Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-09-26
WILHELMENA.

Long years ago there dwelt in an old city
upon the banks of the Rhine a jeweler
named Rudolph Won Elsenheim.
No common worker in gold and gems
was he You might rather speak of him
az an artist in jewels. He looked upon
d almond as connoisseur might upon a
II re picture. He basked in its beauty; he
gazed at it by sunlight and by lamplight;
he brought forth its charms by the richest
setting, and did for it what few could do
by the exercise of taste and fancy. No
wonder that his patrons were the richest
and most noble of the land and that he
became almost as wealthy as they He
m ght have married the fairest of all the
frauleins of the rich old town.
But he was more impenetrable than his
own diamonds. He was courteous to all,
but his jewels had all his love He saw no
beauty in woman's lip TO equal that of the
ruby-no luster in her eye to match that
of The sapphire. There are two arrows that
fate seems to have in store for every man.
One brings him love, the other death. But
Rudolph seemed to have steeled his heart
against the first. He fancied that he had
escaped unwounded. He reckoned with
out bis host. Where he least expected to
receive the shaft of Cupid the little god lay
in ambush for him
One bright day Rudolph set forth upon a
journey. There were no steam cars in
those days, and travelling was very sol
emn operation, aud very slow one Ii
the distance were long there must be stop
pages upon the road at sunset, and depart
ures At the dawn of day; good wishes
from the host and prayers from the hostess
that neither robber nor evil spirit might in
tercept the traveller on his way through the
lone Y forest.
Consequently, the jeweler, after a long
and toiisOme journey, was glad to find
himself at the door of time worn hostelry
lying at the mountain foot, and to read
upon the great swinging signboard the an
nouucement that here good cheer was Of
fered to both man and beast, and that
there were good beds for those who wished
TO sleep. The host came forth to welcome
him, and while his supper was in course of
preparation, the stranger stood upon the
broad porch and looked ont upon the road
which wound down the mountain, upon
the dark pine forest which bordered the
western horizon and the limpid stream.
clear as crystal, that bounded from
rock % rock until at last it leaped from
one o. them a fairy waterfall, pure ana
silver as though 1t yelled Undine.
Along the center Of this stream figure
moved-a girl n peasant costume bearing
a pitcher upon her head.
Her limpled, blue veined feet were thrust
into wooden shoes; her long brads Of hair,
tiaZen in the shadow, golden in the sunset
beams, hung below her waist. Her fea-
lures ad the sculptured beauty of an an
tique statue, and as she tripped along she
sung, in the sweetest voice that ever wom-
an owned, love song Of the peasant folk
r1f ir,I, -.
moved upon many proud city beauty, but
herein this simple mountain village Cupid
buried mis- shaft in his heart. Henceforth
the beautiful Wilhelmena was enshrined
therein. living gem more precious to him
than the choicest jewels of Golconda's
mines.
What mattered it, he asked himself, that
the girl was but peasant, handmaiden
of the poor inn? She had beauty that made
her worthy Of throne If she was un-
learned she was pure-far purer than most
titled di mes. HIS woUing was brief and
successful, and he bore her back with him
decked in rare velvets and rich laces
wrapped in furs fit for an empress. with
silken shoes upon the blue veined feet that
had worl wooden sabots and followed the
kline to pasture.
For year even his jewels were forgotten
IN this new treasure, and happier pair of
married lovers never lived.
Alas. leopard cannot change its spots.
When year had passed aud another WAS
following the old spell began to creep once
more over the jewelers. soul. He loved
Wilhelmana still, but he left her side more
frequently, aud sat long hours absorbed in
contemplation of some new jewel.
Wilheluena never reproached him with
this change, but what she saw saddened
| her greatly. With his return to his old
idols, the love of them began TO be a mono
mania with Rudolph
1t griev-d him to part with a jewel now,
and when one was relinquished he sought
eagerly for another to supply its place. He
gloated over them, talked of them strange
ly-told impossible tales of them. Men be
gan to whisper that Rudolph Won Elsen-
helm was going mad, and once poor Viii
helmena saw something very strange in
her husbands laboratory, something of
which she never spoke to any one-a dark
form with fiery eyes and horns upon its
/ head stanC ing at the jewelers. elbow. Ter
riied, she led TO the church hard by and
there prayed long and ardently, and for
awhile after that Rudolph seemed himself
again and caressed her as he had used to
do; but the better mood soon vanished.
1t was at this time that a jewel of great
value, diamond of wonderful size and
beauty, was the theme Of conversation ev-
erywhere. Princes contested for its pos
session: dealers were mad over it. Ru-
dolph, richer than even those who knew
him best Lad guessed, became its proud
possessor. His joy knew no bounds. But
Wilhelmint 5 heart grew sick with terror
when she saw once more at his shoulder
that black and hdeous being she had once
seen before. He himself saw nothing, but
| turning and seeing sadness on the brow of
Wilhelmenf, a touch of the old tenderness
made him wish to share his joy with her,
and he arose and, clasping her waist with
his arm, drew her toward the window and
out upon the little balcony that lay be
meath it and extended over the blue waters
of the Rhine.
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