The Wahpeton times., 1890-02-13

glass from the kings hand and drain-
cd It at q draught Z,
Red with anger the king demanded
an explanation OF this insolence, but
Marie Antoinette offered the minister
her hand and was about to explain TO
the king when suddenly the broad
leaves Of the great door few open and
the palace guard led in mau quite up
to the feet Of the king. The terrified
appearance of the prisoner, his coarse
coat, the brown waist-coat and panta-
looms. the broad, clumsy shoes with
leaden buckles, contrasted strangely
with the gay sillken attire. the gilded
hangtngs, the laces and diamonds of
the surroundings.
What does this mean?" asked the
king astonished.
Permit me. your majesty. TO bring
this man before you, who understands
how to make sugar out of vegetables.
Dumoret Is trying to ruin our colonies
and make them useless to us. This is
the discoverer of beet sugar.
"Discoverer? No, that honor does
not belong to me-" exclaimed the
Chemist Dumonet ut was a learned
Maj. Serre. who, during the regency,
deceived by the beautiful red color the
beet gives out in cooking, fancied nc
could make red wine out of it. Instead
OF the desired wine he found the bot
tom of his retort covered with fine
sugar. At that time France was rich
in colonies on the Mississippi. there
fore no one paid any heed to the dis
covery. Nor was it fully developed.
l learned abroad in Prussia, new i'm
provements, expended my small pos
sessions to test it, and hope l have
succeeded"
'1t is not a poison, then?" cried
Marie Antoinette. meaningly. The
king for the first time understood what
had preceded, and discovered also that
the chemist was bound. At a sign the
bond was cut and the guard left the
room without Dumonet.
Meanwhile the queen bravely took a
piece OF sugar in her lovely mouth.
That was q signal for the young cou IT.
iers to rush upon the before distrusted
sugar. vieing with each other to exhibit
their courage, their devotion through
this harmless poison.
Gently, my ladies. my lords, +" cried
Maurepas, ''every little piece OF that
sugar cost golden louis"
"But the sugar is not one bit better
than our ordinary sugar." remonstrat-
ed the queen, land it is only curiosi-
ty leading to ruin.'
Dumonet dropped on one knee.
'Your majesty is in measure correct.
Experimenting in small way, at the
same expense as great trade. natural
ly makes this sample excessively dear;
but ii your majesty will advance me
two millions for the development of
larger facilities for manufacture l shall
be able to furnish pound of sugar TO r
10 sous instead of francs."
The king recoiled involuntarily, and
Marie Antoinette grasped her famous
necklace. which had cost two millions,
as If tho plain man before her had been
robber. Her Disappearing glance
gave direction to the kings answer.
"Dr. Dumonet, honor enterprise;
accept this suutf-box as a recogni ition
of il. But two millions the state can
not possibly lend you That is too
much money for the exhausted ex-
chequer."
Dumonet received the gift respect
fully. "Sire, sooner or later nv en-
terprise will find the money"
The whole shallow. subservient
swarm of courtierlings cried out an
excited echo to the royal words:
1.-Two millions for sugar! Two
millions! The man should be in a
mad-hOuse! How can any one be so
shameless? Just as if it were not all
the same whether one pay 10 sous or
4 francs for Il pound of sugar: And if
any can't pay it let him take his food
unsweetened. What has the govern
ment to do with thato''
And SO Dumonet was dismissed. lie
had only need 1000, 900; the second
was the price demanded by the
minister for the introduction. This
evening Maurepas composed the only
good verse of his life. which, translat-
ed, rune somewhat thus:
'Altho' his life to sweeten
is all his royal care,
Two million francs for sugar
The king finds rather dear"
The furor which his wit created at
the court consolel him somewhat for
the lost 100000. and was it not all
the same whether at his death there
should be deficit of one paltry million
more or less? He left, in fact, a
round 1O.OJO. 600 in debts. 1t was u
noble sum: nine would not have sound
ed SO impressive.
Dumonet migrated to Belgium,
where he found more appreciation,
and lived. safe aud respected, while
the revolution storm swept over his
unhappy fatherland. "Who laughs
last" etc.
"And my queen would have died
with me?" asked Louis, as he accom-
panied her to their chamber that
night She was so beautiful, so dainty;
in her wonderful eyes beamed the
reflection of loving tears. The next
morning the king granted $780, 900
out OF the state Golfers to the ..un-
fortunate duchess OF Polignac. From
the French.
Russell Sage Not . Dude.
Mrs. Hetty Green has enjoyed the
reputation for long time of being the
most shabbily dressed millionaire who
Wanders within the nrecincts NJ Wo,1