Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-06-17

AN INTERESTING GERMAN STORY.
TRANSLATED for the Boston Traveller by NJ E. W. s.
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 Ermellek,
and she. Roumanian by birth, and a
Hungarian by marriage, seemed to unite
all the brilliant characteristics of both
these picturesque races.
She was a widow TO begin with, and
since the animal, man, has speculated
upon the varieties of the angel woman, a
widow has been pronounced the most
amiable 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 creature, the Bar
oness. She owned villages and vineyards,
and made large income every year from
her sale of Ruster, n grand WINE, OF n
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
Baroness They came from Iransyl-
wanna and Russia, from Roumania and all
Hungary, from Austria and from the Ger
man principalities, and as for the unlucky
wretches about Pl:spoki, and the Behar
settlement, and the country gentlemen Of
Erdioszegh, they knelt and worshipped
in vain as she dashed past them on her
fleet thoroughbred, for she was Diana, as
huntress, and the Qneen of the ANA
IONS, 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 Reg Gebirge and
one old priest who seemed to be deeply
in her confidence Every year she made
grand visit somewhere-Nicnna, Paris,
Rome, London or ST. Petersburg. She
spent money like water, made everybody
talk, wonder and admire, and where her
splendid Jewels were the envy Of all the
court ladies'
Yes, she was afraid of one man, and
that was her steward, Neusiedler, he who
for years had managed her vast estates,
her vineyards and her wheattields, her
fields and fisheries.
Neusiedler was crouching, cross eyed,
mean looking German Jew, married to a
bold, black-eyed, large-nosed woman.
who was twice his size, and who lived i'll
tha t-illana ba oaefta onl MI hn Snant
her time envying andhating tine Baroness.
Madame Pasteur, the French companion,
and Matilde, the French maid, who never
left the Baroness, thought that Neusied
Ter and his wife had the evil eye, and that
they would some day wilt the Baroness.
But Rukavina- Eltz laughed at this fear,
and kept on her course exultant A; still
when the yearly payday came round, and
she had 10 look over accounts with Neu-
siedler. she did show what she never had
shown before-fear.
Among her Jewels WAS a splendid rope
of pearl-colorcd pearls, the rarest thing
IN the whole world, neither black nor
white, but pearl color, with three great
emerald pendants. each as large rs a
small pear. The Emperoralw noticed
this jewel with n smile and a compliment
when the Baroness Rukavina-Eltz went to
a court ball at Vienna He told her that
the Empress had nothing half as hand
some, and it is to be feared that the En-
peror spoke also Of the white, firm neck
on which the necklace rested, for Ruka-
vina Eltz was apt to blush and look mag
nificently well 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 her age, who went down into Rou-
mania for her when she was fifteen) ; and
she had diamonds, Of course-every rich
lady has diamonds-and grand box full
of engraved amethysts and antique gems
Some that Cardinal Antonelh gave her i'll
Rome, for he, too, had admired the wild
Baroness.
Indeed, if the Baroness Rukavina- Eltz
had ever written her memoirs what story
she could have told But the end of
every woman's history is that she finally
falls in love and such was the begin
ming of the end Of the story Of Rukavina-
Eltz. She went to England one summer.
and there was young Lord Ronald Som
erset, or Lord George Leveson Mon
tague, or young Lord Howard Plan
tagenet they mix them up so. these Eng
lish words, they are not half so individ-
ual as our Hungarian names,) who could
ride better than she could This WAS n
dreadful blow to the Baroness, and she
wished herself dead.
But when at dinner the oft-voiced,
tall young Englishman, Sir
Lyster Howard Lyster Cthat was his name
after alb sat next to her and talked so
well and SO complimentary to her seat,
cross country, and noticed the pearl-col-
ored pearls, and the emeralds, with his
lips, and the neck underneath with his
eyes. Rukavina-Eltz forgave him and
began to talk of her home near Somlyo,
and it ended i'll large English party
coming to the Err Valley, under the shad
ow of the Er Mellek, for n long summer
visit And how they raved about every
thing, the wine, the horses, the scenery,
the wild, barbaric splendor of the Baron:
ess's housekeeping, and how they all
hated Newsletter, and his big, black
browed wife, who were invited up to the
balls
There WAS an English lady, one with
very long teeth, and very long nose, and
very high eyebrows, and they called her
Lady Lonisa. She was very grand and
lOllN. anu hu,lhiHt ahttllr HtiTu iltT shy
one day
"Do YOU know, dear Baroness, think
You are SO very careless don't you know ?
about those beautiful jewels Of yours-Io
yOu know"
But who could steal them - sail the
Baroness laughing There are none like
them i'll all Hungary, and no one would
dare to wear them they are SO rare -
"Ah but some Of these wild people of
yours they might swallow your emeralds,
those fierce Croats, the Roumanians, and
then you Keep them in such open closets
and boxes" Madame Pnsteur nodded
her meek head, too. She had trembled
for the jewels always.
But the Baroness and Sir Lyster began
to think Of other things than Jewels
there were moonlight rides and walks,
and there were long talks md many rev
cries Lady Louisa went home, they all
went, but Sir Lyster came back.
And then, one evening, Madame Pas
teur said afterwards that she saw Neusied
Ter come i'll and bully the Baroness. and
she heard him hiss out the words ::
Remember If you marry, you lose ALL
Remember the Baron will -