Daily Kennebec journal., 1874-08-21
NO. 1872.
#iseellameons.
MRS. ROTHELY'S EMERALDS.
BY HARRIET PRESCOTT sPoFFoRD.
CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY. |

lcoNTINUED FROM YEsTERpAY.l
Oh yes, he knew that very well. Those
great square emeralds and their alternate
diamonds as large had cost him very much
more than that, some years ago, and now
emeralds were the fashion, and worth an
added price. Fine emeralds they were,
too, every one picked tone, not doub-
let among them, and, looking at them,
one looked into wells of soft green light,
| the very essence of sunshine in the heart
OF forests, of pools in messy beds, and of
the great sea depths. And then, as for
| the diamonds. they, too. were perfect
| specimens, not purely white perhaps, but
| the more lustrous for that, as their slightly
yellow tinge at night became only added
| lumnousness, each one of them all stone
| with history before it had the honor of
being in Mrs. Rothely's possession, each
one of them all worth its thousands. For
MIR. Rothely. in his pride regarding his
vile, he had lavishod on her fortune that
| few absolute mi)lionaires would think of
spending, and fine and sumptuous as all
her surroundings were, there were no
| finer Jewels in the ownership of any one
| woman in the country. Oh yes, there was
no doubt that hundred thousand dollars
ready money could easily be raised on
Mrs. Rothely's emeralds, necklace and
tiara and stomacher and bracelets, and
the less valuable accessories, if anybody
wanted to raise it. However. they were
Mrs. Rothely's jewels, not his; it was only
passing thought, that in reference to
their value; he had not yet fallen so low
as to think seriously Of selling his wife's
pretty folderols, he hoped.
I'M / tt<sx r~1A q
one that came back again-came back as
he lay awake turning this way and that
| for some escape from his dilemna-came
| back to stay. 1t was a strange thing for
| q husband to be burning his brain with
| distracting search for means to keep his
name afloat while his wife had those very
means lying idle in her .jewel-safe, he said
| in his thoughts, and repeated it little
angrily. And what if he did think of sell
ing them he said. Better men had come
to worse pass. He bought them What
if he did think of selling them nowP 1t
| would be only to make himself able to buy
| them back-to buy better. If he did sell
| them, he would buy better; there shouldn't
be lady Oft the thrones covered one-half
so resplendently with gems as his wife
should be! Let him once tide over these
cruel breakers, she should be as radient
as whole constellation if she wished.
All at once Mr.. Rothely shuddered He
| had, then, really and seriously been think
ing of taking his wife's jewels to carry
him through his difficulties!
Well. why not he said presently. Let
him look at the thing squarly. Would his
wife be more benefited by his doing so Z?
Hurt for season certainly yet not so
much hurt as he would be under the me-
cessity of doing it; but benefited in the
end to an immeasurable extent, since, un-
less he could be carried through, not only
jewels, but estate, equipage, servants, and
all would have to 60 to satisfy the de-
mands of creditors who would not wait for
a sentiment. But only let him get through
| this strait--and with hundred thousand
dollars ready money the tide might turn
at any moment-and he would wind up
| his business, realize and retire with suf-
| ficient fortune to assure his wife perpe-
! tuity of all the comforts and luxuries she
had hitherto enjoyed. Yes, on the whole,
he thought he could do nothing SO wise a.
to raise the requisite money upon the
jewels But having arrived at that de-
termination, a new feature of the case pre-
sented itselfto Mr.. Rothely.
What would Mrs. Rothely say to the
plan Would she, in the first place, be
likely to listen to it. and would she take
it as reasonable woman should ? No she
wouldn't. Mrs. Rothely wasn't reason.
| able woman. She was charming wom-
an, but, as he thought, if not when he
married her, he thanked Heaven she was
not that strong-minded thing-a reason
able woman lovely, capricious, fascin-
atinating being she was, but one to whom
Il syllogism was as Sanscrit. And as he
remembered all her sweet and gay incon-
sistencise, he felt felt that it would be
quite impossible for him to explain the
thing to her How could he tell her he
would buy them back again She would
tell him that she would never have mo-
ments security in them afterward.
"What = he could hear say, my emer-
aids my beautiful great emeralds! Sell
my jewels !! 1t can't be that l understand
you, To be sure! ~ with that sweet, in
consequential way of hers. 81 know you
were only teasing me. My precions EN-.
eralds, indeedr'
And he could hear himself answering:
"lndeed am not testing. meant what
said"
"Meant what YOU said I" he was sure
she would reply. Meant that YOU must
sSii my SHiSi"iNo w ny NOu Ou SUI lne
house ?"
because real estate is low,n with liter
al presistency, needless of the intended
| sarcasm, land the house would not bring
| u third as much as the Jewels. And nv
losses, my reverses-I-I have seen the
fabric of a fortune it has taken years to
build fall in day !" Not that out of an
imaginary conversation, never taking
place, Mr.. Rothely would have been ca
pabe of using the least fine language
"And fallen so low," she cries, ..that
you must pledge your wife's trinkets fall
en- SO low thrt we are in the same plight
rs those miserable creatures who are found
with pawn tickets on them +! Oh, take
them take the wretched thingsw she
cries, with lofty scorn; ~ will never touch
them again Oh, why was ever born /?
What have ever done to be disgraced so?
I'm sure never expected this when was
married. Don't touch me |! don't speak
to me l never dreamed of such an out
race - And nv that tima his th;cL;cr, had