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Paris.—Anna Gould, the countess of Castellane, probably will pay $5,000, 000 for her three sons. Count Boni de Castellane, father of the children, demands possession of the children and gives the daughter of the first great American million aire her choice between paying his debts and giving up her children. Un less she pays the debts the French court probably will hold that she can not take them from France without the consent of the spendthrift noble man who, since March 4, 1895, when he married her, has squandered over 19,000,000 of Jay Gould's fortune and now seeks to make it 114,000,000 be fore he will release her. That the Goulds will pay the $5,000, 000, settle the debts of Boni de Cas tellane, even those of the usurers who tcs AlERNdllV^i have preyed off him for years, Is be lieved by their friends and by coun sel in the case. If the Goulds remain firm, Count Boni will ask the court to forbid the mother to take her children beyond the jurisdiction of the French courts. He will plead that if the chil dren are given into the custody of the mother they may be taken beyond the reach of the courts, and if the court upholds his contention, as the law yers believe it will, the count may win. The children for whom the countess may pay $1,666,666 each are: Boni de Castellane, aged ten years. George Gould de Castellane, aged nine. Jay de Castellane, aged four years and six months. Perhaps every mother in the world has said she would hot take a million dollars for her baby, and now the American girl who became the best known, if not the most famous, noble woman in Europe through the lavish misuse of money, has the opportunity of buying her children at a price little in excess of what she paid, only a few years ago, for a bed. If the final payment of $5,000,000 is made, Anna Gould will have paid $2, 689.19 a day for her husband and her title—and her children—which even now she may lose. Children May Prefer Father. The attitude of the children them selves toward the warring parents is rather inclined toward the father. They are more French than American, having been raised in France and in such luxury and extravaganve that they scarcely know the meaning of money, the thing that has caused all —or almost all—the woes of the American girl who allied her milliofts to a doubtful French title. Their loyalty to their mother is un doubted, but between America and France they choose France, because the older ones have been trained in French schools, and, deeper than that, because they have been reared in the religion of their father. If the choice lies with them it will be France and the Roman Catholic church on one side, and the love of their mother— and money—on the other. The coun ties herself has become almost French. The $5,000,000 children are hand some and clever youngsters, and the youngest, who bears the name of the great and piratical pioneer million aire, is declared to be the handsom est child in Paris. His portrait has been painted by the most famous art ists of France, and as a baby his beau ty attracted attention everywhere. The physical perfection of the chil dren is marveled at by sociologists because the mother is undersized, sal low and irregular of feature, while the father is small, effeminate, and yet handsome In his way. He might be called pretty rather than handsome. It isn't the Anna Gould of 11 years ago who is fighting for freedom and her children and willing, perhaps, to pay the remainder of her magnificent fortune for the privilege of returning to America with ®her children. It is not the Countess de Castellane, leader of the royalists in Paris, the proud est of the proudest society set in th* Countess Castellane Must Give Up to Has Choice of Paying Count's Debts or Allowing Him to Keep the Boys—Tragic Ending of Sordid International Marriage world. It is the mother of three man ly boys. She is older, sadder, and wiser—as well as poorer. Story Is Tragic. The story best can be told by yea^s the story of the little girl overbur d»ned with the wealth that Jay Gould had won by fair and foul means in the railroad world and the stock job bing market, who married a French near-nobleman, noble in name and ig noble in almost everything else ex cept his ability to fight with others of his type. On March 4, 1895, Boni de Castel lane, alleged nobleman of France, mar ried Anna Gould. She had met the pink and white, dapper Frenchman by special arrangement of his own—of which she knew nothing—and perhaps she had loved him, in a way. Perhaps she dreamed he was her Prince Charming. The Frenchman came to America. He lived in a hack room over a dressmaker's establishment. He had come to America to marry money. He said it himself. And be fore he married he asked for a mar riage portion of $5,000,000 and got $3, 000,000. He hadn't even met Miss Gould when he privately announced that he would marry her. He had lit tle money, but he was determined to wed. He went to a hotelkeeper and explained. Then he moved to one of the greatest hotels in the world and gave a little dinner, and a "friend" asked Miss Gould to attend. Within a month the wedding was arranged. A month later the engagement was an nounced. The day of the announce ment Castellane moved to the Wal dorf-Astoria and began buying on credit. The day after the wedding the bills began to pour in. They went to Paris and Boni de Castellane began spending Jay Gould's millions. His first great exploit was v'.i THE PREMIER SPENDTHRIFT the purchase of a site in the famous Avenue Malakoff and to order work men to reproduce Le Petite Trainon, the retreat of Louis XIV., home of the famous Mme. de Maintenon, to copy the most infamous, licentious court of history. Millions poured into the building. One bed alone cost al most a million dollars., Art treasures were purchased. One fete given by Boni de Castel lane swept away a ninth of the yearly income of his wife, which was $900,000. Millions were spent before they were earned. The girl with an income of nearly a million dollars a year was in debt. Finds Comfort in Baby. The countess was not happy—but then Boni was born and came to com fort her. Her husband continued- his wild extravagances until even Paris marveled. Millions seemed to have turned his head. The nursery for his heir in Petit Trianon was furnished at the expense of more than the ordi nary man makes in a lifetime. In June of 1897 the income for the year was spent B9ni still was buy ing. He bought from Asher Wertheim, of London, curios for which he could not pay. This bill later proved one of the direct means of his downfall. Among other things that he wanted was an Italian palace. He bought one at Verona at a stupendous price. In it were 11 ceilings by Tiepolo, and the count wanted them transferred to Paris. It was done and then—they were sold at enormous loss. The year 1898 was marked by Cas tellane's duel with Henri Turot and his blackballing in the Jockey club. But still, with her two sons, the lit tle countess was busy and found solace in them, even when the ex travagances of her husband and his wild actions caused doubt as to his sanity. His eccentricities and his half insane desire for notoriety amazed even Paris. He planned a riot direct ed against the president of France at the races at Auteuil, and he and his wife were among the chief actors in the comedy-drama which cost them a fortune. Boni was becoming ridiculous.' He proved himself skillful at fencing, wounding one adversary. Even Ms title was attacked he was ridiculed openly in the chamber of deputies, and at the end of the year, when he came to the United States to get more money, he was charged with fleeing from creditors. The countess came with him, bring* ing her two sons, the only solace she had, and they had an argument on the ship—neither of them knowing the American flag when they saw it. Millions to Save Name. In 1900 financial troubles were at a climax. Castellane had openly slurred the Goulds, especially Helen Gould. His family openly charged that Anua Gould was "bourgeoise." Boni was as reokless as ever. Petit Tridnon was incomplete. Boni came to America again get money and failed. Tha countess' chateau at Dumarais was ordered sold for debt and only an ap peal to her family saved it. Trades men openly insulted the Castellanes and dunned them in public. George and Edwin Gould gave $1,000,000 to save the family pride. Boni had sp«?nt $3,000,000, besides his wife's income, and owed over $4,000,000. In 1901 the courts took a hand to save the fortune of the little Ameri can. A receiver was appointed in the person of her brother George. The family paid $4,700,000 of Boni's debts and held the countess' fortune to pro tect her and themselves. By order of the court the income of the Castel lanes was reduced from $900,000 to $200,000, but they fought in court and got the entire income. In that year Boni fought Henri de Roday and shot him in the leg. Also he gave a boar hunt that cost $100,000 for the Grand Duke Boris. He enter tained the king of Portugal. Early in 1903, when Jay, the young est baby, was a few months old, the countess suddenly left the count. It was reported that they were es tranged, but Boni came to America and denied this report Also he was charged with refusing to pay debts of honor. Debts were piling up again and the Goulds were stubborn, refusing to hand out more millions to be thrown away. With her three children to comfort her and keep her busy, the countess did not care. But in 1904 the real trouble began, the trouble that changed the countess and made her a woman and a mother, instead of the reckless follower of a more reckless husband. Boni Unfaithful. Boni set up a bachelor establish ment and the countess began to hear of "ces dames" the count entertained, actresses, models, midinettes the women he could not invite to his home. The countess could do nothing. Paris would laugh if she paid any* at tention to them. They were beneath her. But at last the American woman was cropping out. Her renewed devo tion to the children and her more •GE3(QAnE&" impressive appearance revealed a change. Still the money went furiously. The king of Portugal was their guest and nearly a quarter of a million dollars was spent on him during his visit The countess had stood mucb. But finally, in 1905, the break came. "Ces dames" were one thing—but a woman of her own class was another. The name of the Duchess d'Uzes was cou pled with that of Castellane. The .duchess, in her way, is as eccentric as Castellane. The countess suffered in silence no longer. She separated from her husband and then brought suit for divorce. The suit was the sigfcal for the cred itors to pounce down upon Boni. In France the wife is responsible for certain debts jointly with her husband and the creditors feared the Gould millions would escape. The Goulds, having lavished nearly $10,000,000 on the count, refused to pay more. Boni, the man who had refused to pay debts of honor, calmly offered to make terms. And now—unless the creditors are satisfied, he will use the children as his last weapon and force a settle ment. TREASURE THAT LIES DEEP IN MUD OF VOLCANIC LAKE. iBtory of the Efforts to Recover Fab ulous Riches V&hich Were Cast Into the Lake Centuries Ago. The story of the hunt which the Contractors' Company, Limited, of London has made for golden treasure at Lake Guatavita, in Colombia, where it is supposed that the native Chib chas centuries ago cast millions of gold and precious stones in carrying out the peculiar rites of their religion is an interesting one. The company has spent thousands of dollars in draining the lake that they might get at the treasure sup posed to be buried there, and now they are praying for rain to' fill it again, for when the water had all been drained off, it was found that the mud at the bottom was 25 feet deep and would have to be washed away to get at the treasure supposed to lie at the bottom. But with the water drained out and the clouds withholding their accustomed moisture, the equatorial sun soon baked the surface of the bot tom as hard .as a rock. This put a stop to the effort to get at the treasure and for two years now the company has been waiting for rain. GOLD HID IN GUATAVITA'S Gold Idol Recovered from Lake. The reason for the. belief that this lake holds untold treasure is due to a religious ceremony which the Chlb chas observed. These natives regard ed the Lake' of Guatavita, a little pool in the crater of an extinct volcano, some 9,000 feet above the sea level, as sacred. They believed their pro tecting deity lived in it. This deity was known as El Dorado, which means, not as is generally believed, the golden city, but "The Golden,One." To this "Golden One" the Chibchas offered up every six months a sacri fice which would make even the mouth of a South African millionaire water. They threw into the lake at each of these ceremonies an enormous amount of gold and precious stones. The following account of one of these offerings, given by one of the descendants of the Chibchas, reads more like a gorgeous romance than reality, but it must be remembered Everything was ready and at the psychological moment Mr| Percival Spencer, the aeronaut, tilted a whole bag, of ballast overboard, and the next moment we were above the elm trees. By that time the neophyte had suffi ciently recovered a sense of his where abouts to look over the side. The crowd on the lawn was a procession of specks streaming over the bridge towards another part of the grounds, 8nap Shots of the Balloon Taken from the Ground During Ascent. and the polo players on the over side of the elm trees looked for all the world like little soldiers just taken from a child's box of toys and set out on a green tablecloth. The height was between 1,800 and 2,000 feet. The vast expanse of London lay like a huge map beneath me, every detail down to the infinitesimal specks of white that stood for the tea tables in one corner of the ground of the earl's court exhibition. You could even see tiny specks crawling over a sort of match across a little ring of water td si miniature merry-go-round in the cen ter. That was the Maxim "flying machine." The completeness of de tail in the picture suddenly unrolled was perhaps the most amazing im pression. For at first, at any rate, it was dif ficult to realize that the scene was real. As the scenic effect of the as cent has often been described before, the earth seemed to be dropping away from you. It was certainly not as if Domestic Science. "I may be old fashioned," said Uncle Jerry Peebles, "but I'm durned if I can see any economy in buyin' a 25 cent chunk of ice to keep six cents' worth of blue milk from spoilin'."— Chicago Tribune. Doesn't Always Work. "Money has wings and files away, I've beard," said the man with a scar "But I've put lots of dough in a flying machine^ Yet It never has flown very far." •-YonkMrs Statesman. that the discoveries since .made by Europeans to some extent at least confirm the truth of this strange leg end. "All the people," says the narrator, "marching in solemn procpssioA, with music and banners flying, assembled from the various towns and villages rouncl the shores of the lake. Pres ently, after a silence, they made a great outcry, for there, in a litter on the top of one of the surrounding hilis, they saw a golden man glitter ing In the sunlight. This was their king, who had first been bathed in a kind of turpentine and then covered with powdered gold. He came slowly Oe»e»e»e»e»e»e»e»e»e»e»e»e»e»e0e»e»e»e»e«e»e»e»e»e»e MY FIRST BALLOON ASCENT Houses of Engineers Who Are Wait ing for Rain. down the hill, and embarked on a great barge. At his feet was a pile of gold and another of emeralds. He was slowly rowed to the center of the lake, four barges bearing priests sur rounding the king's vessel. Then bra ziers were lighted on the barges, and a great bonfire on the shore: The as sembled people cried out to their deity, while drums and pipes sound ed, and the priests raised their hands to heaven. "At a sign the multitude turned their backs to the lake, for the com mon people might not witness the actual sacrifice. A moment later there was a great splash. Gilded king, gold and jewels, were all plunged into the sacred waters. The gilded monarch swam in the lake, leaving a glitter ing wake behind him, while the peo ple, with renewed clamor, threw their personal offerings of gold over their heads into the pool. Then king and people, believing their sins for the past six months had been expatiated, joined in a great festivity." you were rising above the earth. Only, in the twinkling of an eye, you were looking down on everything, with all the familiar landmarks, all the wonted standards Qf comparison, blot ted out. You may, for example, often have had a bird's-eye view from a comparatively considerable height— say from the top of the Great Wheel. You are .then above your scene, and the splendid view is beneath you. But there always remain other points—the steeple of a church, the tower of the Imperial institute, or the dome of St. Paul's—that adjust, as it were, the eye to a certain focus. But from a bal loon there are, of course, no standards of comparison. The dome of St. Paul's is a flat circular hump in the ground plan of its roof, and the Albert hall is a molehill. Through the haze on the horizon one saw the Thames like a silver streak apparently em bossed above the miniature panorama. It is customary to describe one's first ascent as an experience of ex hilaration and enjoyment. So to a cer tain extent it may be, but I am not al together sure of it. I have not the smallest intention of attempting a psychological analysis of my emotions as a novice, but I think I may say that a feeling of uneasipess was in this particular' case not over due to "blue funk." One thing that kept me quiet was a. sense of the unreality of it all. It was as unsubstantial as a dream picture. Trailing, for beginners at any rate, is the prime sport of ballooning. It means that a rope 250 feet long is let down and allowed to trail over the face of the country. If it diminishes the pac6, it gives one an idea of. the rate one is traveling, and a seqse of motion absent under other conditions. For example, you may be traveling at the rate of 30 or 40 miles an hour, but because you are traveling at the same velocity as the wind, you seem drift ing absolutely becalmed. Hence a straw hat for ballooning is not such inappropriate headgear as a,t first sight it may appear. But trailing gives you your direction and tells you that you are traveling. Over trees, houses, haystacks, everything, glides, tfrists and winds the rope. It causes consternation in the poultry yard and a sensation among grazing cattle. It is as near an approach to the joys of flying as the neophyte is likely to get in his present incarnation, unless the Aero club stfeeeds in its avowed ambi tion of bringing aeroplanes within the range of practical aeronautics. P. H. OAKLEY WILLIAMS. Diplomatic. Reporter-Colonel, how do you stand on the.question of the spelling reform? Political Leader—Any syte™» of spelling that suits the plain peepul of this country, sir, is good enough for me.—Chicago Tribune. First English Work on Angling. The first English work on angling was "The Book of St Alben's," yub lished in the fifteenth century* TEACHING A GIRL TO RUN AH AUTO. 1 Secure a good, easy-going jnachine, with an active and up-to-date sparker, and having placed the girl firmly by! your side, where you can secure a! strong hold in cases of emergency,! proceed to a lonely, unfrequented) road whfere you will be uninterrupted.', If the girl display any sights ofi nervousness, do your best to soothe* her. There are a number of ways toj do this. Take her hiind in yours audi pat it gently.. Speak to her in a low,( soift tone. If absolutely necessary •place her head .upon your, shoulder', and count 100. If not effective, repeat) in one minute. Now she may take the wheel, ad vance the sparker and throw in thei clutch. It will then be your turn to' grow nervous. While the girl clutching the machine you clutch they girl. It will then be time to resti This should not take any longer than the rest of the afternoon.. I By the time you have#got so you can kiss the girl without getting, nervous, she ought to be able to Tun the machine.—Tom Masson, in Deline ator. Side Lights on History. "But," urged one of the tyrant's as sociates, "William Tell is a power in, the land. Why not write to him and try to win him over to your support, instead of making an enemy of him?" Gessler broke into a discordant laugh. "Do you think," he said, "I am go ing to take trouble to compose an overture to William .Tell?" So he left the job to Rossini, who, upon the whole, did the work a great deal better than he CQUld have done it.—Chicago Tribune. A Tired Skeleton. Living Skeleton (only one in Amer» lea, at dime museum)—These folks make me tired. Sympathetic Visitor—In what way?( "Here I am earning $500 a week asj the greatest living skeleton, yet hour, after hour, day In an' day out, one old! woman after another stops an' chins, and chins, at me about the things li ought to eat to get fat."—N. Y. Week ly. Obliging. The young man with dandruff on his coat collar and a roll of paper in his hand approached the editor. "I have some verses here which & would be pleased to have you go over," he said. "Very well," replied the editor. "Just lay them on the floor and I will go over them when I go out."—Mil waukee Sentinel. Of Course Not.* "Stella says she has remained sin gle from choice." "I don't doubt it. But she doesn't say whose choice it was."—Milwaukee Sentinel. By Deduction. Wiseman—Primitive men plowed the earth with a sharpened stick. Slocombe—You don't mean to say golf dated so far back?—Cassell's Journal. THE INVITATION DECLINEO. "Come and dine with me to-night, dear boy?" "No, thanks, old chappie. That Would mean I should have to wire to my wife and it isn't worth it."—Lon don Tatler. The Bright Side. The boy stood on the burning deck And smiled serenely, too He said: "There's no one here to ask: •Is it hot enough for you*' -Houston Post. It Is. "While fishing at Seabrook the pther day a man caught a five-pound catfish that had a beautifully en graved solitaire engagement ring In its stomach." "That's a most original place to wear an engagement ring, isn't it?"— Houston Post Reform. "What is reform?" asked the argu mentative man. "Reform," answered' the world weary one, "usually consists in mere ly compelling a man to stop doing things his way and making him do them yours."—Washington Star. One Kind. "Pa, what's an artist?" "A. man who has a 75-cent appetite and gets along with a 50-cent mea'. so that he may have a quarter left for the waiter."—Chicago Record-Her ald. Hunting for Utopia. Knicker—Do you belleVe the office should seek the mian? Bocker—-I'd go still fttrther and have the fleet seek the janitor.—N. T. Sua.