The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-08-19
Select Story.
THE EBARONESS' JEWEL BOX
A STORY FROM THE GERMAN.

The Baroness Rukavina Eltz was the
most splendid and dashing parsonage in
the Er Valley. Her castle near Somlyo
was the finest specimen of great resi-
dence in all that shadow of the Er Mellek,
and she, a Roumanian by birth and a
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
upon the varieties of the angel woman, a
widow has been pronounced the most
amiable variety of the species. She was
very beautiful, tall, svelte, 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 preachers say-very rich, and
had fallen heiress to two collections of
Jewels which were almost tabulously
valuable. A brilliant creature, the
Baroness. She owned villages and
vineyards, and made large income
every year from her sale of Ruster, II
grand wine of a 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 al
most equal to Tokay. OF course, she
had suitors,the beautiful, sharp Baroness.
They came from Pennsylvania and
Russia, from Roumana and all Hun,
gary, from Austria and all the German
Principalites and for the unlucky
wretches about Pus Poki and the Behar
Settlement, and the country gentleman
of Erdoszegh, they knelt and worshipped
in vain as she dashed rast them on her
fleet thoroughbred, for she was Diana
as huntress and the queen 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 Rez Gebirge and
one old priest who seemed to be deeply
in her confidence. Every year she made
a grand visit somewhere-Nienna, 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, Newsletter, he who
for years had managed her vast estates,
her vineyards and her wheathelds, her
fields and fisheries.
Neusiedler was a crouching, cross eyed,
mean-lo looking German jew, married to a
bold, black eyed, large nosed woman,
who was twice his size, and who lived in
the village, near the castle, and who
spent her time enyying and hating the
Baroness. Madame Pasteur, the French
companion, and Matilde,t 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 Rukavina- Eltz
laughed at this fear, and kept on her
course exultant. Still when the yearly
pay day came round, and she had to look
over accounts with Neusiedler, she did
show what she had never shown before
fear,
Among her jewels was 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 a
small pear The Emperor always noticed
this jewel with "A smile and a compli-
ment when the Baroness Rukavina- Etz
went to a court ball at Vienna. lie told
her that the Empress had nothing half
as handsome, and it is to be feared that
the Emperor spoke also of the white,
firm neck on which the necklace rested,
for Rukavna- Eltz was apt to blush and
look magnificently 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 (he old
Baron, twice her age, who went down
into Roumania for her when she was Is, }
and she had diamonds, of course--every
rich lady has diamonds--and a great box
full of engraved amethysts and antique