The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-09-12
WILHELMENA.

Long years ago there dwelt in an old city
upon the banks of the Rhine a jewelel
named Rudolph Won Elsenheim.
No common worker in gold and gem:
was he You might rather speak of hin
as an artist in jewels He looked upon q
diamond as a connoisseuR might upon q
rare picture. He basked in its beauty; be
! gazed at it by sunlight and by lamplight
he brought forth its charms by the richest
setting and did for it what few could dc
by the exercise of taste and fancy. Nc
wonder that his patrons were the richest
and most noble of the land, and that he
became almost as wealthy as they. He
might 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 mis- 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 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
journey. There were no steam cars in
those days, and travelling was a very sol
emn operation. aud a very slow one. If
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
lonely forest.
Consequently, the jeweler, after a long
and toilsome journey, was glad to find
himself at the door of a time worn hosiery
lying at the mountain foot, and to read
upon the great swinging signboard the an
nouncement 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 out 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 to rock until at last it leaped from
one of them, fairy waterfall, pure and
silvery as though it yelled Undine.
Along the center of this stream figure
girl in peasant costume bearing
a pitcher upon her head.
Her dimpled, blue veined feet were thrust
into wooden shoes; her long braids of hair,
faxen in the shadow, golden in the sunset
beams, hung below her waist. Her fea-
lures had 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.
Rudolph Won Elsenheim had gazed un-
moved upon many proud city beauty, but |
herein this simple mountain village Cupid |
buried his 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 I'M
learned she was pure-far purer than most
Titled DANES His wooing was brief and
and he bore her back with him
licked in rare velvets and rich laces.
in furs fit for an empress, with
'ilken shoes upon the blue veined feet that
lad worn wooden sabots and followed the
kline to pasture.
For year even his jewels were forgotten
n this new treasure, and happier pair of
married lovers never lived.
Alasl a leopard cannot change its spots.
When year had passed and another was
the old spell began to creep once
more over the jewelers. soul. He loved
still, but he left her side more
frequently, and sat long hours absorbed in
contemplation of some new jewel.
Nllhelmena never reproached him with
hrs change, but what she saw saddened
Ter greatly. With his return to his old
dolls, the love of them began to be a mono
mania with Rudolph
IL grieved him to part with a jewel now,
nd when one was relinquished he sought
agerly for another to supply its place. He
loated over them. talked of them strange
y-told impossible tales of them. Men be-
an to whisper that Rudolph Won Elsen-
elm was going mad. and once poor Will
eimena saw something very strange in
er husbands laboratory, something of {
Thich she never spoke 10 any one-a dark
orm with fiery eyes and horns upon its
cad standing at the jewelers. elbow. Ter
fled, she fed to the church hard by and {
here prayed long and ardently, and for {
while after that Rudolph seemed himself |
gain and caressed her as he had used to
o; but the better mood soon vanished.
Ii was at this time that jewel of great
alue, diamond of wonderful size and
eauty, was the theme of conversation ev- .
rywhere. Princes contested for its pos
ession; dealers were mad over it. Ru- I
olph, richer than even those who knew
I'm best had guessed, became its proud !
assessor. His JOY knew no bounds. But
'llhelmlRa's heart grew sick with terror /
hen she saw once more at his shoulder
lat black and hideous being she had once c
'en before He himself saw nothing, but L
lrnlng and seeing sadness on the brow Of 9
lilhelmena, a touch Of the old tenderness a
ade him wish TO share his JOY with her,
40 ne arose and, claspiug her waist With c
S arm, drew her toward the window and {
1t upon the little balcony that lay be '
eath il and extended over the blue waters
the Rhine.
Feast your eyes upon this diamond. nv
lgel," he said. 'It is among jewels what
IA are among women. Look, you do not
L comprehend its splendor or the oompli-
ent pay you in hkening it TO you"
He placed the diamond on her palm as Y
spoke, and the young wife, huttered and :
's1--- hans arnr ia sAaiSn1 Tar zA-<a. tAAA y