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Show FORCED TO MARRY THE CZAR If it should happen during the war In Europe that the czarina of Russia, friend of the Russian peasant, should be taken prisoner, her sensations probably would vary but little from those of the present. She has not been a prisoner of war, but she has been in prison all her married life. Yet when she was little they called her "Princess Sonnenschien" in the quiet German town of Hesse-Darmstadt, and her merriment and her laughter made her the best loved princess in the empire. "She will never marry, the dear little one," they said about her sometimes, some-times, and the wiseacres shook their heads. Just what was the nervous trouble that visited the princess from time to time none but the great specialists spe-cialists who bad treated her knew. But often for weeks the Princess Son-nenschein Son-nenschein officially known as Princess Princ-ess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt was missing from the quiet life of the court and town. But they made her marry the czar. Little and loving and clever and religious, the old czar chose her from all the princesses of Europe for the bride of his wild boy Nicholas, and although the young people were indifferent, the match was urged. One day Kaiser Wrilheim of Germany visited vis-ited Hesse-Darmstadt. "Alix, little cousin," said he, "for the sake of Germany you must marry Nicholas." "And change my faith?" said the Lutheran princess in wonder. . "Many things are asked from us in the cause of the country," said the kaiser oracularly. "You must even change your faith." "I will do my duty for Germany," said this German princess, "but within my soul I shall die, cousin, have a mind to that." |