The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1858-05-27

was inlaid with rubies and ornamepted
with rough emerald Of great price. Tt
is stiltpreserved at Potsdam Ricbeliou
was wont TO acknowledge the fender sp.
pcYstitou with which he regarded his
cane, and yaunts, in one of his letters.
the length Of time which he had carried
a certain ebony cane, which had been
brought him as a present from italy bv
Duke Farnese. It is told Of Iopis
/ Quinze that, being one day irritaled be,
yond measure by the raillorv of the
Duke Of Langua, he raised the cane he
was holding, as if about to let it fall
upon the shoulders of the duke. when.
suddenly recovering his temper. he threw
the cane out of The window evoI,iD,.
lng' nank God, / have not domoaned
myself by striking a genuomanr"
In the year 1885, when the crusade
against the journalists of Paris caused
the exile and imprisonment Of SO many
OF the number, the Count de Lapion
amongst the rest, was confined at the
/ Conciergerie. His devoted friend. NJ
de Simian, obtained permission to visit
hlm daily at the grating. The prisoners
can only communicate with their friends
through a double row Of iron bars. sep-
orated by a space sufficiently wide to al
low. Of the passage Of the turnkey. who
walks up and down this narrow space
during the whole time Of the visit
Each day at parting, M. de Simian was
wont to say to the count, "WeH. GOOD
day, old fellowl as we can't shake hands
here, let's shake canes" and he PASSED
his cane jocosely through the bars, and
the count shook it heartily. laughing
outright as he did so. The turnkey
smiled in contempt at the monotonv Of
this poor joke, which was repeated dov
after day, and wondered to see how far
q very little wit would 60 In the great
world, where such a sorry jest could not
Ionly be tolerated but so often be repeat-
ed with effect. But it was not tin some
time after that the worthy functionarv
discovered to his cost that the Joke was
not such a contemplate one after all.
for the friendly cane was followed out.
and when the count shook 10 through
the grating, he unscrcwed the fcrrule at
the end, and daily drew thence sundrv
|ught-rOllcd papers, which contained i'm
his friend writing, the whole order
and march Of his escape from prison,
with the plan he was to pursue to ioin
his friends out of the country. and. last
of all, sundry diminutive files. saws.
watch-springs and whip-cord, with which
that very night he was TO pass through
the bars Of his prison window, and get
clear off, which he did, leaving the his
tory Of his adventures ready written
for the Gazette dies TriJmauU the next
day.
The most charming story of a cane is
told in the life of Syder, the favorite
pupil of Carlo Maratti who was called
to the court of the Duke of Savoy in
1861. That prince conferred upon him
the honor of knighthood and showed
him every kind Of favor. While paint
ing the portrait of the duke, which is
still seen in the summer palace of the
{ King Of Sardinia, poor Syder, who was
of an extremely timid character, appear
D ed suddenly covered with confusion,
having mislaid his maulstick, upon
e which the prince offered him his walk
r ing-cane, richly set with diamonds, and
r asked him whether that would suit his
e purpose The painter made use of it
e while the duke sat, and presented it to
him as soon as he arose; but the court
- iers, having previously received their
instructions, prevented him from return
S ing it, observing that their master never
G. resumed a gift which he had volunta-
\ rily bestowed.
, In our days we have beheld a certain
noble duke led to ruin by his love for
(. walking-sticks, At the sale of his ef-
1 fects, which took place in 1882, no less
e than four thousand canes Of various
q form and material were offered for COM
4 petition. One of these, richly carved
and jewolled, composed Of rhinoceros
horn, was sold for 880O.
n 1t is calculated that more than one
2, hundred canes have heen put up for sale,
o at various times, by different auctioneers,
j. |purpOrting TO have belonged to Voltaire,
s, while as many have been batted for,
IS s0i-disaat, formerly the property Of
IS Rousseau. The attempt made a few
j. years ago, by Messrs Christie and Man
j. sen, to dispose Of the cane Of Prince
D. Talleyrand, met with but Indifferent sue
.e cess. Not even that gullible portion Of
IS the world, "the enlightened British pub.
h lie" could be made to believe that tho
.e family Of the prince would ever consent
.e to dispose Of the old and faithful sery-
ID ant to which he had been so fondly att
y tached, and which had become charac
4. teristic Of the man.
Is But it would be uneratefu to regard
s. the cane morely az an article of luxury
D. and ornament, or as a sign of authority
d lit becomes O useful auxliary iu old
Il age and sickness. Tradition has immor-
w talized the walking-sticc Have we not
r. beheld Homer, the divincst of poets
ie Edipus, the twofold king, and Belisa
as rius, the "conqueror Of all men, wan.
'f deriug through the world iriendless and
n abandoned, possessing no happiness
If save the memory Of bygone glory, ant
IN, no support but this true and hithn
.b friend, left last OF am 70 sustain thei
.'- footsteps, and defend them from attao.
he the goodly oaken staff, as much father
de Of the kingiy seeptre as of Che wand Of
'e- office, Of the baton of military command
MS and Of the dandy walking-cane.
OF --ie et---