The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-01-04
THE NECKLACE.

resembling amber, but having in the
heart of each a light like that of the
finest opal, and being generally of the
color of which we speak as crushed straw
berry.
"What are those stonesY"
81 think the necklace beautiful" 1 re-
Piled. "But you must tell me what the
stones are, for can not even guess;
have never seen anything like them, nor
do they tally with any descriptions that
remember"
Mme Valois looked pleased.
"Ah, madame, cannot 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 a name
given to them. They are pretty now, but
when the warmth of the wearer's neck
acts upon them they glow like rubies
The little clasp also becomes transparent,
and you see that toad is carved upon IT,
1t has been in our family century and
half, and many celebrated jewelers. and
lapidaries have seen it. never dreamed
that / should be the first to get a slew to
the mystery, but think have done so.
It was by reading your Shakespeare,
madame. You look astonished, but it is
true. i am much indebted to your
Shakespeare" said Nine. Valois. "What
a wonderful man he wasl 1t was
while reading his plays that 1 solved
a problem that has puzzled many gener-
ations of our family. You remember
what he said;
| Like toad, ugly and venonous, still
hides precious jewel in his head. ,"
"My necklace, am assured, is made
of those jewels that are mentioned by
your Shakespeare. l will tell you my
reasons for thinking so;
you must know that have in Avi
gnon a very old yet still very pretty cha
teau which now lease to.an American
ga hundred and fifty years ago ou
family resided there, and one day Va
lois brought home to the chateau a yer,
gay and pretty Partisan wife. Nine
Valois, coming young bride to her hus
bands chateau in Avignon, thought i
gray and gloomy, and felt that, afte
Paris, it was very stupid. To be sure
there was a great garden, but it was s.
infested with toads that at first her walk
among the borders always ended in he
flying homeward in an agony of terror
crying out that the little wretches wer
too disgusting to endure.
Zone day, however, as she sat upon
bench beside an old stone fountain sh
heard close to her little singing nois
and saw squatting close beside her on tn
| l. eof 70 CT on
made this little plaintive musical SCUM
continually. Its eyes were fixed upo
her and she noticed that they were yer
bright.
3" Poor little thing, she said TO hersel
Really, it looks hungry. And, having
little cake in her pocket, she crumbled
upon the bench.
"The toad looked at her as she did 81
and when she said kindly:
"'There, Toady. is your breakfast
hoped forward and eat every crumI
Then it did a strange thing. 1t sat upc
its launches and touched its fore feet
its forehead as an Oriental does to NAL
an obeisance. and hopped away.
"The next day Nine. Valois awol
thinking of the toad, and whenever 81
eat anything she liked very much 81
saved some bits, saying Toady would iii
that, and at sunset she went to the fou
tain, carrying a basket, and sat dow
upon the old bench.
"Not five minutes had she been seat'
there when she heard the soft, singh
sound, and there sprung to the bench
side her the toad she had fed the day
fore and four of the most charming lit
toads any one ever saw, evidently Mn
Toads family.
''She sat in the middle with two
each side of her, and they eat the crum
) Nine. Valois gave them, and when
+" were gone Nine. Toad made a salu
ton as on the first occasion, and hOpp
We away backward as people are expect
to retire from the royal presence, a
Nine. Valois went home and wrote
her journal-which is preserved to Il
!. day-all the particulars have recount
a to you.
70 "She was now quite in love with Mn
Toad. and every day she went at
, same hour to feed the little creatur
{ She was very young and very mu
lfraid of her husband, who was a vG
b grave, elderly man, and did not i
nonsense, so she did not tell him al
u hing about all this, but kept the sec
,, or her diary until winter came. I'll
ndeed she was obliged to confide
y natter 70 her maid, for the dearth of
q4 ects caused a famine among the toa
IT so she supposed, for when she went
he fountain hundreds Of them came g
~ quatted about her with pleading Loo
:" n their little bottle shaped eyes, and
heir little hands clasped imploringly
"When she saw them thas assemb
! Tor the first time, Mime, Valois mi
W ,hem this speechi
"My pretty little toads, ] love
all. You are my tenants--being b
na' upon my ground. assure you you 81
'ari not starve. Every morning and eV
vi evening you shall be fed,
after this the maid always carries
basket Of food to the bench and madl
he, distributed IT, The army Of toads 81
70, lowed the last crumb, Nine. Toad tha
.na ing her as at FIRST, and away they
ped. All this and much more she
rfrl written In her diary.
thine passed on, and one day Il
un- came a baby 10 the ohateau-a beaui
nin- little girl. Madame was very hal
an but she did not forget her toRds. E'
With day th. maid fed them and reporte
rger her As she lay in bed she often sal
her bahy' 'Ah. petite. when you are