The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-09-04
SOMETHING new
UNDER THE sun.
Paris curIo Dealer Knows How to
Turn Genuine A No. Junk
Into American
Dollars.
RoCHEFoRT ON LOVE
Tho Way II Is Proven by Young Men
Of the Present Day is With
the Cold Bull.
RocHEFoRr ON LOVE

respondent or the united FTess.l
PARIS, Sept. 4.-There is saying
about nothing new under hhe sun. but
the Individual who got that off was
not acquainted with Paris curio deal
ers and the way they annex good
American dollars for genuine, A No. l
Junk, junk.
I'll leave it with the reader: Is this
stunt new one or Is it old?
A dealer In the center Of curio
quarter, in ransacking his shop, ran
across five dolls, quite ordinary. They
were so ordinary that they were con
sidered worthless. and when a Paris
curio dealer considers an article
worthless, ten thousand such articles
couldn't be sold because they are not
coming half-cent pieces.
Then an idea struck him. Dressing
the dolls in vaguely medieval clothes
made from moth eaten, soiled scraps
of cloth taken from a box In his gar
ret at home. he put the dolled-up
dolls in his window. They were a queer
looking bunch.
Sure enough an American got inter
ested. But he didn't want the five-he
wanted one, single doll.
What" exclaimed the curio man,
break my set of dolls. Why my dear
sir, they represent the FIVE senses and
date back to the Lord only knows
when. couldn't hear Of such thing"
OF course the American wanted one
OF the dolls now more than ever. He
just had to have one, and have one he
did, after much haggHng over the
price. He paid way Up in G for it, but
he got his doll.
ALI was serene for few days
when another Yankee dropped in to
ask about the dolls. He too, wanted
but one doll.
Very sorry SIR the curio dealer
replied, but these dolls represent
the four seasons and cannot break
the set"
More pleading by the American, an
other huge pile of money. and only
three dolls left in the window Anoth-
er wait. Another American. Another
bite.
I'D rather sell you my wife and
break up my family" said the shop
keeper, than to break that set of
dolls. They are the Three Graces.
Very. very ancient!
Ditto the business about the other
dolls already Sold and that left two.
The dealers bank account was grow
ing SO big the cashier was getting sus-
picious. He wondered whether he was
dealing with a second-story worker or
just a plain yegg.
When the fourth American came in
to talk over the purchase OF one Of
the two rmaining dolls, the shopman
almost assaulted him for having the
temerity to demand such a thing.
Sell you one of them" he snapped,
sell you one of them. Never. never,
never! Don't you know who they rep
resent? Why they are Adam and Eve
dressed by now forgotten artist of
the medieval period. l can sell you
both, but never one!" Nevertheless
the American got the Adam doll by
paying for 1t.
How much do you want for that
doll in the Window an American
asked few days later. Il mean that
doll there, the one that evidently is
part of a set
The curio expert almost died of
apoplexy.
Part of a set. You're dippy nv
friend he said In polite language,
but that doll represents Agnes sorel
the favorite of Charles VIII. There
is only one Of her, and there has
never been but one Of her and this is
the real, original. first and only
The man from home dug up and
carried Agnes off in triumph. She is
said to be hanging in glass case on
Fifth avenue, New York, along with
lot OF other famous (?) dolls dating
from ancient (?) days.
Love is being practiced In an orig.
inal fashion these days." says Henri
Rochefort, the aged and sometimes
iconoclastic writer "A young man
loves a girl and to prove that he