whimpering for advice. Her
Ihrewd wit had led him to nickname
Ter Madame La Resource Madam
7esoxrceful.
Life would have been impossible II
Ter fresh young beauty and the grace
& 8 mind she steadily cultivated had
lot created for her a court within the
curt. In this she found some compen-
alton for what she was called upon 70
ndtre as wife and mother The EN-
ress, IN her concern for the rearing OF
be heir to the throne, allowed Gather
ne the barest access to her son, the
'sarevitch Paul. born IN 1854, after
inc years Of unhappy wedlock.
But the real compensation was not
ers until Stanislas Poniatowsld made
Is appearance at st. Petersburg in an
capacity. He was ~ at
le time, nephew Of the Czartoryskis,
ie most powerful house In Poland. He
as handsome, Travelled, accomplished,
1riched IN nature by the Italian and
swish blood Ia his veins. The fine
lrTectness Of his conduct distinguished
IA in a court where so much coarse
sss was discernible under the super
skaI glitter.
Sir Charles Hamburg Williams en-
gsted PoniatouBld with the task Of
inning the Grand Duchess TO their
mmon pro-Prussian policy and the
lations thus begun assumed presently
Cd q character that all she had en-
red here Ia Russia seemed but a
tle nrice 70 pay for the happiness
llch ct last she had found. She had
en- radiant, gay and sparkling as new
before. And II the reason for this
IS suspected. yet there vas no flag
ak scandal until nov. when the court
s aROg with the tale Of that night
nae at Oranienbaum.
so you see, my dear" she ended
ltful1y, deeply though I love you.
must remain to drink the wine kizat
: been poured for me.