Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-05-20
The Story Of an Empress Jewels.
From the Washington Republican

inent hotel in this city-twO glowing heaters
casting forth summer-like beams, Overshad-
owed by mirrors with embossed frames. In
the back parlor a group Of four seated IN
corner, and a single gentleman in the oppo-
site corner leaning against the mantel-plece:
In the center of the little group scribe OF
the press was seated. The other three were
ladies' and on the bosom Of one, a golden,
brown-haired charmer, one Of our New
World queens, sparkled q breast-pin Won
drous in its beauty, and shining like far-off
Alpha LyrG.
''COme and examine the rare work OF the
cunning craftsman's hand" spoke the scribe.
The man with the pale face, the curling
hair, and the full, dark eyes, q student, who
had oft burned the midnight oil in the deep
researches, approached the gay and blithc-
some Leauty, who, in her fleecy robe of white,
seemed messenger OF light and love and Joy
from the other world.
In the center of the breast-pin shonc su-
pcrb emerald, worth a kings ransome; dia-
monds and pearls surrounded it, arranged in
crosses, circles, triangles and from its center
depended a lovely pearl, embosomed in
shell of gold.
And then, as the emerald met the eye Of
the student, it seemed to sparkle with d
strange light and to flash out mysterious
| Hust IOohIuS C1ooC1y upou tlIC u dip
lucent star Of green, he beheld a strange
scene.
Beneath the shadow of the pyramids Of old
Egypt two men sat engaged in deadly con-
test not with deadly weapons, pistols, sword
or knife, but with the painted pictures that
were first invented to soOthe the madness of
the unhappy Charles of France. One was
Spaniard, tall and swarthy; the other dark
haired son Of Israers banished race.
''The stake is yours" cried the Jew in DC
spair, land | am ruined man.
''Not so, said the other, ''the breast jewel
YOU carry within your bosom, that still re-
mains; stake it against all have won.'
The Jew shuddered.
1.-The jewel is sacred," he cried; ''for
wears it has been handed down to my tribe;
| should lose it, life must go also"
''He that fears should not play, replled
the Spaniard.
Maddened by the taunt, the desperate game
ster drew from his bosom the costly gem in
whose center great emerald shOne.
| The cards were dealt; the Spaniard Won,
and then. with wild, piercing shrek, the
| Jew placed pistol against his head, and his
| blood stained the luster Of the sparkling gold
and precious stone The Spaniard coolly
wiped away the gore and placed the ornament
within his breast.
"My beautiful Eugene will prize this tick
et,' he mutttered. A cool, dark, silent man
was the Count de Montijo.
! And then another scene appeared upon the
surface of the emerald, ever bathed with null
| titudinous light.
A tall. ill-shaped man, with curling mus
! tache and pointed imperial, forever dreamy
with the dream Of destiny, in an obscure
Spanish chateau, attracted by a charming
brown-haired girl, in form and feature, in
grace. wit and sparkle the counterpart Of our
heroine, and upon her bosom q regal Orna-
ment, the center stone and emerald.
''And who is yonder lady? z" he asked.
s'Eugenie Maria De Guzman, Countess of
| Teba," was the answer.
The man was Louis Napoleon, and Janu-
ary 80, 1853, he married the girl whose bosom,
radient with its mighty enchantment, had at
tracted his attention.
| Again the scene faded, and another ap-
peared in its place, and this time showed Paris
in flames, and under the mad rule of the
Commune. Sedan had been lost, King Will
liam was master of France, and the Imperial
family had fled to the white cliffs of Albion
for safety. So sudden was the flight that in
the confusion some precious jewels were left
behind, and soon the mystic breastpin, won
from the desperate son of Moses on the plains
of Egypt, was in the hands of the Commune,
and then came willy French Jew, who,
foreseeing the early downfall OF the Red
Caps, cunningly possessed himself OF the
emerald king and fed with it to this country
''And from whom did you obtain this beau
teous charm. L'Imperatrice? asked the stu
dent.
! ''From gentleman who fled from France
during the trouble there, replied the pleasant
voiced lady, and bending forward to adjust a
tiny slipper, richly carved, solid gold comb
dropped from her shining tresses on the door.
The scribe handing it to her, she continued !:
| ''He presented it to me and then suddenly
disappeared"
This is the story of an Empress jewel.
This is no fiction, reader, but literal fact.
| The lady is at present on visit to Washing
ton, and on her bosom she wears the strange
ornament, the center of which is superb
emerald. and we would willingly wager that
many of our fair Washington bellies would
give their little fingers to examine jewel
that has sparkled on the bosom OF an En-
press, and that now adorns the person of a
daughter of our Republic, one who to infinite
personal charms adds the grace ct well-bred
lady. and whose sole fault is that she does
not believe such thing as true love exists in
this life.
Soon after the termination of the late war
a lady came to Richmond from the North.
and stopped at the house of one of our citi-
zens. After time she exhibited symptoms
of mental arrangement and finally died. She
left trunk with the family she stopped with,
in which, on looking over it lately, was found
on large parchment topped by an American
eagle, tue nrst commission as lieutenant in
the army of the United States of Major Gen.
eral John N. Scofeld, dated In 1853, and
/ Il Al 0oh II nsasaQf&n.