The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-08-27
MoCKlNo A KING.
Marie Antoinette,s Cruel Practical
Joke on a Little Deformed King.

+ HAhEhG 1EutA EEACHAGal
Joke on a Little Deformed King.
1.-THE Kingdom of Y etot" Is the title
of an article by Gerald Brennan In the
st. Nicholas. Mr.. Brennan says: When
the Inflated Louis XNI. assembled the
throne, the Queen of Yyetot, Julie l.,
and her husband, Claude, Marquis
d'Albon de Saint Marcel. came to pay
their respects at the frivolous court.
The poor little queen was almost n
dwarf; her husband who called himself
king" was hunchback. But they
were both very proud indeed of their
royalty, and did not see that the court
iers were making fun of them, as
! Henry Tvs courtiers had made fun OF
their ancestor King Martin. At this
time Queen Marie-Antolnette who
later died pitiful death on the guillo-
tine) was a thoughtless girl fresh from
the secluslon of an Austrian convent
She Joined In the rldieule leyeled at the
sovereigns OF Yyetot. Louis XVI, al
ways n kind-hearted II rather stupid
gentleman, protested pityingly; but
Marie-Antoinette excused her actions
by pointing out that since Queen
Julie" and king Claude" were too
proud TO see that they were being
Knocked, there was no cruelty In the
mockery.
This Is rather sad chapter In the
history of Yvetot. True II Is that we
tots sovereignty from the very first
had been only huge joke. But then it
was a very old Joke indeed In Louis
XNI.'s time. The crown, which was
really only a cap and bells, had been
worn for so long a time, that its an
tiqulty might have hallowed 1t In the
eyes of these merry courtiers, very few
of whom could show lineage so noble
as that of Julie, Queen of Yvetot, or of
her husband the Marquis d'Albon de
+ st. Marcel. But, cruel or justifable
the fun was kept mp at the expense of
f the dwarf queen and her hunchback
husband.
One especially bitter Jest is recorded
for which, II must be sadly confessed,
Marie-Antoinette herself was respon-
sble. A great bal masque was project
ed; and the young queen of France
caused word to be conveyed TO the Mar
quis d'Albon and his wife that 1t was
to be Fools Ball" Every guest, she
stated, was required to appear In the
familiar guise of court jester.
The simple minded Queen of Yyetot
and her spouse took the bait, and on
the occasion In question presented
themselves at the Tulleries In the caps
and bells of court testers. To their
establishment their entry was met with
4 roar of laughter: and on glancing
.ound they observed that no other guest
wore the TESTERS motley The Joke"
was completed by the entry of a mock
herald with two tinsel crowns, which
he placed on the heads of Queen Julie
and the Marquis d ALBION. The poor lit.
tie queen would have fed from the ball
room, but her husband, too much of a
gentleman TO show that he had been
wounded, prevented her. Smillngiy he
remarked, so that all might hear: Her
Majesty Is quite right to remind us
that the kingdom of Yyetot was won
by a jest. But she should remember
that the jest was good one"
This apt reply came to the ears of
Louis XVI, who FASTENED to make
amends to the deformed king of Yyetot.
Sire" replied the little sovereign, at Is
quite superfuous for the queen to pre-
sent us with crowns. There were kings
of Yvetot before her ancestors became
counts of Hapsburg.