RUMANIA: Foreign News

Royalty Rambles

¶On her way westward across North Dakota and Montana, last week, Queen Marie welcomed to her special train with an entire lack of formality various outstanding farmers and their wives who came on board at every stop and chatted with Her Majesty until time for them to get off at the next station. Their impression seemed to be that Queen Marie is a woman of great tact and charm, but that her interest in farming is (not unnaturally) greater than her knowledge of the subject.

¶ Arrived at the country station of Maryhill, Wash., the royal party left their train and motored to a desolate, sagebrush-surrounded spot overlooking the Columbia River. A squat three story building of cement, not quite completed and altogether incongruous stood boldly before the Queen upon a rocky ledge. It was “the Mansion-Museum Maryhill” begun years ago by “Sam” Hill, rich Seattle eccentric, son-in-law of the late famed railway magnate James J. Hill.

Allegedly Mr. Hill began building “Maryhill” because: 1) He envisions a Japanese invasion of the Pacific Coast and sees in his squat cement “mansion-museum” a fortress capable of being equipped with guns and defended; 2) He originally hoped to entertain there King Albert and Queen Elizabeth of the Belgians, and in their honor had the Belgian coat of arms placed above the door.

The ostensible reason for Queen Marie’s visit to the U. S. (TIME, Oct. 18 et seq.) was to dedicate “Maryhill” and leave there on permanent exhibition certain Rumanian works of art which she has brought with her. Last week when Her Majesty saw the ridiculous structure which she was expected to dedicate she rose almost magnificently to the occasion and said certain things concerning herself which might have seemed uncomplimentary on the lips of others.

Her Majesty cried: “As I stand here today in this curious and interesting building, I would like to explain why I came.

“There is much more than concrete in this structure. There is a dream built into this place—a dream for today and especially for tomorrow. . . .

“Samuel Hill is my friend. He is not only a dreamer, but he is a worker. Samuel Hill once gave me his hand and said that if there was anything on earth I needed I had only to ask. Some may even scoff, for they do not understand. But I have understood. So when Samuel Hill asked me to come overseas to this house built in the wilderness, I came with love and understanding. Samuel Hill knows why I came, and I am not going to give any other explanation. . . .

“Some have wondered at the friendship of a Queen for a woman whom some would call lowly. That woman is Loie Fuller. Her name has often been slighted. That woman* stood by me when my back was to the wall. That woman-gave me her life in my hour of need. . . . Samuel Hill knows this.”

¶When Queen Marie fell silent after her almost defiant tribute to him in whose house she stood, “Sam” Hill, white-haired, rushed forward to kiss her hand with a fervor suitable to a knight of old in the presence of his mistress. The state of Mr. Hill’s exuberance was such that he was reported immediately thereafter to have grossly insulted Major Stanley Washburn, the U. S. military aid furnished to Queen Marie. The Major who remained discreetly silent at the time said crisply 24 hours later: “My sole concern is for the dignity of Her Majesty, the Queen. . . . I have taken all the blame and indignities since this trip began, and have said in reply exactly three words. . . . When Mr. Hill said, ‘You will take your orders from me!’ I replied, ‘I will not!’ I have no more to say.” Ear witnesses reported “Sam” Hill as having said to the Major: “If you don’t take your orders from me I’ll crush you. . . I’m the boss of this you. . . . Shut up! If you try to talk to me I’ll slap your face. . . .”

¶ Amid the repercussions of this incident Queen Marie serenely visited Seattle.

There she was welcomed at the station by 30 Washington and British Columbia mayors who had waited six hours on the platform due to misunderstandings as to the time of arrival of Her Majesty’s train. Mrs. Bertha Knight Landes, Mayoress of Seattle, grew tired of waiting at the station and returned to her office, where she later welcomed Queen Marie.

¶ After a visit to Vancouver, B. C. the royal train returned to Seattle where “Sam” Hill entertained Queen Marie at his city residence and remained behind when Her Majesty set out for Spokane on her return journey eastward.

¶Her Majesty wrote last week in her signed and syndicated daily diary: “Often (on the tour) I have been obliged to put a screen before my bath so as to be able to continue talking to people during my ablutions.” ¶ At Casper, Wyoming, Her Majesty was greeted by Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross, who was to accompany her to Denver.

¶ Meanwhile, back in Bucharest before the royal palace a rancorous mob yelped for Prince Carol (who was forced to abdicate by his mother’s favorites) to come forth and make a speech. Finally, troops convinced the populace that the Prince could not appear on the balcony because he was still in exile.

*Loie Fuller, a now decrepit ballet mistress, achieved literally world wide fame last week under Her Majesty’s unintention-ally epigrammatic description: “a woman whom some would call lowly.” During the War she assisted Queen Marie to the extent of canvassing the U. S. in the interest of the Rumanian Red Cross, and later staged in ballet form certain fairy stories written by Queen Marie. One of these ballet performances was given before Queen Marie in Manhattan and another in Philadelphia (TIME, Nov. 1) apparently in an attempt to raise funds for the benefit of Loie Fuller.