The Western advance., 1874-07-18

wise as to raise the requisite
money upon the jewels. But hav
ing arrived at that determination new
feature of the case presented itself tc
MIR. Rothely. What would Mrs. Rothely
say to the plane Would she, in the frs,
pfce, be likely to listen to it, and would
she take it as a reasonable woman
should? No, she wouldn't Mrs. Rothe-
| ~ wasn't reasonable woman She was
charming woman, but, as he had thought
II not said when he married her, he
thanked heaven she wasn't that strong
minded thing-a reasonable woman! A
lovely, capricious, fascinating being she
was, but ono to whom syllogism was as
Sanscrit And as he remembered all her
sweet and gay Inconsistencies he 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
should never have moments security
in them afterward. "Whatw he could
hear her say, my emcralds! my beauti-
tul great cmcralds! Sell my ,icwcls 1t
can't be that I understand you TO be
sure" with that sweet, inconsequential
way OF hers, g knew you were only
teasing me. My precious cmcralds, in
decd!"
| And he could hear himself answering
Indeed l am not jesting. meant what
l said"
"Meant what you said!" he was sure
she would reply. Meant that you
must sell my emeralds! Why don't you
sell the house?"
Because real estate is low," with
literal persistency, needless of the in
tended sarcasm, land the house would
not bring a third as much as the Jewels
And my losses, my rcverses-I-I have
seen the fabric Of 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 capable of using the least fine Ian
guage.
And fallen so low," she CRIES, "that
you must pledge your wifes trinkcts!-
fallen SO low that we arc in the same
| plight as those miserable creatures who
are found with pawn tickets on them!
| Oh, take them! take the wretched things!'
she cries, with lofty scorn; II will never
touch them again! Oh, why was 1 ever
born? What have I ever done, to be dis
graced so? Pm sure never expected
this when l was married. Don't touch
me! don't speak to me! never dreamed
OF such an outrage" And by that time
his thinking had thrown Mr.. Rothcly in
to wet Chill and he sat up in bed, sure
| that he never could tell his circumstances
| to Mrs. Rothely, and ask her for the help
her jewels could afford There she was
now, sweetly sleeping in the moonlight
| that filtered between the curtains and
SiIvpr0H oil tho rio1, ho~ al
lashes resting on her rosy cheek, a smile
parting her lips-as she remembered,
perhaps, some of the fatuities whispered
by her last partner at the ball. He felt a
glow of resentment taking the place of
the cold chill of the moment before. and
he suddenly said to himself that he would
have her jewels, and she should never be
| the wiser! He could not, he would not,
| he thought, humiliatc himself before her
by craving such favor. What power
| he had, what supremacy, he felt to be
| due to his granting favors, not begging
them. lie would not yield the position,
he would never place himself in such an
| abjcct light! Not while this other course
| was open; for what WAS there easier than
now, while she was wrapped away in this
soft nimbus of sleep, to steal across the
| moon-lightcd room, to secure the casket,
| to lock the safe and keep the key-that
she might fancy she had mislaiu it'll
| he could put the caskct back again with
| every splendid diamond, with every cool,
rich emerald, in it replaced by as skill
tully-cut crystals as cunning hands could
set them, after which the key could easily
be found again! The law would take
them if he didn't, and would never give
them back again, as he would.
Easy is the descent. The whole affair
! shaped itself in swift drama to his
eyes, to his hand. And then it was done.
And If in the morning Mr. Rothcly looked
worn and haggard, it was not because he
had not slept, and had not been mutter-
ing in his sleep when by and by his wife,
leaning on her elbow, bent over him to
hear the words he said; it was not be-
cause he had not felt that he was on
the mending hand, SO far as his business
difficulties were concerned Not, indeed,
that hundred thousand dollars ready
money would liquidate tenth part of
his obligations, but that on that hy-
drostatic principle of balancing an im-
mcnse weight with a mere trihe on which
much of the affairs of Wall street is
modelled, he saw that he would be able
to pull through
1t was busy day for Mr.. Rothcly-a
dreadful day in some respects, delight
full one in others, for he raised his money
and he saved his name. Yet no one
would have supposed it had been delight
full in anything who had seen the gray
and dreary look he cast about him as he
entered his house and observed his wife
fastening to meet him. He shrank away
from her welcome before he knew what
he did, and then could but think of the
toad squatting in Eden and shrinking
from the presence of the visiting white
spirit there; for certainly there was an
air Of Eden about this place to him-al1
was so soft and bright; luxurious warmth
and delicate beauty everywhere; and
wherever his wife was there were flowers
much like Lady Tcazlc, after all, and nev.
were dear in winter!
"Oh, Mr.. Rothely !" she was exclaim
ing, as she hurried down the drawing
room. "What do you think? The key
is gone have looked for it every.
where, and have had all the servants ur
to examine them, and the room has beer
swept, and the furniture moved, and Su
settle has taken everything out of the
put it back again, and yet it can't be
found ~
"What are you talking about, my
dear?" said Mr.. Rothely, with well-as
sumed bewilderment "To what doe.
it. refer?"
" Yes, indeed ~ she cried, paying NJ
attention to what he said. "Oh, I am Sc
worried about it! And am positive
locked the door of the safe and put thu