Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-04-04
WHEN GEMS WERE
PRECIOUS.

pretty story about some jewels yo,
lost when you We're Il young laiy
Won't you tel it to meg"
IF you'll promise not to repest IT."
The Countess OF Blumcns.ein tool
her little daughter on her lo5 and tplS
the story.
Twenty years ago" NEc said, "whel
jewels were very expensive. they were
much valued by those who could he
ford 10 own them. 1t was, | think. II
( the year 1905 that Il young lady OF ia,
nobility whom we will call Bertha
was appointed one OF the fades II
waxing 10 the empress. Her majesty
I Possessed enc 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 MaNimilian. lie was of roy
al blood through his mother, but not
through his father.
Now, Ma yimilian took very little in
terest in court matters. lie was Il
! student, always experimenting with
liquids that he poured into little glass
tubes and oiled ana froZc and did all
sorts OF Ql,eer things with. Ii was
about this time that a new and funny
substance was discovered called ra.
dunn. Ii had Il sort of glow that new
or died ou. Macmillan took great
Interest in ladium ANA was constantly
trying its glow on different other sub.
stances
"One day Bertha-lt was about two
years after she had been appointed
lady in waiting went 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 safe within the vault She
tainted, hu soon recovered and went
out, locked the vault aud sat down to
think what she should do 1t was
enough that the jewels had been taken
while under her care. but would SIC
not be held responsible as the thiei:
While she was in agony as to what
In the world she should do Macmillan
was announced. In few minutes she
was pouring her tronhies into his ea..
"MaXimiiian thought for Il long while
then told her TO say nothing about the
theft. Ali would depend upon the en-.
press not calling for her lost gems
for some time. Photographs of them
were kept that they might he idcnti-
fed in ease 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 20
be. but there were so many ingeniols
detective story tellcrs that they reveal
ed 10 the thieves all possible ways %
tracing them. ana the detectives ceased
to be of use,
"Wcll. Macmillan took two sets q,
photographs away with him. telling
Bertha that II the gems were not called
for FOR month all would he We'll.
1t 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 We're alone he unrolled a
parcel, aud there were the gems.
of course she was wild to know how
he had recovered them. and 10 her as
constituent he told her that they were
not the original gems. but others he
had manufactured. | will try and ex-
plain TO you how he did it. He bad |
noticed that that funny substance cali.
ed radium impaired to the little glass |
tubes he used a beautiful blue. This |
led him to Il new experiment. He took |
certain crystals of different hues, put |
them away In the dark, and when, aft |
er several weeks, he looked ut them,
what do You think? Why, the white |
crystals had become yellow topazes,
the blue crystals green cmeralds, while |
the violet crystals had turned into blue
He had made the discovery
that has since led TO the manufacture
Of what used TO be called precious
stones. To reproduce The gems shoyyE
In the photographs be had crystals cut
like the originals. then exposed them
TO the influence of radium.
1T wasn't week after this that ono
Of the mutimillionaires Of America
came TO Berlin. At the same time came
q princeling, Il cousin of the emperor A
state dinner was given, the emperor
that ii was for the prince
ing, but it was really for the big Amer
can banker. The empress called for
I'll her jewels. Bertha brought them to
her. and neither she nor any one else
Knew that they had been manufactured.
The funny part OF IL was that the great
lanker, who was collector of all kinds
II rare articles, through medium, Of
cred the empress five times the cost OF
Ter jewels. She sold them to him. and
he presented them TO an American mu-
eum They are really curiosity,
hougll he didn't know 1t, for they were
he first manufactured real gems
hough now there are millions of them
md because they are cheap people
on't wear them any more.
"Meanwhilc Bertha suspected one OF I
he maids OF honor of stealing the lost i
ems. The girl finally confessed to {
Bertha and returned them. This was s
ftcr the manufactured ones had gone !
o America. Bertha consulted with {
Iaximllian as to what they should do. I
Ie said their return would make q 3
readful scandal and might create Il Z
adj feeling between Germany and ,
,me-ica, so they said nothing about !
hem. but buried them" 6
"And what became OF Macmillan
nd Bertha?" asked the child
"They are now the Count and Count
SIS of Blumenstein."
'NNhy. that's papa and YOU