The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-02

Dumas work that 1t must be accepted as
inevitable
IENRI III of the house of Valois
sat on the throne Of France, and
i i the crown of st. Louis was
rather wabbly on that weak head. Fran
co.'s. Duke D'Anjou, his majesty's ororner'
a man scarcely stronger In chsTac-
ter than Henri and much more per1dious'
1onged to step into the royal Shoes as
did also Henris cousin, the Guises of
the house of Lorraine. Also there was
another man who had a hankering Tor
the throne of the golden lilies, and he
was a better politician and a greater
man than all the valoises and the Guises
nut together. That was Henri, King
of Navarro. There was some measure of
safety for Henri III in the fact that so
many people wanted his job; they
watched each other and consipred against
each other quite as zealousiy as they
watched and conspired against the King.
old woman who had once been Queen
of France and ruled its destinies; but
the masterfu1 spirit Of Catherine de
Medci had not descended to her sons.
So the weak Henri dwelt in his palace
surrounded by treason and stratagems,
one day gay and frivolous and the next
possessed of a religious mania which
prompted him to scourge himself and his
court and make barefooted professions
through the winter SHOWS to some sacred
shrine He had four favorites upon whom
he relied, and whom he thought he could
trust-Jacques de Lewis. Count de Quelus,
that German Frenchman, the Count de
Schonberg: M Maugiron and NJ. dSper-
no. With them he was in constant as
sociation and of them took constant coun-
sci.
There had been a fifth member of the
circle of mobiles who composed the Kings
council, Francois, st. Luc d'Epinay, and
the King had loved him best of all, as he
deserved. But st. Luc, much to the
Kings disgust. had fallen in love with
Jeanne de Crosse-B rissac, daughter of the
marshal of that name, and married her,
thus Withdrawing himself from the court
circle. The King did not approve of the
match and, worse than all, ST. Luc and
his wife had played prank on his mai
csty one night in the Louvre by rigging
a tube through the wall which divided the
room which they occupied from that of
the King, and through this tube adjuring
him In solemn tones. in the middle of the
night, to repent and mend his ways.
Henri was furious when he discovered
the trick, but, warned by Chico in time,
st. Luc and his bride had fed and the
King contented himself with Selling the
revenues of st. Luc's estates.
Chicao was no ordinary jester. Before
being Chico he had been De Chico, a
Gascon gentleman. He had been i'll
treated by the Duke de Mayenne on &C.
count of a love affair, in which Chico had
been the dukes successful rival. He had
been surprised and beaten by Mayenne
and his follower. Nicholas David. and
might have been killed had he not taken
refuge at court and won the Kings pro-
lection by telling him the truth.
Now, the Kings chief enemy in Paris
was Francois dAnjou. and if Henri had
the Duke had four-Antragues, Ribsi-
THc, lfVArol anu, cnle1est among them.
the celebrated Busy dAmboise Louis de
Clermont, Count de Busy He was ac-
counted the readiest sword, the bravest
heart, the most generous mind, the finest
gentleman In all France In those days,
and, as he served the Duke d'Anjou, the
King and all his minions hated and
feared him. At the wedding of St. L,lc.
ut which Busy had appeared with six
pages in defiance of the sumptuary laws,
the King deliberately melted his four
champions to pick quarrel with the
Count "Oh, parbleui" said the King, IF
~you could get rid of him without injury
10 yourselves. His insolence is too much.
He manages his sword well. Why does
he not get bitten by some dog?' Mon
pieur.'' said Quelus, I'VE were speaking
of hunting. We hunt the boar. We want
. head. VIII you hunt with us, M
Bussy?'' mo. really cannot" re-
turned Busy. Tomorrow must go to
the Duke dAnjou for the reception of M.
de Monsoreau, to whom Monseigneur has
just given the place OF chief huntsman,
and tonight / have a rendezvous in a
mysterious house Of the Faubourg st.
Antoine" '"They say the streets of Paris
ara unsafe at night" s.Just so wbio,,