Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-07-27

vi KUN III idlt dl ltI
Finally. the hard days told up
on him. And his mother, the Dow
ager Queen, insisted that her son
take a Winter vacation. He
begged her not TO ask it Of him,
but she was firm. He decided up
on Kitzbuhl, for his holiday. 1t
was the same place where twelve
Winters before, he had met his
beloved young wife. That first
morning the King forced himself
out TO watch the ski jumpers. In
the afternoon he turned out
again, a morose young man
among all those Winter sports
men. to watch the fancy skating.
But what he saw that first
afternoon changed everything for
him. Changed All the rest of his
life, perhaps. At once, 1t seemed
a miracle. At once. it seemed
like the page Of life turning back.
And he was present at Kitzbuhl
again, a young prince. And she
was there, his golden-haired
princess from Sweden, rosy
checked lit the gfadness of her
girlhood-
For the girl who won tho ski
jumps that afternoon was SO like
her. Astrid, his dcad wife. the
resemblance was overwhelming
Nstrfd's gold hair. Astrid's blue
eyes, set wide apart. Astrid's
glorious tail slendorness. Then
the ripple OF her laughter young
and merry and good That was
like Astrid. too.
And when the Gael had won
her match, Comte de Rcu, the
young Belgian nobleman, was
among the first 20 offer his con.
gratulations Oh, how well I can
feel the way they felt. How the
young French sportswoman was
attracted 10 the sad-eyed young
man. And how he, the melancholy
king. felt STRINGS in his heart.
Almost almost. he seemed 10
be recapturing something utterly
beloved and lost, out OF his sad
young life. So. for the three
days he spent at Kitzbuhl. they
skated and skicd and danced to-
gether, just as had happened
twelve years before, when the
young man he then had been
had met and loved a young girl
who would never skate again at
Kitzbuhl.
But, when they said good-by.
that French girl and the King,
he went very late to her hotel
Then, III u corner OF one or the
little drawingrooms, he told her
who he was. And she cried. 1t
was so sad. For he was a King,
and she a commoner. He took
her hand.
Let me write 10 you, 1 beg"
he said. and we shall meet again.
Some way. some way. we must
see each other again"
OF course, she promised.
Then. as one very near to the
King later told me, a letter went
from the palace in Brussels every
day to a secretary in Paris, who
took it 10 the handsome mansion
where the great industrialist lived
with his beloved daughter. And
after time, King Leopold began
TO run over 10 Paris. Then, from
the Ritz Hotel where he often
stayed incognito, he called her up
as quickly and as eagerly as a
young college man. in town for
a brief weekend, calls up the girl
Of his heart.
We even used to hear, in those
day, where they went for the few
short hours the King was able
to snatch from his duties to spend
with his dear love. Mostly, we
heard, they dined and drove into
the country. And when the Sum-
mer came around, they took a
basket luncheon and went out to
st. Cloud. or Versailles to picnic
on the grass, along with many
other good. middle-class, fond
young couples. For King Leo
pold had the common touch.
And he seemed to prefer simple.
honey" outdoor pastimes.
OF course those few of us
Parisians who knew about the
King and Gael. could imagine
how the grim shadow of royal
obligations bore down upon
those two lovers. For always
they had to come back TO reality.
Leopold was a King and
Gael was -commoner- And
in no kingdom moro than in
Belgium did law and tradition