Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-08
HIS PROFITABLE IMAGINATION.
A Valet Who Got Money by Weavfng
Yarns About Prince Victor Napole0n

A Valet Who Got Money by weavfnx
Yarns About Prince Victor NapoleOn
From 4 Paris Letter.
A fraudulent valet has just been arreste I
for robbing his mistress Of various consid-
cradle sums OF money under extraordinary
circumstances. The old lady. who is eighty
three years Of age. and lived in rigid seclu-
sion. is most ardent imperialist, and the
dream Of her life Is to witness the coming
Of Prince Victor Napoleon to seize the
reins OF government. Among others in her
service was young man of twenty. OF
progressing appearance and pleasant
manners. who acted as valet de chambre
He speedily won his way into his employ
er favor. the more as, on ascertaining
her political tendencies. he declared him.
sell to be an enthusiastic Bonapart;st. One
day he rushed into her room with a cock
and-bull story that Prince Victor had en-
tered France. but had been arrested and
cast into durance vile. The old lady. who
knew nothing of what was passing in the
outside world, readily believed the tale,
and handed over without demur several
hundred dollars. which were to procure the
release of the unfortunate captive Having
once successfully tapped the golden source,
the valet did not scruple when in want OF
money to come forward with some extraor-
binary narrative relating to Victor Napo-
leon and his supposed wanderings. In
through such a series Of marvellous adven-
lures as were accredited to the descendant
OF the first emperor and retailed for the
benefit Of the too confiding dame. First
the prince was figuring as candidate for
the municipal elections, and funds were
needed to placaId the fact about the town.
On another occasion the bearer Of the IA
NOUS name was the victim Of a distressing
accident, and a certain sum was required
to pay the surgeons bill. One day the poor
old woman was thrown into a tremendous
hutter Of excitement by the announcement
that four princesses would honor her with
their presence at lunch. A quartet Of dam
sells did, in TRUTH turn up, but they were
not of royal descent. Toast after toast was
drunk to the princes health and welfare,
with the old ladys champagne, and the
fair visitors, who hailed from the height of
Montmartre. departed. having created by
their imperial" bearing a profound Inn
preston on their credulous hostess
But Nemesis at length overlook the Graf
ty mental and male accomplice. They
were found one evening in the gutter quite
overpowered by copious libations, or the
heat OF the sun. as they put it, by the po-
lice and taken into custody. Although
money found in their possession aroused
the suspicious of the commssary of police,
VINO caused searching inquiries to be made
about the couple. The truth leaked out
and the two scamps were rearrested. The
valet boldly declared that his mistress had
given him large sums of money to send to
the prince, but as he did not know the lat
ter's address. he kept them. He would
have been fool, the prisoner declared, to
have given the money back, and no one
similarly placed would have done so. The
police official disagreed with him on this
point and the two accomplices are now at
eyents