The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1881-07-30
The Baroness Jewel Box.
FROM THE GERMAN.

The Baroness Rukavina Eltz was the
most splendid and dashing parsonage in
the Err valley. Her castle near Somlyo
was the finest specimen of great resi-
dence in all that shadow of the Ermel-
lex, and she, Roumanian by birth,
and Hungarian by marriage, seemed
to unite all the brilliant characteristics
Of both these picturesque races.
She was widow to begin with, and
since the animal, man, has speculated
npon the varieties OF the angel, woman,
widow has been pronounced the most
aniahle variety of the species. She
was very beautiful, tall, blue-eyed,
black-haired. piquant, red and white,
with the most scornful little mouth, and
the most delicate profile; her hand and
foot were models, although the latter
was frequently stamped when she was
not pleased. She was-in the third
and last place, as the preachers say
very rich, and had fallen heiress to two
collections of jewels which were almost
fabulously valuable. A brilliant crea-
ture, the baroness. She owned villages
and vineyards, and made q large income
every year from her sale of ruster,
wine of pale golden hue, which had
as full and peculiar flavor as she had
herself. The baroness sent her wine to
Vienna, where it was considered almost
equal to Tokay. Of course she had
suitors, the beautiful, sharp baroness.
They came from Pennsylvania and Rus
STA, from Roumania and all Hungary,
from Austria and from the German
principalities, and as for the unlucky
wretches about Puspoki, and the Behar
settlement, and the country gentlemen
of Erdiozegh, they knelt and worshiped
in vain as she dashed past them on her
feet thoroughbred, for she was Diana,
as a huntress, and the queen of the
amazons; also her black horse Tetenyer
was said to emit fire from his nostrils
when he stopped to breathe.
This grand lady was afraid of nobody,
loved nobody, had no friends save the
nuns at the foot of the Rez Gebirge and
one old priest who seemed to be deeply
in her confidence. Every year she made
a grand visit somewhere - Vienna,
Paris, Rome, London or ST. Petersburg.
She spent money like water, made
everybody talk, wonder and admire, and
her splendid jewels were the envy of all
the court ladies.
Yes she was afraid OF one man, and
that was her steward, Newsletter, he
who for years had managed her vast es-
tates, her vineyards and her wheat fields,
her fields and fisheries.
Newsletter was a crouching, cross
eyed, meant looking man, married to
bold, black-eyed, Iarge-nosed woman,
who was twice his size, and who lived
in the village, near the castle, and who
spent her time envying and hating the
baroness. Madame Pasteur, the french
companion, and Matilde, the French
maid, who never left the baroness,
thought that Newsletter and his wife
had the evil eye, and that they would
some day wilt the baroness. But Ruka-
VIVA Eltz laughed at this fear, and kept
on her course exultant. Still when the
yearly payday came round, and she had
to look over accounts with Newsletter,
she did show what she never had shown
before-fear.
Among her jewels was a splendid
rope of pearl-colored pearls. the rarest
thing in the whole world, neither black
nor white, but pearl color. with three
great emerald pendants, each as large
as q small pear. The emperor always
noticed this jewel with smile and
compliment when the Baroness Ruka-
VIVA Eltz went to court ball at Vienna.
He told her that the empress had moth
ing half as handsome, and 1t is to be
feared that the emperor spoke also OF
the white neck on which the necklace
rested, for Rukavina Eltz vas apt to
blush and look magnifcently we'll at
such moments. Then she had great
chains of sapphires as blue as her eyes,
and some big rubies which the baron
had given her the old baron, Twice n sr
age, who went down into Roumanla for
her when she was ffteen); and she had
diamonds, of course-every rich lady
has diamonds-and grand boxful OF
engraved amethysts and antique gems.
Some, that Cardinal Antonelli gave her