The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-09

he desired the post of Prime Minister. partly for its power and partly be- cause he calculated that three months of ofifce would enable him to restore his fortunes, which had been sapped by his excesses and extravagances. Cagliostro conspired against the Queen. not because he hated her, but because he knew that the people hated her and he knew that the people hated the downfall of monarchy In France; and he was one of those who saw hope for France and hope for humanity in revolution.
 This mysterious man, whether he were considered a magicion or swim dler. possessed undoubted power through the wonder and fear which he l inspired and still more through his extraordinary intelligence and sagacity. He possessed a marvellous knowledge of every one's secrets--a knowledge that added immensely to his reputation | for supernatural attributes, although | in that age of spies and corruption such knowledge was easily gained by
 man of skill. daring and wealth. | His purse had paid for many lani- poon on the Queen, many seurriious song that was chanted in the streets | of Paris. None could trace q word to him; yet wherever he went he left | behind him the seed of some runaor about s'the Austrian. as the populaea |
 had not yet reached that sinister frame | of mind when they were to christen her Mime. Deficit"
 Slowly he and others like him were making her the symbol of everything
 that oppressed the people. In the win- | ter of f7s4, that monster that deyoured l half of France with hunger and cold, | he found an instrument which seemed | T1iraculousIy fashioned to his hand. At the magnetic studio of Dr. Mesnaer whose seanees then were one of the distractions of Paris, Cagiiostro saw an adventuress. Mile. Oliva, whose re semblanee in every detail. form. face. hair and voiee, to the Queen was won. | derful. She was tn q hypnotic trance when he arrived and the people who l thronged about her were whispering ! that it was the Queen. As soon as possible Cagliostro spirited her away. He installed her in a house opposite
 to that occupied by woman who call- ed herself Jeanne of valois, Countess
 de la Motte. This adventures claim
 ed descent from the race of the Yaloiss the old rulers of France. She had pes- tered the King and his ministers with her claims till they would listen to
 her no longer. Indeed, she had become
 a fest. for it was known that though her father had claimed the title of
 Baron de valois. her mother had been ! a peasant, and her husband was
 gendarme. vegetating far away from
 she had supported herself partly by
 dressmaking and partly by writing l begging letters till she succeeded In obtaining the ear of the Prince-Cardi- nal de Rohan. That plotter saw an op- portunity in forwarding her preten- slons. He installed her in fine house and added few more mortgages to | the rest to pay for her establishment.
 She naanaged to obtain access to the Queen and gained the sovereign's sym pathy. Cagliostro. aware of all these | matters as soon as they happened saw at once that Jeanne would prove an important aid in his plans against Ma rie Antoinette. Discovering that the adventures and the Cardinal were go- | ing in disguise to a masked ball, he promptly followed with Oliva, who was earbed in a domino. Waiting till the ! Cardinal and Jeanne were in part or the ballroom where many people of the court happened to be assembled, ne | Approached the group and deftly drop 1 ped oliva's mask. She replaced 1t again instantly, but not before the Cardinal and the rest had seen what they thought was the Queen of France.
 The next day all Paris rang with the
 scandal. Following 50 soon on the scandal spread by those who Imagined
 that they had seen the Queen in | was made the subject for jest and abuse all over France. The King was furious. The Queens indignant de-
 niala were received by her court with a polfteness so excessive that she knew 1t yelled their absolute belief in the
 story spread by the nobles.
 only one person besides CagHostro knew the truth. That was Jeanne of Vaiois. The Count had ordered oliva
 to show herself to the other. He had
 no fear that the clever Countess de Ia
 Motte would tell Marie Antoinette. for
 he knew that the adventures would
 plan to use the resemblance for her own game.
 He knew. too. what that game was.
 A magnificent necklace or diafnonos,
 so beautiful that 1t was the talk of all
 Europe, was then in Paris In the GUS
 tody of two jewellers. Boehmer ana
 Bassange Louis had decided to buy
 1t for his Queen. although the price,
 ,s00,000 francs, was a nonstrous sum-
 especially in that winter of famine.
 In one of her many fits of generosity
 ana nobility, the queen aeonneo ~.
 Louis, overjoyed at the patriotism ot
 his wife. proclaimed her virtues to all.
 and announced his intenuon of build
 ing a warship with the money, to be
 named The Queens Necklace.
 Unfortunately, Marie Antoinette's
 sacrificing spirit could not maintain it-
 self against the temptation of the glo-
 rious gems. The jewellers brought
 them to her again. and the cunning
 Jeanne, who was present, prayed per-
 mission to put them around the Queens
 neck. Her Majesty turned to the mir
 row. and forgot herself for time in
 admiratio Then she tried to refuse
 to buy them as firmly as she had re-
 fused to let the King give them to
 her; but after the jewellers had taken
 the necklace away she remained sit-
 ting gloomily and tapping her foot
 impatiently.
 As soon as Jeanne was dismissed she
 hastened home and sent for the Cardl-
 nal.
 '@Your Eminence." said she. "the
 Queen wishes for that necklace intent
 ly, now that 1t is beyond her reach.
 She cannot ask the King to buy 1t for
 her, after having refused 1t, even 1T
 she wished to jeopardize the new pop
 ularity which the refusal has won for
 her among the people. She would buy
 1t in secret, but she dares not rlsk
 disclosure. Prince, am sure that tho
 Queen would make that man a Minis
 ter who placed the necklace in her
 hands,"
 Jeanne, watching the Cardinal mar
 rowly. said to herself: "The bait Is
 taken" That it would beggar her pro-
 tector to buy the bAuble did not con-
 cern her. All that she cared for was
 that he should attain the ofdce. as
 she felt sure he would. Then she
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