The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-09-20

Qf an elaborate official letter addtesaSl
to young Lanfrey. 1t was covered will
seals and her.ldic devices, and signed b.
Ferdinand, late King OF the Mariana
Islands. That royal public functionar1
had slipped into the silent tomb withou
issue, but, anxious that he should be prop
erly succeeded, had, before his death. q.
may hardly be necessary TO explain, taker
paihs to ascertain who Of The royai blooi
was rf1ost Worthy to sit upun the throne
Of the Mariahfaebl This person he fotind
was Antoine Lanfrey, and lie Commanded
that in the fullness Of time Antoine should
be summoned to the isles, there to es
pouse his greatniece Marie Augustine
and give to his beloved people contin.
uation of that mild and beneficent rule
which had made the Marianne the most
blessed athpng the Nations Of the earth.
The royal decree was forwarded to the for
ttnate hkit by LoHiss de Conte1mont,
niece of the buried majesty Of ths Mari
annes, and mother of the charming gifl
who but waited Lanfrey's arrival to be-.
come his bride. She implored Antoine
to hasten u hts aominions and assume the
Council presented tneir uuliIur auu ,.un.a
BILE regards, and begged that he would
soon appear to claim his own.
The old gardener shook his head skep-
tically as he heard the tale Hifd1dsd: BE
even suggested doubts as to the existence
of the Mariannes as sovereign power,
and iilade 10 bold as to assert that Fkrdi,
nand was q fraud. and that Spain would
have more to say about the government of
the islands than any pretty Countess with
a daughters hand at her disposal. But
ufrnn nafrau Cska hnpoct 2onpho Vuoc
all aflame with the prospect OF governing
ness of the docuiiients, pointed ottt his
future Kingdom oh The }iiap, and Was
royalty backed by his mother, Who Was
nothing 10th to exchange gardeners COT
tage for an insular palace, even of those
air-drawn kind peculiar to the unsubstan-
tial architecture of Spain. The mother
and the so1 were not slow TO tell of the
good fortune OF the latter, and the strange
business WAS soon the talk Of the country
side.
The niece regent had not incl6sed even
maravedi in her official letter, and young
Lanfrey was not in position financially
To set sail for his dominions, but he speed
lily found that he might lord it in France.
The conepiratprs,. discarded clergymen
and knights OF their wits who tfiade Paris
their home, soon surrounded him with OBJ
sequious proffers of service. They brought
no gold, but they promised eternal fidelity,
and Lanfrey freely gave them all he had
to give, and all they seemed to seek, titles
and decorations galore. How did these
titleless titles and empty gewgaws help
theins An English journal explains!
Nothing is more useful to the Paris
ian scamp than good sounding title.
Even at home, some swindler is constant
ly making pre- fit out OF that love of Lord
which is so well known characteristic of
certain classes of Englishmen. An un-
himself Lord Fitzhaw-haw, and refers
with an airy manner TO his father, the
Earl of Longears, is trusted with jewelry,
clothes, provisions, everything. II a real
Lord gets votes purely and simply be-
cause he is Lord, why should not a
sham one get goods without paying for
thems Such swindling is merely the
shady side of that love of rank which en-
riches our Legislature with young men
who don't know what County Boards are,
and don't care. In France titles go as far
as with us, or further, and the French
man does not suspect Counts, Marquises,
ffraq4d f IRA d. Chancellor of foreign creation.
score of needy knaves, who did not care
to run the risk of actually taking titles for
themselves out of their own will and
fantasy"
The most active of the rogues about
King Antoine was one Lanfranchi, who,
claiming finance as his strong point, was
given the portfolio of the Treasury of the
Maria1nes. Lanfranchi might improve
his Kings financial affairs. No man
could leave them in a more hopeless way
than Lanfranchi found them, for the
King, a schoolmaster no longer, had no
means of livelihood save those of the
sturdy old gardener, who, though Kings
father, stood honestly by his hoe. Lam
franchi promised great things, and the
brighter he pictured the prospect the freer
became Lanfrey with his titles and his
benefices. Lanfranchi was commissioned
Grand Chancellor of the Mariannes
Baron; Grand Master of the Royal Order
of Saint. Sauveur. One Roth was entrust.
ed with the leashes of the dogs of war.
One Perrctti became Captain and sole
soldier of the guards. Bidot, a silenced
priest and mad wag, had charge of the
royal conscience and was royalty reward
ed with the promise of the Primacy. I'm
known to his King he had visited the
Court of St. James and induced Queen
Victoria TO promise English protection to
the young monarch, and for this splendid
service he asked, but, since the King was
dead broke, didn't receive, a little matter
of 94OO. He contented himself. however,
with a patent under the royal seal creating
him Due de Bouillon, and Bishop and
Primate Of the Isles.
The servants of Lanfrey I. never pre-.
sented their credentials to the Due dc
Cazes, but in q certain part of Paris they
consoled themselves for their exclusion
from Versailles. Their titles and theil
decorations won them welcome and credit
among number of tradesmen. One
small capitalist was proud to loan them
money. A photographer delighted t.
take their counterfeit presentments at hi
own cost. The butchers and the baker.
were SO honored by such distinguished
customers that they tailed to present thei
bills. Lanfrey's ministers were getting
on gayly, and the King himself wa
dreaming of the happy day that woult
make him Lord of the Isles in fact as II
name, when the Partisan police put III
end to the sorry business. Lanfrey's Cab
met went to prison for long terms, ant
Lanfrev himself, his eyes opened by th'
Judge, laid down the imaginary sceptel
to again WELD the substantial birch.