All For The Queen

AWN ticket No. ,24,693, issued frons J. Rauth's pawn shop, 309 Third avenue, r e a d s "Q u e e n's lace h a n d k e rchiei," says the New York World. In the lower right hand corner of the little yellow slip of per Is the name August Neff. Most pawnbrokers would simply have written "lace handkerchief" on that ticket but Pawnbroker Rauth was iamiliar with the history of the little piece of exquisite lace, and when it was presented the last time for a small loan, he designated it, and properly, too, "Queen's lace handkerchief," Lor it was intended for the queen of England. August Neff is an old man and partially blind. Seven years before the celebration of the queen's jubilee the old man conceived the idea of presenting to her majesty on the occasion of that memorable celebratlon a specimen of the lacemaker's art in the shape of a handkerchief wiiich would be wrought by the skill of his own hands. The old man was the son of a Swiss lacemaker, and had acquired the art of magically weaving delicate fiber into beautiful and intricate designs when quite a lad. He became noted in his native town, in Switzerland, as a lacemaker of great skill, and his work attracted attention at various national expositions. Emigrating to America he sought to prosecute his calling, but modern machinery proved too great an opponent, and he was forced to go to work as a common mili hand in a New England factory. He branched out in later years in business for himself, but failed, and again became a mili hand, this time as foreman, however. Neff had always admired England's queen, and when her jubilee celebration was being talked of, years before the event was due, Neff, then an old man, decided to fashion a bit of lace commemorative of the occasion, and which he wished to present to her íd person. The work was begun seven years before the date set for the jubilee. Fully six months was spent by the old man in making his design. At the expiration of that time he had produced a drawing which was a masterpiece íd itself. It represented a beautiful scroll which ran around the edge to the depth of three inches, terminating at each corner, when it branched toward the center in a design of wondrous intricacy. One corner, however, was reserved for a charaeteristic design and the name of the queen. Here was draw a beautiful and exact sketch of the English coat of arms. Eeneath was inscribed in beautiful letters the name Victoria. Difflcult as was the drawing, the work of reproducing it in lace and by hand was a thousand times more so Seven months after the preliminar? work was begun the first thread in th6 lace handkerchief was drawn througb the bit of foundation, consisting of silk tulle of the most delicate fabric. Por six years and five months the old man worked at this bit of lace, reproducing each intricate and delicate feature of his design upon the spider-web like structure with the skill which only years of knowledge in the work coupled with an inherent fondness foi such occopations can pToduce. The oíd man feil sïck, lost nis job and met with other trials which tendee to retard his work, but every minute which he could cali his own he was bent over the "queen's lace handkerchief,' weaving the delicate fiber, which, at the expiration of the seventh year, had developed into a marvelous creation íd lace. Then it was still in an unfinished state. There remained but little to be done, but that little the old man knew meant.perhaps.another two year? work, and it dawned upon him that the handkerchief could not by any possibility be ready for presentation to her majesty on the occasion of her jubilee. This made the old man sick. He tools to his bed. When he grew strong agairj the queen's jubilee was an event of history, and the lace handkerchief waf incomplete. His sight had become affected by reason of his years of application over the work on the handkerchief, and he found that he could never complete the work begun. In dire straits when he aróse from the sicls bed, the old man reluctantly made up his mind to part with the handkerchief. He offered it for sale. He received many offers for the bit of lace, but the prices proffered, owing to the incompleteness of the handkerchief, were too insignificant to even tempt the poverty-stricken old man. Rather than sell it at a small figure, he pledged the "queen's lace handkerchief" witb Pawnbroker Rauth. Twice has the handkerchief been redeemed by the old man, who regularly pays the accruing interest rather than sacrifice it on the auction block. He still hopes to realize a fair sum on the bit of lace, and, indeed, many liberal buyers would have been found ere this but for the name Victoria in the corner of the handkerchief.