Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-02-14
WHEN GEMS WERE
PRECIOUS.
LoriRinaLl

pretty story about some jewels you
lost when you were young lady.
Won't you tell 1t to meT"
"If you'll promise not to repeat It,"
The Countess Of Blumenstein took
her little daughter on her lap and told |
the story.
Twenty years ago." she said, when
jewels were very expensive, they were
much valued by those who could af-
ford to own them. 1t was, think, In
the year 1905 that young lady of the
nobility whom we will call Bertha
was appointed one Of the ladies' In
waiting to the empress. Her majesty
possessed one of the rarest collections
Of gems in Europe, and Bertha was
made responsible for them. There
was a young man at court whom we
will call Macmillan. He was Of roy
al blood through his mother, but not
through his father.
Now, Macmillan took very little In
terest in court matters. He was a
student, always experimenting with
LIQUIDS that be poured into little glass
tubes and boiled and froze and did all
sorts Of queer things with. 1t was
about this time that a new and funny
substance was discovered called ra-
dunn. 1t had sort of glow that new
| err died out. Macmillan took great
| interest in radium and was constantly
trying its glow on different other sub
stances.
zone day Bertha--it was about two
years after she had been appointed
lady In waiting to the vault
where the empress jewels were kept.
and, 10 and behold. they were gone
that is, all except the diamonds, which
were In a safe within the vault She
tainted, but soon recovered and went
out locked the vault and sat down to
think what she should do. 1t was
enough that the jewels had been taken
while under her care, but would she
not be held responsible as the thief?
While she was In agony as to what
IN the world she should do Macmillan
was announced. In few minutes she
was pouring her troubles into his ear.
Macmillan thought for long while
then told her to say nothing about the
theft. All would depend upon the en-
press not calling for her lost gems
for some time. Photographs Of them
were kept that they might be identl-
fied In case of loss. Macmillan took
these photographs and told Bertha that
he was going to put the best detec-
tive in Berlin on the track Of the jew
els. What are detectives? There are
no such persons now. There used to
be, but there were so many ingenious
detective story tellers that they reveal
ed to the thieves all possible ways Of
tracing them, and the detectives ceased
to be OF use.
"Well, Macmillan took two sets of
photographs away with him, telling
Bertha that II the gems were not called
for for a month all would be well.
} II happened that the empress was in
. disposed about that time and attended
no state occasions, so she did not need
her Jewels Bertha was in an agony
Of suspense for the thirty days; then
one day Macmillan came to see her.
When they were alone he unrolled a
parcel, and there were the gems.
"Of course she was wild to know how
he had recovered them. and to her as
constituent he told her that they were
not the original gems, but others he
had manufactured. l viii try and ex-
plain to you how he did 1t. He had
noticed that that funny substance call
ed radium impaired to the little glass
tubes he used a beautiful blue. This
led him to new experiment. He took
certain crystals of different hues, put
them away in the dark. and when, aft
err several weeks, he looked at them,
what do you thinkf Why, the white
crystals had become yellow topazes,
the blue crystals green emeralds, while
the violet crystals had turned into blue
sapphires. He had made the discovery
that has since led to the manufacture
Of what used to be called precious
stones. To reproduce the gems shown
In the photographs he had crystals cut
like the originals, then exposed them
, to the influence of radium,
r at wasn't week after this that one
/ OF the multimillionaires of America
came to Berlin. At the same time came
prlneeling cousin of the emperor. A
state dinner was given, the emperor
pretending that 1t was for the prince
ling. but It was really for the big Amer
lean banker. The empress called for
: all her Jewels Bertha brought them to
!. her. and neither she nor any one else
/ knew that they had been manufactured
q The funny part OF 1t was that the great
banker, who was a collector of all kinds
Of rare articles. through medium, Of
: fered the empress five times the cost Of
her jewels. She sold them to him, and
he presented them to an American mu
= scum. They are really curiosity
g though he didn't know It, for they were
+ the first manufactured real gems
though now there are millions Of them
And because they are cheap people
v don't wear them any more.
Il Meanwhile Bertha suspected one o.
: the maids of honor of stealing the los
8 gems. The girl finally confessed Il
Bertha and returned them. This wa,