The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-28

tior $, the Comtesse de Dreux-
Soubise would wear the Queens
Necklace.
This was really the historic neck
lace which BONNER and Bassenge. the
crown jewellers, had designed for the
Du Barry, which the Cardinal de
Rohan-Soubise believed himself to
be presenting to Queen Marie-An-
toinette, and which Jeanne de Valois.
Comtesse de La Motto, the adven-
turess, took to pieces, one evening IN
February, 1885, with the assistance
of her husband and their accomplish,
Retaux de Villette.
As a matter of fact, the setting
alone was genuine. Retaux de VII
1ette had preserved it, while Sieur de
La Motto and his wife dispersed to
the four winds of heaven the stones
so brutality unmounted, the admirable
stones once so carefully chosen by
BONNER. Later, Retaux sold 1t, IN
Italy, to CASTOR de Dreux-SouDise'
the cardinals nephew and heir. who
had been saved by his uncle at the
time of the notorious bankruptcy OF
the Rohan- Guemenee family. and
who, in grateful memory of this KIND
ness. bought up the few diamonds
that remained in the possession OF
Jeffreys, the English jeweller. com
pleted them with others of much
smaller value, but of identical dimen-
sions, and thus succeeded in recon
structing the wonderful necklace IN
the form in which it had left BONNER
and Bassenge's hands.
One evening, at the Palais de Cas-
title, then occupied by Isabella IL OF
Spain, the countess had a great sue
cess, and King Christian of Denmark,
in. whose honor the reception was
given, remarked upon her magnifl-
cent beauty. The gems streamed
round her slender neck. The thou
sand facets of the diamonds shone
and sparkled like flames in the light
of the brilliantly illuminated rooms.
None but she could have carried with
such ease and dignity the burden OF
that marvellous jewel.
She took the necklace from her
shoulders, not without regret. and
handed it to her husband. who .ex-
amined it with admiring eyes, as
though he had never seen it before.
Then, after replacing it in its red
morocco case, stamped with the car
dinals arms, he went into an adjoin-
ing linen closet. originally a sort OF
alcove, which had been cut off from
the room, and which had only one en-
trance door at the foot of the bed.
He hid it, according to his custom,
among the bandboxcs and stacks OF
linen on one of the upper shelves
He returned, closed the door behind
him, and undressed himself.
In the morning he rose at 9 o'clock
with the intention of going to the
Credit Lyonnais before lunch. He
dressed, drank his coffee, and went
down to the stables. where he gave
his orders for the day. One of the
horses seemed out of condition. He
made the groom walk and trot it Ut
and down before him in the yard
Then he went back to his wife.
She had not left the room, and wa:
having her hair dressed by her maid
She said:
Are you gong outf'
Eyes, to take it back"
""Oh,. of course. yes, that win b
safest"
He entered the linen closet. Blu
in few seconds he asked, without
however, displaying the least aston
ishment:
Have you taken it out. dearf
She replied:
What do you mean1 No. rv'
taken nothing" o
"But you've moved it7"
mot at all I haven't even opened
the door"
He appeared in the doorway will
bewildered air, and stammered. ii
hardly ineligible accents:
you haven't-you didn't-bu
She ran to join him, and they mad
feverish search, throwing the band
boxes to the floor and demolishin,
the stacks of linen. and the coun
"It's useless. All that we are do
ing is quite useless. / put it up here
on this shelf"
you may have forgotten"
mo, no; it was here. on this shell
and nowhere else"
They lit candle, for the light il
the little room was bad, and removed
| allethe linen and all the differen
things with which it was crowded
And when the closet was quite empt
| they wer compelled to admit. in de
| spair, that the famous necklace. tn
Queens Necklace, was gone.
The countess, who was noted TO
| her determined character, wasted n
| time in vain lamentations, but sen
for the commissary of police, N
| Valorbe. whose sagacity and insigh
preciate He was put in possessio
j Of the details and his 6rst ares.ia