Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-13

advantage Of the well-known fondness OF
the public for being guled.
According to the evidence given at his
trial, M Boudesaue kept sharp eye out
for announcements to the effect that So
and-So had received the Cross Of the
Legion of Honor, the Academic Palms or
the Order of Agricultural Merit. When he
saw one he Immediately wrote. congratu-
lating the happy recipient. and asked II he
would not like to have his name inscribed
in the Great Golden Book" which. ac-
cording to It's publisher. constituted
unique roll of the, worlds heroic sons. The
cost Of such inscription was thirty francs.
or So.
Boudesque added that the-mightiest per-
sonages of the political world were on his
Committee of honor" So they were, for
he had put their names upon IT himself
without consulting them about II. How
ever his little game worked, for most OF
the persons to whom he wrote, In the flush
of their Joy at being decorated, sent the
thirty francs demanded. and the fact that
Boudesque gathered in over a hundred thou
sand francs last year is eloquent testimony
to the great number of persons In France
who receive one or another kind of decora-
ton.
The astute publisher tripped. however.
when he recently sent one of his communi-
cations to an employe OF the prefecture OF
police, for this Individual not only declined
to be inscribed in the Great Golden
Book" but called the attention of the
authorities to that volume. and so Bou-
desque was arrested. And sentenced. too.
as above stated, despite his assertion that
he didn't sWindle any one, because he never
promised to send them the book, but only
to write their names in the one which he
kept at home.
II Count Lone di Minerbi OF Trieste.
who has just bought the beautiful Palazzo
Rezzonico, In Venice, is interested in lit
erary matters he probably will take spe-
cial pleasure In his new home on account
of its intimate associations with Robert
Browning. For here it was, of course.
that the great poet came on a visit to his
son and daughter-in-law In 1889. and here
that few months afterward he died of an
illness contracted while under their roof;
tended to the last by loving hands, and
with echoes Of the success of "Asolando
coming from England Until recently the
palace contained many relics of both Rob
ert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. and
many American visitors to Venice saw
these every year, but they were all re
moved before the sale of the palace &c
Count di Minerbi.
The Rezxonieo palace, for which this
Austrian noblemala Is said to have PAID
$4,000, was built from the designs OF
Longhena In the seventeenth century, and
contains a fine ceiling by Tiepo1o, besides
boastine one -ef the finest and iargest bea
rooms In all Venice. The rooms in its
entresol. which ara known as the pope's
apartments''-from Eugenious Nv. who was
q member OF the Rezzonicc family-aie
also interesting TO all travellers on account
Of their beautiful decorations, and especial
" so to Americans and English folk on &C
count OF the fact that It was In these
rooms some two years ago that Mrs.
Humphrey Ward wrote the chapters In
the Marriage OF William Ashe," OF which,
the scenes are laid in Venice.