Year: 1875

A correspondent thus relates the
romantic way in which the Empress
of Austria captured her Emperor
The Empress is the youngest daugh-
ter Of Duke Maximilian Joseph, of
Bavaria, and sister of the ex-Queen
Sophia, of Naples. Francis Joseph
was to have been affianced to the
Princess Sophia, to make acquaint-
ance with whom he went to make a
visit to his unclc's castle of Possen-
hoffen, where his four young lady
cousins had been born and brought
up. The Princess Elizabeth, then
in her sixteenth year, and remarka-
bly, beautiful, was not to have been
allowed to see the young Emperor,
both because on account of her youth
she was not supposed to be . OUT
and also because. being much hand
somer than her sisters, the willy Duke
desired to secure his Imperial neph-
ew for his eldest daughter before the
former should have been allowed to
catch sight of his youngest, as he
felt very sure that the hand of such
beauty as she promised to be would
be sought far and wide when it should
be in the matrimonial market. So
the winning lady was told that she
was to stay with her governess. and
not to presume to show herself in
the drawing-room during the visit of
the Austrian cousin. But being live
ly, spirited. and brimful of curiosity
to see the youthful Emperor, who
had so suddenly succeeded to the
troubled and brilliant crown of Aus
tria, the Princess Elizabeth contrived
to give her attendant the slip, and
to hide herself in a corridor, along
which the Imperial guest, who had
arrived an hour before, and was then
dressing for dinner in the rooms set
apart for his reception, would have
to pass in going to the banqueting
hall. As the young sovereign pass
ed along this corridor. the Princess.
who was watching for him, sprang
out of her hiding place, laughing at
the success of her maneuver, and
crying gaily, "Cousin Franz Cousin
Franz! | wanted to see you. and they
wouldn't let me, and so | hid myself
here to see you go by" 1t appears
that Cupid's bow, so innocently shot
off by the merry girl, who had no
thought beyond the qualification of
her curiosity to see the grand young
cousin, whose quality as Emperor
had excited her imagination, went
straight to the mark. The Young
Emperor fell over head and ears in
love with the gay and beautiful vis-
ion that had presented itself SO un-
affectedly before him. What passed
between the two young people has
never transpired; but a few minutes
later the Imperial guest entered the
drawing-room with his young cousin
on his arm. and presented her to the
amazed circle of relatives and court
iers, who were awaiting his appear
abce as 1.-THE Empress of Austria,
my engaged wife," The anger of
the elder sisters is said to have been
quite lively, as was, perhaps. quite
natural under the circumstances,
The young Princess dined that day
in the banqueting hall, seated beside
the stCousin Franz" so suddenly
metamorphosed into her Imperial
spouse = and the Duke, though yex.
ed for the disappointment of his eld-
est daughter, had at least the salts
faction of having this splendid match
for his youngest. The mar
riage took place when the the Prin-
cess had reached the mature age of
sixteen. and all her husbands sub.
jects were enchanted with her youth
ful beauty aud her remark able grace
aud kindness.