Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-30
GRAND DUKE HAS
A ASERVANTS' ROW
PAUL TRIES RUSSIANS AND
FRENCH, WHO DON'T MIX
All the French servltors Dismissed.
Turk Has Trouble Over Pearl
NeckIace-swalows II and
Takes Emetic
nv ARTHUR W. L'AMoURBAUx

nv ARTHUR w. b'AMoUREAUx
Special Cable to The Herald
PARIS, Sept. 29.--There has just been
pretty commotion at the villa des
Lys, near Saint Cloud, where the
Grand Duke Paul of Russia is staying.
He took up his abode there a few
weeks ago with strong contingent
of servants. half of whom hailed from
| his own country and half natives OF
| France. For some reason or another,
| that union of hearts of which so
much has been said did not find an
illustration in the establishment. The
French servants did not exactly hit
It off with their Muscovite comrades,
and the result was a sort of feud,
which has found expression in very
peculiar way Weary of all the un-
pleasantne ess, the grand duke had ad-
ministered a scolding to a man who
was suspected of having started this
i'll feeling, when, early on the follow
ing morning, his Russian butler found
an object resembling a bomb lying OH
one of the window sills. 1t was squares
| in shape, and the box was bound
round with wire and twine. a lengthy
wick, which had been partially burnt,
emerging from 1t: The authorities
were promptly informed of this very
disagreea discovery, and an inspec-
tor arrived from Versailles to conduct
an Investigation. AS all the gates OF
the property had been closed during
that night. and as no outsider could
possibly have obtained admission, the
inquiry was limited to questioning the
servants and to an examination of the
supposed internal machine. All the
French and Russians were interrogat-
ed in turn. and then the box was
opened with infinite precaution. 1t
was found to consist of mere wood,
and to be filled with pebbles and sand,
while as for the wick, it had simply
been taken from a small stove. The
whole affair, in fact, was nothing but
a sorry practical joke; but, as Rus
sian grand duke has no taste for jests
of this description, he has sent all his
French servants about their business.
SO harmony reigns in the villa.
Turk and Pearls
Turkish gentleman with a nice
taste in pearls was arrested recently
in a jewelers. shop in the Boulevard |
st. Martin.
He walked into the shop and told !
the jeweler that he was engaged to be
married, and wanted to buy his fiance I
a $500 pearl necklace. While he was
examining two or three necklaces with /
the help o. large pair of spectacles,
one of the shop assistants noticed that |
he was apparently licking the pearls.
The assistant took up one of the II
necklaces which the Turkish gentle
man had just laid down, and noticing
that the cord was bitten through, gave
the alarm. The police came in and ar.
rested the Turk. who protested an.
grily and demanded to be searched.
He was searched and no pearls were
found on him, but the jeweler insisted
on his being taken to the police station.
The Turk was there given strong
emetic on the authority of magis-
trate. and was found to have swal-
lowed two pearls worth $400 and 5000.
The readers of the Fiargo are dis
cussing in the columns of that paper
the question whether or not a gentle
man ought to salute when entering
railway compartment already occu-
pied by other passengers
From the letters received it appears
that the weaker sex are absolutely in
favor of this custom and some of them
even ask how such a question can pos
sibly arise.
The male correspondents, too, seem
to be strongly in favor of preserving
French politeness. "PoIiteness costs
nothing" says the proverb. An ultra
Republicans reply is to the effect that
takes off his hat. When the compart-
ment is only occupied by men ahe
glances at the papers they are reading
and e they are of his political views
he saluteS.
Wakes UP odeon
NJ. Antoine has just come back to
town, full of fiery energy which as
tonishes the old Odeon. He has had
the ancient playhouseS transformed
from top to bottom. The worm eaten
stalls, the draughty yet narrow pass
ages, the crooked boxes are now no
more. The theater has been completely
The new director walked
all over the house and sat in every
seat, one after the other. Whenever he
ascertained that from any place the
stage was not sufficiently visible, he
ordered that place in question
to be abolished. This is sheer revolu-
ton. The government department of
fine arts figuratively threw UP its arms
In horror when M. Antoine proposed re-
ducing the number of saleable seats in
boxes from four to three, merely be-
cause from the fourth seat it is impos-
sible to see the stage.
On the other hand, while Paris thea
Iers are the most uncomfortable, in
The drama Paris leads the world. A
Paris audience would rather be un-
and see a good play than .
zee bad one comfortably. Thus NJ.
Antoine must look to his program, as
we'll as to his playhouse. The former
will certainly not be beneath his usual
nigh STANDARD. He will open the Odeon
season with Shakepeare's Julius Cae-
var" adapted by M. Louis de Gram
mont. No play could offer better OPP
to M. Antoines genius for
stage management. His King Lear"
n this respect was a wonderful
achievement on so small a stage as
hat of his old Theater Antoine, still
allied by that name under the new
mana cement of M. Gemier, one of his J
ormer lieutenants The scene of the
,urial of Caesar by Brutus and Mark
Antony is one after the heart of
tage artist like Antoine. Soon after
Julius Caesar" will come Alfred de
1igny's drama, of which the hapless {
Chatterton is the hero a
'ersion of Emile Zola's "Faute de
Able Mouret," and q new play, La
'referee," by that trenchant dramatist,
Il. Lucien Descaves.
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