The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-05-15

A Bit Of History That Is
Also a Romance.
BY F.. 4; Mitchell !

| history furnished the, most themes
| for stories he might be right in re-
| plying that containing the admins
tration Of the government of Louis
XIII of France by Cardinal Richie
lieu. Louis queen, Anne of Austria.
| was bitter opponent of the cardi-
nal, and what Richelieu was to the
king of Duchess Of Chevreuse was to
the queen. The duchess was one Of
the most beautiful, the most attrac
tive and the Mountaineering women
who ever lived. !: q, :7=>.... ~. -
After the exposure Of: treasona BILE
plot the cardinal banished. her to Lor-
raine, where She infatuated the king,
Louis xiii, ); mixing him UP in another
conspiracy: The cardinals poncyS for
babe him Is inprison "a woman, so
after Punishment from France had
failed he sent Nine. Chevreuse to a
country estate she owned. There, 4hav-
ing no better subject for her fascin-
alton, she, Hbewitched an octogenarian
official. : y; -. !.
This amusement falling to satisfy
her, she turned her attention to an
other intrigue with: d view to over
throwing the queens and her own de-
| tested enemy, Rlcneneu.
At this time the queen was secret
ly corresponding with those opposing
the cardinal, among them Nine. de
Chevreuse The person who conduct
ed this Correspondents was one La
Porte, her secretary. He was the
keeper of her cipher code, translated
her letters into it. forwarded them to
their destination and received the re-
4 plies, handling them in~the: same way.
But the cardinal was watching and
Suspected. the frequent goings and
comings of the man. One Of the
queens supposed adherents was won
over and. told La Porte that he was
going to Tours, where Nine. de Che
vreuse was held in restriction, and
asked if he had any message for her:
If so he, would carry it. La Porte
replied that he had letter and
would bring it to him. While doing
so he was arrested with the Queens
letter. on his person: and lodged in the
Bastille. The letter was not import
ant, but the queen and her friend had
been forbidden to correspond. The
cardinal at once ordered the seizure
of the private papers of both the
Equeen and the duchess.
When the queen was accused of
treason she falsely made an oath that
she had not correspondent with any.
foreign power: 'Richelieu knew bet
ter, and: on promisa;of the kings par
don the queen confessed that she had
written her relatives in Madrid and in
Brussels; but not on matters Of state.
La Porte declared that he had car
ried no letters for the queen except
to Nine. de Chevreuse. Fearing that
La Porte's statement and hers would
not agree, Anne desired to post him
on what she had declared and ask
him to make the same statement. This
she hoped would satisfy Richelied and
prevent his investigating further.
But how reach La Porte in his cell
at the Bastille? So carefully watched
was he that warden quilted him
only for a few hours during the day
and slept in his cell at night. One of
the queens maids of honor and de-
voted to her, Mile. de Hautfort, not
only suggested a plan of conveying
a letter to La Porte, but volunteered
to carry it herself.
The Chevalier de Jars, who had
been involved in former; conspiracy
against the. cardinal, was confined in
the Bastille and occupied a cell d.
rectlys oyer that of La Porte, though
between the : chevalier's and La
Porte's cell were two others. It was
hoped by the queens adherents that
Z De Jars might find some way Of con
Neying a letter from the queen to La
Porte. De Jars had suffered par
alytic stroke and was allowed the pri-
vileges Of an invalid, being permitted
to receive friends and converse with
them in the courtyard Of the prison.
Mile. de Hautfort early one morn
ing issued from the palace of the
Louvre, before. the inmates were
+ awake being dressed in the costume
of a maidservant. Mademoiselle's
hair, which was 'luXuriant and beauti-
full, was concealed under a large Golf,
and she was robed in a loose gown
which concealed her superb figure.
Calling, fiacre,> she was driven to
the Bastille, where she asked to see
the Chevalier de Jars, saying that she
was lady's maid of a niece of the
chevalier and bore message for him.
The hour was before the prisoners
time of rising, and the queens maid
guardroom among a lot of soldiers Of
low degree. After some time the
chcvalier arrived and asked what was
wanted. aMademoiselle drew him in
to the court and, raising her colt
showed him who she was and handed
him the queens letter with her maj
esty's request that he find means to
convey it to La Porte. - - -.
De Jars was no coward, as he had
demonstrated in the schemes in which
he had EN- marked. to overthrow the
cardinal. Nevertheless he ,hesitated
to become mixed up in ! a !; scheme
which il. discovered would cost him
his head. !" But when MAIDEN oiselle
reminded him OF the terrible risk she
was herself running he consented.
The queens messenger returned te
the palace without. having been: dis.
covered. De Jars, who was full q
resource, worked out the problem Of