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

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praise But at that instant she once more
espied the demons face thrust between her
husbands and her own, and the terror
oyerpowered her every other thought Her
hand was raised to repel the hideous being.
and the diamond darted from her palm
and buried itself in the deep water beneath
the balcony.
With cry that was neither scream mol
groan, Rudolph lifted his hand and struck
his wife upon the bosom.
Clumsy COW grip he cried; "coarse
peasant whom found among the noun
tainsl Fool that was to trust jewel of
such price in your handsI AS great fool
as was before that to ask you to share my
lifeI Gone-gene-gone-the wonder of
the world has gone forever" and he cast
himself down upon the floor and wept in
bitterness of soul fort the loss of his precious
diamond.
Meanwhile, Wilhelmena, broken hearted
and in woeful bodily pain, crept ont of
his sight. That night she grew very I'LL,
and the dawn of day saw her lying dead
upon her pillow, and upon her bosom a
| little babe that had walled but once before
it followed her.
As he looked upon her all Rudolph's
| grief for the loss of his diamond became as
though it had never been His grief was
| all fer Wilhelmena now. His remorse
was terrible. He knew himself to be the
murderer of the wife who had loved him
| and whom he now once more loved as in
the days when first he met her.
From that day Rudolph was a changed
man, moody and miserable-a man who
never smiled or spoke to any one when he
could avoid it-madder than ever. men
said, for still he sought for jewels which
seemed to disappear as fast as he became
their possessor
He was greedy for patronage, and pleased
the great folk as well as ever and charged
them more for his taste and Judgment and
knowledge of jewels. But there were beg
gars who were better clad than he Year
by year he lived this life, until his hair
grew white and his skin shriveled and his
limbs lean, and in his eyes grew great
horror, for since his wife's death he him
self had seen the hideous demon at his
shoulder and guessed what name he BORE
But as for the jewels he purchased robbers
might have sought for them in vain, for at
every anniversary Of Wilhelmena's death
he sought her grave at midnight, and
her coffin the jewels he had amassed that
year; then prayed to God for pardon, and
took his lonely way home.
At last the return of the sad anniversary
found Rudolph very old. He felt that
death was near, and all his plans were
laid. That morning he sold to one who
had long desired to be its possessor his
mansion and his great estate, all the adorn-
ments of his house, all the rich raiment
which he long before had ceased to wear,
and invested the proceeds in gems which
he placed in little bag in his bosom.
For the last time before strangers should
possess it he went through his mansion,
bidding adieu to the rooms one by one, and
then in his laboratory to all the familiar
tools of his worshiped art, then out upon |
the balcony for one moment. Here it was |
that he had in his wrath heaped up re-
morse for all his life-perhaps for all eter- |
nifty. He looked down into the blue water |
in helpless misery until suddenly he saw |
sight that made his heart stand still-the |
figure of a water spirit, white and trans
parent as pearl, arising from the waves,
and as he gazed upon her she lifted her |
hand and held something toward him. He |
knew it on the instant. 1t was the dia-
mond that had dropped from Wilhel-
mena's hand long years before. 1t lay in |
his palm again and the vision vanished.
He clutched the gem so strangely restored
to him in his withered hand, and leaning
on his staff tottered forth. The road to the
Gods acre was short, but his strength
barely sufficed him to reach it. Night had
fallen ere he did so, and the moon was
high and the stars shone in the sky, as,
kneelng beside Wilhelmena's grave, he
buried one by one the Jewels he had
brought with him, and last of all the dia-
nond so strangely restored to him. Then,
rs he replaced the turf, his tears poured
forth-the hard and bitter tears of an old
man.
"My murdered Wilhelmena," he cried
aloud at last, 81 have buried in thy grave
Ill those jewels which were thy rivals
whilst thou lived That gem which lost
ne my soul and thee lies also on thy coffin.
Forgive me, martyred angel, forgive me as
pray that heaven mayi From this mo-
nent, homeless and beggar, will wander
Ibout the world till death releases me.
What expiration could, have made. Oh,
or a sign that there, where thou dwellest,
hou has known itp'
As he ceased great awe fell upon him,
or from the grave beside which he knelt
rose a strange light, pure and clear as that
which glows at the heart of diamond; the
avs spread in all directions, making q
,reat halo above the sod, and in its midst
lie saw Wilhelmena standing with her babe
n her arms About her limbs fell a
trangely beautiful drapery of what seemed
liver mist, and upon her brow was coro-
al of gems, in the midst of which shone a
reat diamond like a star
"WilhelmenaW he cried. "Wilhelmenap
Then she bent toward him and took his
Teary head upon her bosom and pressed a :
ISIS upon his brow-the heavenly kiss of
forgiveness.
AT dawn some peasants found Rudolph
Ilsenheim at the foot of his wife's grave.
lie lay there dead. But on his face was a
box of peace that they had never seen
here in his life.-Mary Kyle Dallas in Fire
lde Companion.