The Portland daily press., 1898-09-13
THE FATAL OPAL.
All Spain's Misfortunes Ascribed to a
Jealous Beauty's Gift to Alfonso.
(San Francisco Wave.)

(San Francisco Wave.)
Round the neck of the patron saint OF
Madrid is superb opal ring-an opal OF
large size and the most brilliant ooloring'
with spark of living fire in its center.
Set in filigree gold exquisitely chased iV
attrao t1e eye of the causal observer as
does no other ornament OF the lusVroas
decorations Of the image. IL 0nis opai
the superstitious Madridlenos ascrloe All
the misfortunes that have befallen the
dynasty and more recently the tesfiDie re-
verses of the Spanish ASgsfsoan was.
During the agalliant dsyo OF the Third
Empire in France, the most beautiful
woman in Paris was the Comtesse de
CastiuIione. When in the very height OF
her supreme loneliness, even Napoleon I'LL
and all the diplomats and statesmen paid
her court. The dazzling woman Was pres
ent at all the great functions at the Tuil-
Ieries, displaying arms and shoulders OF
superb mould and a skin and complexion
of delicious purity. The Empress hated
her and was intensely jealous of the at
tentions which her husband showered on
this seQuCGlV0 auveDGufeSS.
Of all the suitors for the favor of the
Comte ;se de Cas5iglione, the most persis-
t ,n5 and adoring was Alfonso XII OF
Spain, then an outcast and a pretender.
At first this Circe gave but slight encour-
agement to his addresses, but when the
concourse of events seemed blended to
the realization of his pretensions she
smiled on him with her most bewitch1ng
smiles. and the royal head was turned
past all prudence or Constralnt. Ihere
ollowed an ambrosial period in when
the King and the enchantress oonsplreo
together. Her mansion was headquarters
for Spanish intrigue. and When IaJe
crowned their scheInes with success and
Alfonso returned triumphant TO Madrld,
it was agreed that the Comtesse &c
CasSiglione should follow later, to be the
iguinp fayorite of his most Catholic
Ma jesty. -,
So the King departed and with him
the homes and prayers of his enchantress.
Alas for her preteBsions the monarch fell
deeply in love with his cousin, the beau
tiful Mercedes, daughter OF tina Duo de
Monpensier, and there was gorgeous
marriages. marriage Of great pomp ana
ceremony. Europe rssounded with ru-
mors of the love1iness of the Queen Mer.
cedes. and the royal twain were as happy
as turtle doves. For the time being the
lovely Comtesse in Paris was forgotten.
But hell hath no fury to match she ha-
tired and rage of the forsaken Oirce. She
dissem blsd her wrath, however. Never
to soul did She suggest her resentment
at the downfall of the glorious structure
of am billions she had reared on thu young
monaroh's pledges; but few mouths
after the royal marriage tho King received
a package from the Comtesse containing
a magnificent opal ring of rare coloring.
1t was called wedding gift and q me-
mento of an intimacy the memory OF
which TIE donor held dearer tt an life.
Much pleased. mis- Majesty showed the
ring to his wife, Queen Mercedes, who
was charmed with its beau6y end begged
to keep it. Alfonso gave 1t to her readily,
and she Slipped it on her finger. Firm
that moment she pinned y, and In a
few months she died.
The ring fell from her wasted hand,
and the King. who could not bear to see
it, gave it to his grandma ther, Queen
Cristina, who disd few months later.
Next the opal was passsh on to Alfonso's
sister. the Infanta Maria del Pillar, who
wore it but few days before she died OF
@ mysterious Illness. Alfonso then gave
the fatal jewel to his sister in-)aw. the
youngest daughter of the Duo and Ouch
asse de Montpensier, and in three months
the young Princess was no moFe.
Soon AFTER the death Of Mercedes Alton
SO had married the Austrian Archduchess
Cristina, who indeed Ipade him an ad-
mirable wife. When the death Of bis Sis
tor law restored to the royal possession
the fatal ring, his Majesty determined to
take the curse to himself So he slipped
it on his finger. From that moment his
health commenced to fail, and IN TWEEN
ty-four hours he was dead. The doctor
pronounced the case one of the strangsst
ON record, every vital organ of his body
having succumbsd to the IN ost marked
senile decay. Physicians could never
quite account for 1t, and the matter was
flushed up. Queen Cfistina, who Is not
in anyway credulous, took possession of
the ring after her husbands death, but
the other members Of the family, with
dark Spanish superstition. begged her to
destroy it. This she refused t6 do, but to
prevent further mischief the fatal opal
was hung about the neck of the patron
saint, where it still glitters ominousiy.
The SpaHairds ascribe to its baleful infu-
ence all the misfortunes of their nation.
and DECLARE there Gan be no future for
Qnoir NATL thia Jewel la DESTROYED.