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Show I "VAMPS" WHO MADE HISTORY g By JAMES C. YOUNG. by iMuCluie Newspaper Syndicate.) THE OLD WOMAN WHO RULED A YOUNG KING. WHEN young Henry J.I came to the throne uf France' iff oj1 he was completely under the subjection of a woman fifteen years older than himself. him-self. But thane de Poitiers ranked as one of the beauties of her day until an old woman, and throughout the life of the king she maintained her hold over him. She seemed to have discovered the secret of perpetual youth, which probably meant that she took excellent care of herself in a physical way. something unknown at that time. Henry was only eighteen when he first met Diane. He was the second son of Francis I, and gossips would have" us believe that'she had already beep loyecj by' the' father'. " However tliaf ruay haye' been, she S TV!d,ow and a wonderfully " beautjful woman. Site easily enslaved Henry, Who spon became the dauphin through the death Of bis brother, and then, fhe king, pintle's power yyas unjippte?. afl1. al-fhpugh al-fhpugh she wank appear tP have l)ked Henry well onough. she turned her hand to enrichment of herself and relatives. rel-atives. The old, old story was repeated, repeat-ed, of raids on the public treasury, heavy taxes, and a groaning populace. Diane heeded the storms of life very little. She kept Henry's queen, Catherine Cath-erine de Medici, in the background, and ruled things as her fancy dictated, put the little Catherin," fjp 'itatiaq, bjfiprl her fipie tq be fivepged. Undoubtedly Un-doubtedly Diane knew her feelings. She was n woman to her finger tips. Throughout his life Kins Henry was a man torn between good and bad resolutions. res-olutions. A great hunter, he neglected affairs of state, and Diane managed Ihem as she liked, always with an eye to the benefit of herself and friends. Then Henry would give up the chase and sedulously devote himself to the nation's business;. At suc tlhie,s Lilane tried to distract tpm with amusements, warning lpin that he worked too hard and must enjoy himself more. Wherever Wher-ever Henry turned, Diape was ever there before him, with a quicker wit and the ability to ovorrench him. When Henry died Catherine came into power, as her sons were all young. Her first action was to banish Diane. Then she forced her to return much of the wealth she had seized, even including in-cluding some of the crown jewels. And so long as Diane lived, Catherine never forgave the king's mistress, but followed fol-lowed her with spiteful revenge. Who may say what her own heart had experienced ex-perienced in the dark rears when Diane smiled and nodded beside the throne? |