The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-03-21

Georges l. NSqe, IN his tndefati-
gable researc. among, Sold mansions
and Old documents;- has Just revived
one Of the Aspasias, of the Louis
XVI. days, who, had she been gifted |
with as much brains as beauty, could
have left absorbing memoirs Of the
memorable personages who made the
early days of Marie Antoinette's
court the mirror OF mirth and loveli-
ness that captivated Edmund Burke.
BY Nborious research through masses
of police and other archives lie Norte
traces the woman who set the gal
lants of Paris agog to a little village
in Burgundy. Her name was Gather
Inc Thevenin, but she was known
from Paris to- Petersburg as the Ace
of Spades" ("L'As de Pique.") Just
why is not explained, unless in allu-
sion to her extraordinary fortunes.
At fifteen she tired of her wooden
shoes, and one fine day quit the pa
ternal cot for adventures in Paris.
She became known to the "editor" of
the police department as Mile. Du-
fresnoy. in 1772 sojourning in demure
splendor as one of the extra dam
seuses" of the opera. 1t was fortune,
IL not fame, for any ordinarily good
looking girl to be of the opera in
those carnival times of gallantry. The
"soft brown hair and roguish eyes" of
Catherine were mentioned to the
Duke of Richelieu, and that Alci-
blades having confirmed the verdict
by nod and a dinner, the young
woman's fortune was made. Richie
lieu was in his seventy-eighth year,
and he was known from end to end of
Europe as the most dashing gallant of
the century. He not only bore one
of the greatest names in the realm,
was adulated by Voltaire as the hero
of Majorica, where he beat the Brit
ish under Admiral Byng, but still
more, while his army was assaulting
Port Mahon invented the dressing"
called to this day "mayonnaise"
To spite his son and heir, the pro-
fligate Duke de Fronsac, Richelieu
married in his seventy-eighth year a
bride of twenty. Celebrated by Vol
taire and conceded every grace, ao-
complishment and grandeur that NOR
tails enjoy, the Duke, who couldn't
sign his own name, was elected men,
ber of the Academy of the Immortals,
and read an address said to have been
written by his friend Voltaire. He
preserved activities and prowess in
competition with his younger rivals
by. a treatment" which seems to
have fallen into disuse when he died.
He kept on one of his domains near
Paris herd OF cows, and every night
he caused a calf to be slaughtered.
When he retired his body was wrapped
in the warm flesh of the calf, and
from this astounding blood absorp-
tion he retained the vigor of youth
until long past three score and ten.
He was on the verge of eighty when
he eolipsed all the younger gallants
at the opera ball, when Marie Antoin-
cite was present, in the masque of
"Cephalus," dancing like a boy of
twenty" He bore debt of three
millions with such serenity that his
creditors hadn't the heart to disturb
him. Hence when this imposing per-
sonage allowed 1t to be known that he
thought rAs dc ePique pretty the gold
en- youth of the court fastened to
squander the fortunes of their fam
lilies to please the Burgundian maid.
At the very time that the Count
d d'Artois, the Kings brother, was
credited with too much brotherly af-
fection for Marie Antoinette the
Prince was really patronizingJ the de-
mure iAs de Pique. Her salon be-
came the supreme height of fashion
for the Dukes, Marquises and Princes,
who, quitting the Trianon hurried to
the Catherean shrine. CaglIostro,
then in his highest flight of wonder
making, was seen at the Piques LII
cullian dinners where the brother of
the King did the honors. One day
Paris was bewildered at sight of a
coach with six white horses in which
sat a ravishing creature that the
plain folk supposed to be the Queen,
since the Queen alone had the right
to ride behind six steeds. The Pique
received the reverential courtesies of
the people with affable smiles and
only learned when the police visited
her in the evening that the etiquette
of the monarchy reserved that style
of equipage for royalty alone. Her
chief aim seems to have been to ac-
cumulate money. When the crash of
her cortege of Princes came with the
Revolution she showed a callous in
difference to the great folk who had
aided in her fortunes. She was seen
/ during the Terror with pike In hand
marching with the harridans who sur
rounded the guillotine, and when the
Directory succeeded the Robespierre
regime she became one of the person
ages of Barras' dissolute court. Dur
ing the Empire the police lost sight
OF her. but In 1926 she appeared in
the royal city of Fontainbleau, to the
wonder OF the citizens. She sold her
palace In Paris to Baron Louis, the
Minister of Finance, and, with about
a half million dollarsin securities and
fabulously interesting bric-a-brac, set
tied at IL Rue Royal, not far from
| the palace of Fontainebleau.
For years she lived In this man
sion, the wonder, terror and despair
of the town. She lived entirely alone;
she did her own marketing and on
such occasions would ask any stout
young workman she mot to aid her in