Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-11-16
A French Diamond
Robbery.
A TRUE STORY.

|
forgotten the laurels won at Magen-
ia were still verdant and fresh; Sc
dan, with all its bitter humiliation
and disastrous train of tragic conse-
uuences, loomed in the misty future,
undreamt of amid the almost fabu-
lous luxury and incredible frivolity
which paved the way for the final ter
rible fiasco.
It was an evening of midwinter.
The Partisan season was at its
height, and brilliant audience had
assembled at the Theatre Francais
to witness the performance of jules
Sandeau's delightful play, s'Mad-
emoiselle de la Sieglere, in which
the role of Destournells was filled by
the great Regnier, and that of Helene
by Madeleine Brohan, then in the
zenith of her fame, radiant with
youth, beauty and those fascinations
the outcome of innate talent and re-
fnement, which rendered this gifted
lady one of the most charming and
perfect actresses of modern days.
The Empress was present, grace
full and beautiful; the Emperor at
her side, wrapped in his favorite air
of gloomy abstraction, which, like
Lord Burleigh's celebrated nod, was
supposed TO mean so much, yet which,
viewed by the partial light of subse-
ouent veratious history. seems to
have signlfied so very little. Sever
al officers in glittering uniforms were
in attendance, sparkling with decora-
tions showered upon them by CRATE
full sovereign; and among these gal
liant warriors, conspicuous by reason
of the sombreness of his attire, was
a solitary, humble, black coated civil
ian, in ordinary evening dress, with
the inevitable specb of red at his but
ton-hole.
In box almost Immediately op-
posite that occupied by Their Imperi-
al Majesties, was q young and eX-
ceedingly handsome Russian lady,
the Countess Ivanoff, concerning
whose manifold graces and fascina-
tions the great world of Paris elected
to interest itself considerably at this
period.
The beauty and the wit of this fair
Northern enchantress were the theme
of every masculine tongue, and her
magnificent diamonds the envy and
admiration of all feminine beholders.
The Countess was accompanied by
her husband, fine man of distin-
= gulshed prepossessing appearance,
looking an embodied refutation of the
celebrated Napoleonic aphorism, as
, though no amount of scratching
could ever unearth the Cossack ele-
ment underneath his refined, polished
: exterior.
e The curtain fell after the first act
Emperor and Empress withdrew dur
g ing the enta'' acte. Many humber
mortals followed their example
among them Count Ivanhoff, appar
= emily in no wise disturbed by the
e fact that the golden youths in the
stalls were bringing a small battery
+ of opera glasses to bear upon The
1t dazzling charms Of his beautiful wife
/ which we chivalrous Americans lil1'
to fiatter ourselves is the mOnopol,
of foreigners.
> The Countess leaned back in he
luxurious .tduteul, tanning hersel
n dreamily, serenely Indifferent to th
," interest she was exciting. In th
r; dim light of her curtain shaded box
- the glitter of diamonds seemed t
> form a luminous halo around he
,e graceful head a myriad of starr
m brilliants CLEANED among the masse
ut of her gold-brown hair, and tw
priceless stones, popularity reporte
Il - to be worth that unknown quantity
a kings ransom, flashed and twin
a kled like twin planets in her littl
shell-tinted ears.
We The Count had not been gone fiv
- minutes when there was gent
=, knock at the door; and, in answt
to the Countess 'sEntrez," I'll
A ouvreuse appeared and said deferer
II TALLY:
lis ssPardon, Nine. la Comtesse.
a. gentleman charged with messae
81 from Her Majesty the Empress wai
o. in the corridor, and desires to kno
or if Madame will have the goodness |
M receive him.
"Certainly! Enter, beg of you
70 replied the Countess in the low, sua,
:, voice, which was not the least of b,
IT. many attractions, bowing gracious
er as she recognized the distinguishe
looking civilian she had already n,
ng ticed in close proximity to the En-
nc press in the imperial box.
~ The visitor advanced few step
if and still standing in deep shado1
yas he said with grave dignity: 81 tru
my intrusion may be pardoned.
ip- am desired by Her Majesty to ask
ut, favor of Madame la Comtesse, an
at the same time, to beg that she W
nv nv have the goodness to excuse som
,at what unusual request"
IN 1.-The obligation will be mine if
can fulfill even the least of Her Ma
er- esty's wishes" answered the Coun
ian ess, gracefully.
oa The case is this explained t
I;d gentleman, in a tone of we'll hr
apnunonf hoe o,;ca,, oo