Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-12-09
Mrs. Rothely's Emeralds.

Mrs. Rothely's Emeralds.
1t cannot be denied that Mrs Rothely
loved splendori and it cannot be denied
that Mr. Rothely knew she did, nor that
many time and often he had been visited
by a suspicion that,it twas just possible he
had, some time since, been prospered in his
suit for the lady's hand by the fact that he
was able 10 surround her with splendur that
she loved.
This was unnecessary humility on Mr..
Rothely's part, in many respects, for he was
an amiahle gentleman, OF education, OF fam
1 lily, of handsome appearance aud fine man
ners, with nearly all those qualities, appa-
rently. which are won't to win the hearts of
women-a humility that could have been
due only to an inner consciousness of his un-
worthiness; for undoubtedly Mr. Rothey
/ loved his wife with all his heart, such rs it
was, and feared She loved his bank account
because he knew he did not deserve her love
| himself But we all have a great deal more
| than we deserve
She was indeed a beautiful woman, quite
/ worthy. one would think, of any bodys ai-
| fecton, and eminently fit to be surrounded
| with this splendor that so pleased her fancy
I Knowing that she was beautiful she had an
innocent sort of pleasure in enhancing her
beauty by the appliances of luxury, But
aside from that, she derived from them a
different and more exquisite pleasure the
/ pleasure which objects Of bpauty afford the
worshippers Of beauty.
If her splendid silks gave FIRST satisfac-
tion 10 her woman's vanity they gave next
a satisfaction to all her sense of the beauti-
full in tint and texture; and il she was
pleased that her Jewels were more magnif-
cent than Mrs. Ewer's were, she was also
pleased to have it in her power 20 contem-
plate at any moment the wealth of lustre
that from creations day had been shut into
those drops of conc, 20 light Mr. Rothely
knew that, viewed as an object, he was
neither so satisfactory as the silk nor so
brilliant as the Jewels and he could not I'M
derstand that his wife could care for him
and not for his qualities; that she could love
him, indeed, in spite Of his qualities and
did not dream that, the case being reversed,
it was his wife that he cared for, and not
her qualities.
However, these thoughts did not occasion
1 Mr.. Rothely much uneasiness, as he was not
apt TO dwell on interpretive matters; he
but had them vaguely in his keeping, ready
at some day to he drawn upon and for the
rest he was only too happy that SO long as
Mrs. Rothely loved splendor, the kind fates
[ allowed him TO give 1t to her.
But Mr.. Rothely, walking home very late
one day, had been fearfully detected; he
had felt, in fact as if he We're in the wilder
ness and alone, for his reverses had been tre-
mendous and he dared not speak of them to
his wife, and he was thinking it would be
too much bliss on earth if man could go
home and tell his wife everything, and have
sympathy and comfort from her; and then
[ 4. 4 .-.lt 4.
mental fool, to be hankering after sympathy
when he wanted credit And thereat he
had met his wife coming lightly down the
hall stairs, vision OF rosy beauty, dark
eyes and dimpling smiles, and the peach
blow dress and the jewels; and he had felt
himself to be presuming simpleton to think
of sympathy and comfort from such a ra
diant creature as that, and had longed tC
take her in his arms, and had feared tC
crush her dress, aud so had smiled back ~
she had smiled, aud had gone down and put
her in the carriage, and had returned home
to his lonely house and the endless hgure'
with which he was always ciphering on hi'
/, endless papers, and which he now began tC
look over again with a groan.
Mr.. Rothely heard the wheels on the pave
mcnt when his wife came back, and he wa
> just putting up his papers as she entered.
81 saw your light" she said What
, always those papers, those hateful papers
DO you want to kill yourself z" And sh'
came and laid one arm lightly on his shoulder
"Why should it kill me to sit here anC
study my calculations till this hour, !" he said
"any more than kill you to go out in thu
cruel weather and dance till the same hour Z?
"Oh. that's different" she said, with
laugh. That's pleasure And this"
Isn't pleasure" said he, rising No, i
isn't pleasure"
e We'll what is it, then, she asked coax
! ingly twining her arm in his.
! It's pain !" he exclaimed, veXed by he
9 light way, when his trouble was so great
it's pain and perplerity, and sword hang
1 ing over my head |" And he turned abou
and left the room hurredlv, sure that th
G next moment She would be saving :" | d
: lieye Mr. Rothey is losing his mind
= and the moment after he singing the las
tune to which she had Waited. yawning am
I going off gayly to bed.
4 But what Mrs. Rothely was really sayin
4 was, =" wonder what it means. Did d
l. ANYTHING to tease him 2 ! wonder il he
l. dspleased that 20 out without him. III
e sure had a world rather he went too.
e don't know He hardly ever comes TO tai
with me now he never tells me anything h
n couldn't tell somebody else's wife, ] wondf
n oh it couldn't be- it couldn't possibly b'
that he is tired of me Pshaw what
$ fool am to be incoming this way over
e busy man.
. But when Mr.. Rothely went to bed, ju'
q" before daybreak, after taking another tur
with his papers, his wife was sleeping III
- sleep of the just, a rosy dewy, lovely sleel
over which he hung a moment idolatrous
- before he turned away half Indignantly, fc
all, TO think she could take so easily VIII
> was torment to him; and then laughing
little grimly TO himself, he compared hinlse
u To the peasant who one moment prays 10 h
!, little wooden image, and the next momel
!, cuffs it roundly for not answering the praye
~ lie had gone over his papers again, as WI
. said, and had thought that he might wori
9 through, as he called it, without the op'
shame of failure and disgrace of ban
~ !, ruptcy-for shame and disgrace it seem'
u u to him-if he could only lay his hands {
le certain sum of ready money. A hundr'
~ Thousand dollars ready money! he was sa
~ ing now To himself and as he said it h
~ eye rested inadvertently on the door OF Il
10 little iron safe let into the wall where h
- wife's Jewels were kept, and which, in h
fatigue, and in that carelessness which wi
her was half charm, she had that mig
n. left ajar And little devil began whispt
le ing in his ear, There is more than a hu
ne dred thousand dollars ready money there :
Mt Oh, yes, he knew that very we'll Tho
to great square emeralds and their alterna
er diamonds as large, had cost him very mu'
ht more than that some years ago, and nc
o, emeralds were in fashion, and worth
a added price. And what il he did think
ut selling them, he said. Better men had cor
II to worse pass. lie bought them VIII
It, If he did think of selling them now
IN would only be TO make himself able to bl
Id them back-to buy better II he did 81
ly them he would buy better; there shouldI
sr be lady OFF the thrones covered one-half
ct resplendently with gems as his wife shou
be. Let him once tide over these cru
breakers, she should be as radiant as a who
nt constellation If she wished. All at once n
,u Rothely shuddered. He had then, real
h and seriously been thinking of taking i
It wife's jewels to carry him through his dii
r culties
he "Well, why not he said, presently. 81
him look at the thing squarely. Would !
wife be more hurt or more benefited by !
doing sol What would Mrs Rothely 81
a TO the plan Would she, in the first plac
p be likely TO listen to it, and would she tai
e. ii as a reasonable woman should No, s.
ut wouldn't. Mrs. Rothely wasn't reason
BILE woman. She was a charming woma
he but as he had thought ii not said when