The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 53

Queun Victoria. Anastasia, of Greece, Formerly Mrs. William B. Leeds, Widow of the $40,000,000 plate King, Posed for This New Portrait by Philippe de Laszlo, Wearing the Million-Dollar Emerald Necklace That Peeved the Queen of Spain. of Spain, and the Famous Rope of Pearls She Now Prefers to "Vulgar" Emeralds tasia's grand ball In in honor Billy Leeds and PrinceRS Xenia on their return from the Palmer, she had snapped her fingers in the face of every society woman in tho United States.

Mrs. Potter Palmer died. Also, out In Cleveland, Ohio, a young lady namod Nancy Stewart Worthlngton divorced her banker-husband, George Worthlngton, and married William D. Leeds, inulll-millionaire "tin 'plate king." When died in Paris In 1908 he left his beautiful widow a fortune of $-1 000,000. She was "women In the world.

In the years that followed suitors buzzed about her like bees around the rose. The most persistent cavalior of all was Prince Christopher, younger brother of the then King ot Greece, nephew of. the Queen of England and eouslu ot the King. All the world knows how Amorlca's "dollar princess" married Prince Christopher and changed her name to Anastasia, which Is Greek; how she became a power In Euro kidnapped or horrid thought! had simply forgotten the first Chicago reception in her honor. While Chicago society buried excitedly and only a few disgruntled guests remained at the Potter Palmer hofno, -waiting vainly In the hope that' the princess would make nn eleventh hour entrance, a nowspaper reporter klcltod his heels out-sldo tho' royal oulto at the Auditorium Hotel.

He had sent in a message to Inquire Ihe cause of the princess's failure to go to the party. Her Highness did not deign to see the reporter In person. She sent out an answer by an under secretary. This was the nnswer: "The princess of Spain regrets that she could not accept the Invitation. She had bueu Informed that the hostess is an Innkeeper!" An The puzzled reporter scratched his head.

The husband of Chicago's social czarina au What could the woman mean! Then the light dawned and the reporter dushed tor his office. Ills refloating eye caught the Imposing facade of tho Palmer House, which Potter pnlmor owned, Chicago society never forgot or forgave that slight, and when tho honeymoon. The guest list included some two scoro representatives of royalty, amons them the King- and Queen of Spain, Her Majesty was uot'tio averse to accepting an invitation from 'Hie ex-widow of a "till plate king" us the princess of Spain had been to attending a reception given by an "innkeeper's wife." She went not exactly with Shells on" but with something just as impressive. The Queen ot Spain, as everyone had predicted, wore Iter celebrated rope of emeralds. It was considered tho finest and costliest emerald necklace in tho world, and the Queen (so the spiteful it) never missed the chance to beduzzle envious eyes with Of nil her marvelous collection of.

jewels she cherished It the most. "The world's most wonderful emeralds'the words were magic to the Queen of Spain. It Is to be supposed Princess Anastasia had seen the, one ot the richest PT1INUESS ANASTASIA of Clreeue, the Conner Mrs. William H. Leeds, did not stmt over to thu Queen of Spain, twenlt the royal nose and lilss, "That for yon, Queen!" Dut, with a million dollar emerald necklace Instead of a nose-pulling, "lie got tlio suine results, Sho peeved tlio Queen, anil thereby pnld off an old grudge In the iinmo of the socioly women of America.

The story of the l'rlntoas Auastasla's emerald revenge anil the wralh of Queen Victoria Eugenia Thereso has just trickled Into America with tourisis who hoard the tale on thu Riviera, the scene of the contretemps. But the story of the ancient grudge dates back to the Chicago World's Kalr. That famous exposition was held to celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of America, and naturally a special invitation 10 attend was extended the royal house of Spain, whose celebrated predecessor, Isabella, made Amorlca's discovery possible by pawning her Jewels. When Eulalie, the Spanish princess, arrived, Chicago blew the trumpet, beut the tomtoms and turned out the guard, and Chicago society, led by the lute Potter Palmer, preened hs finest feathers and planned, In good American slung, to "pitch a bunch of blowouts thai will knock Ihe princess cold." Mrs. Palmer, of course, gave the first function, it was her right us Queen of Chicago society and chairman of tlio women's coinnnueo.

it was a reception at her mansion on Lake Shore Drive, and everybouy who was anybody In the Middle West toddled out that afternoon "to. meet the Princess of Spain." They lookod for her as soon as they crossed the threshold and they kept ou looking. Two hours passed. The guests wore controlling their disappointment with difficulty and Mrs. Palmer was controlling ber agitation not at all.

It really looked Its wnugn tne princess of spalu had been pean politics and chief matchmaker in European society; how her son, Billy Leeds, married Princess Xenia, a cousin ot the late Czar of HubsIu, and how, during the recent Riviera season, Princess Anastnsia's villa at Cannes was the mocca for royalty aud ex-royalty from all quarters ot Europe, What the world didn't know, until the returned tourists brought the Riviera-gossip, Is what hapnened at Princess Anas- It is even to bo supposed that the superiority of the emeralds rankled lii her heart. It Is not to be supposed, however, that Princess, Anastasia deliberately' planned! to "show up" one of her guests. no! Though, declnro the Riviera gossips-that is exactly what Bite did by accident no doubt, Before she gave that grand ball at Cannes the Princess Anastasia took, a cool million, of her $40,000,000 and paid it to a Paris Jeweler for: an emerald necklace to bo made especially, for her. T'e Jeweler isn't talking, but it Is understood he had one blanket order "It must be finer thus the Queen of Spain's necklace," And so the Princess Anastasia gave het function, just as another fatuoua.Amerlcau society leader gave a function In Chicago years ago. And.

so the Queen of Spalt went to It, Just as princess of Spain re fused to attend In Chicago, Aud so But really the Riviera gossips stop there They only add this: Tim Queen of Spl has changed her style In jewelry. She an peared at tho last court affair wearing a rope of pearls, and when one of the guests was tactless enough to Inquire, "But where are your beautiful emeralds?" 'tis said th Queen of Spain flushed, frowned, lifted her tnyal eyebrows and romarked wearuy: vujgar! Don't you think so?" To which tho Anastasia and tha soplety womon of America reply, "Emeralds may ho vulgar, grapes may be sour, but revenge is certainly owcetl" story traveled to other Amor-loan cities It made tho eyebrows of other social leaders draw together angrily, Even New York dowagers, who affect to scorn oil things west of Fifth avenue, clucked several clucks. The attitude of the princess of Spain 'was Just a bit too typical of all European nobility to suit necklace. The "dollar princess" is famous for her owu jewels. It is.

to bo supposed, too, that hor eyes wore green no emeralds when she gazed at It. Though her diamond tiara Is so c. i. Her liiillluul she was requested not to wear it atithc Court of St, James for tear it would "outshine royalty," and though she boasts a $250,000 rope ot perfectly matched rose pearls, she had never boon able to compete with tho Queen of Spain's emeralds. sailed hack to her owu country, her uu speod was not as cordial us her welcome had been, Sho didn't start the Spanish-American War, but she left behind her a rankling feeling that, In flouting Mrs.

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