The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-12-02
WlLHELMINA.


city upon the banks Of the Rhine a Jew
eler named Rudolph Won EIsenheim.
No common worker in gold and gems
was he. You might rather speak Of him
as an artist in jewels He looked upon q
diamond as a connoisseur might upon a
rare picture. lie basked in its beauty
he gazed at it by sunlight and by lamp
light be 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 notable Of the land
and that he became almost as wealthy
as they. He might have married the
fAirest Of all the fraGliens Of the rich old
town.
But he was more impenetrable than
bis own diamonds. He was courteous to
all, but his Jewels had all his love. He
saw no beauty in woman's lip 70 equal
that of the ruby-no lustre in her eve 10
match that Of the sapphire. There are
two arrows that fate has in store for eve
~ man. One brings love, and the other
death. But Randolph seemed 70 have
steeled his heart against the first. He fan
cied that he had escaped unwounded-
He reckoned without his 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 a very sol
emn operation, and a very slow one. If
the distance be long there must be stop
pages upon the road at sunset, and de-
partures at the dawn Of day, good wishes
from the host and prayers from the host
ess that neither roboer nor evil spirit
might intercept the traveller on his way
through the lonely forest
Consequently the jeweler, after a long
and toiisome journey, was glad to ind
himself at the door Of a time-worn hos
tlery, lying at the mountain foot, and to
read upon the great swinging siguboard
the announcement that here good cheer
was offered 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 sat
on the broad porch and looked out upon
the road which wound down the noun
tain. upon which the dark pine forest
which bordered the western horizon and
the limpid stream, clear as a crystal, that
bounded from rock to rock, until at last
it Ieaped from one Of them, fairy va.
terfalI, pure and silvery as though it
veiled Undine
Along the centre of this stream a
figure moved girl in peasant cos
tune, and bearing = pitcher upon her
head.
Her dimpled, blue veined feet were
thrust into wooden shoes, and her long
braids Of hair, faxen in the shadow, gol-
den in the sunset beams, hung below her
waist. Her features had the sculptured
beauty of an antique statue, and as she
tripped alsng she sung, in the sweetest
voice that ever woman owned, a love
song of the peasant folk.
Rudolph Won Elsenheim had gazed IN
moved upon many a proud city beauty,
but here in this simple mountain village
Cupid buried his shaft in his heart. and
henceforth the beautiful WilheImina was
enshrined therein, q 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, hand
maiden of the poor inn , She had beauty
that made her worthy Of throne II she
was unlearned, she was pure-far purer
than most titled danes, His wooing was
brief and successful, and he bore her
back with him decked in rare velvets and
rich Iaces, wrapped in furs fit for an em-
press. with siIken shoes upon the blue
veined feet that had worn wooden shoes
and followed the loving kline to the pas
ture.
For a year even his jewels were forgot
ten in his new found treasure, and a
happier pair of married lovers never
lived
Alas a leopard cannot change its
spots. When year had passed and an
other was following, the old spell began
to creep once more over the jewelers.
soul. He loved WiIheImina still, but lie
left her side more frequently, and sat
long hours absorbed in contemplation Of
some new jewel
Wihelmina never reproached him
with this change, bat what she saw sad
dened her greatly. With his return TO
his old idols then began 10 be a mono
mania with Rudolph.
It grieved him 70 part with jewel
now, and when one was relinquished be
sought eagerly for another to supply its
place be gioated over them, talked Of
them strangely-told impossible tales of
them Men began TO whisper that Ru-
dolph van Elsenheim was going mad
and once poor Wilhelmina saw some
thing very strange IN her husbands la
boratory, something of which she never
spoke % any one-s dark form, with fiery
eyes and horns upon its head, standing
at the jewelers. elbow Terrified. she fed
to the church hard by. and there prayed
long and ardently, and for awhile after
that RudoIph seemed himself again and
caressed her as be had used 70 do; but
the better mood soon vanished
T, AZ this time that a level Of urea,