The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-05-10
THE NECKLACE.

OF THAR asked Nine. valois. drawing
from little manve-colored velvet case
u necklace Of curious beads OF sub
stance resembling amber, but having
ID the heart Of each light like that Of
the finest opal, and being generally OF
the color Of which we speak as crushed
strawberry. What are those stonespn
IL think the necklace beautiful" |
replied. But you must tell me what
the stones are for can not even guess;
have never seen anything like them.
Tor do they tally with any descriptions
that remember"
Mime. yalois looked pleased.
''Ah, madame. / can not tell you.-
she said, spreading her hands abroad;
nor can any one. ! believe. They
have been examined by many people
learned in such things without having
name given 10 them. They are pref
~ now but when the warmth OF the
wearer's neck acts upon them they
glow like rubies. The little clasp also
become transparent. and YOU see that
a toad Is carved upon IT, II has been
ia our family a century and half. and
many celebrated jewellers and lapidaries
have seen IL. never dreamed that |
should be the first 10 get a clew 10 the
mystery, but think have done SO.
IL was by reading your Shakespeare.
madame. You look nstonished, but il
Is true. | am much indebted 10 your
Shakespeare" said Mime. Falos. What
wonderful man he wasl IL was
while reading his plays that | solved
problem that was puzzled many gener
fitions OF our family. You remember
what he said; Like toad. ugly and
venomous, still hides a precious jewel
in his head
MY necklace, ! am assured made
of those jewels that are mentioned by
your Shakespeare. will tell you my
reasons for thinking SO.
s'You must know that | have in Ayig.
non very old. yet still very pretty.
chateau. which l now lease TO an
American.
"A hundred and fifty wears ago our
family resided there. aud one day a
Nalois brought home 10 the chateau Il
very gay aud pretty Partisan wife
Nine. ValOis. coming young bride 10
her husbands chateau in Avignon,
thought it gray and gloomy. aud felt
that after Paris il was very stupid. To
be sure there WAS a great garden. but
IL WAS ~ lUitrNFu Will tOulN kHNt ~
first her walks among the borders al
ways ended in her flying homeward ia
an agony of terror, crying out that the
little wrctches were too disgusting to
endure
"One day. however. as She sat upon
bench beside an old stone fountain,
she heard close to her little singing
noise. aud saw squatting close beside
her ON the bench !. little toad. IL sat
quite still aud made this little plaintiye
musical sound continually. Its ewes
were nxed upon her. and she noticed
that they were very bright.
Poor little thing she said to her
self. Really. il looks hungry And.
having little cake in her pocket. she
crumbled it upon the bench.
The toad looked ut her as she did
so, and when she said kindly. There.
toady. is your breakfast IL hoped for
ward aud ale every crumb. Then IL
did strange thing. Ii sat upon its
launches aud touched its forcfeet to its
forehead, ms an oriental does to make
an obeisance. and hoped away.
1.-The next day Mime. Valois awoke
thinking OF the toad and whenever she
ate ANYTHING she liked very much she
saved some bits. saying Toady would
like that; and at sunset she went TO the
fountain, carrying basket. and sat
down upon the old bench.
Not five minutes had she been
seated there when she heard the soft
singing sound. aud there sprung TO the
bench beside her the toad she had fed
the day before and four Of the most
charming little toads any one ever saw
evidently Nine. Toad's family.
''She sat in the middle. with two on
each side Of her. and they ate the
crumbs Mime Valois gave them, and
when all were gone Mime. Toad made
n salutation rs on the first occasion and
hopped away backward. rs people are
expected TO retire from the royal pres
ence, and Mime. Valois went home and
wrote in her journal which Is pre-
served TO this day all the particulars
have recounted To you
"She was now quite in love with
Mime. Toad. and every day she went at
the same hour to feed the little Great
ures. She was very young and very
much afraid Of her husband. who was
n very grave, elderly man. aud did not
like nonsense. so she did not tell him
ANYTHING about all this. but kept the
secret for her diary until winter came.
Then indeed she was obliged 10 con-
fide the matter To her maid for the
dearth of insects caused famine
among the toads. or so she supposed,
for when she went to the fountain hun
dreds of them came and squatted about
her with pleading looks In their little
bottle-shaped eyes. and all their little