Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-01-25
THE MALMAISON EMERALD

I'LL NihLWihiOUN ll2llilhLU,
What" said Uncle Venable. "you-
want-to-get - married." Ferbena
dropped her pretty head, while
| blush crept over her face.
"If you don't mind, sir"
But what nonsense that isl" said
Mr.. Venable. shutting his cabinet
| drawers, leaning back in his chair and
looking at Verbena with eyes like gim-
let's. who is the young man. then?"
please. uncle, it's Fritz" whispered
Verbena. half inclined to run away
and hide herself.
Fritz roared Mr.. Eenable. THAT
| farmer fellow!"
Hes a farmer" admitted Verbena,
"but be owns his farm, sir. And his
mother is very anxious for me to come
there, BECAUSE"
"Oh. can imagine that" said Mr..
Venable, with a sheer. "You-a Ven
able-talking of marrying farmer!
You, the heiress of the Malmaison
emerald! You, that might take any
place in society that you wish, when
once the value of the gem is known, to
talk of allying yourself to a clodhop-
per like that, who doesn't know an
| opal from a mOOnStO0e!
| Verbena burst into tears.
HE isn't a clodhopper," said she.
"And l wish there wasn't any such
thing as the Malmaison emerald"
| Mr.. Veuvble transfixed his niece
through his spectacles with a glare
that might have paralyed her.
"Silencel" said he. do you know
it is on the reputation of the Malmai-
son emerald that the Venables will go
down to fame? The Empress Joseph
! ine-"
81 don't care for the Empress Joseph
incl" said Nerbena, who. having drawn
the sword, was now minded to cast the
scabbard away. "And I'm not par
| ticular about fame, and l don't sup
pose shall be Venable forever"
That sort of talk won't do, Ver-
bena," said the old gentleman. solemn
| ". Where would society be if every
one refused to bear the responsibility
and shoulder the cares of their sta
tons? You are not merely my niece,
| Verbena. You are the representative
of the Venables. To you in my will
is left the guardianship of the NAL
maison emerald
Il am sick of hearing of it." vehem-
emily protested Verbena.
And" went on Mr.. Venable, Il de-
sire YOU 10 give up all idea of marry
ing this Young man. It's entirely out
of the question entirely"
bat what is This about the Nal,
maison emerald" asked Fritz FL
combe, in II bewildered way, when he
found Verbena crying by the sitting
room window few hours later.
You don't mean" said she, shat
you never heard of the famous NAL
maison emerald"
That's my meaning exactly" adj
mitted Fritz. do consider in my be-
half that I've only been here year,
and have lots still to learn"
"Well, listen" said Verbena, half
crying, .half-sngry. Its famous
unset gem"
"Oh, it is, is it?"
"And it used to belong to the EN-
press Josephine"
did it, indeed?"
"And she wore it in those days at
Masmaison."
Hence the name, hey?"
Il suppose so. And Queen Hortense
gave it to sJme one, who sold it to
some body else, and it was finally given
to one of the Venables, who was a
surgeon in the English army, by dy-
ing officer out in Hindostan, TO whom
he had been able to render kind offices
and so it has come down to us. 1t
really is wonderful gem"
Il should suppose So" politely in
credulous.
They say" went on Verbena, "that
when uncle kept it in the little iron
safe let into the guest-chamb Der wall
whoever slept there used to dream
of a beautiful sad-faced lady, who
walked up and down under the trees
and wrung her hands. That was the
Empress Josephine, of course, Fritz"
"Of course" still more incredulous-
ly.
"And my uncle declares that the
color in the stone is always dim and
turbid when the anniversary of the
poor lady's death comes around, u
further added Verbena.
Eyes, that is exceedingly probab bic,
dryly observed Mr.. Elcombe
my uncle has been offered great
deal of money for the gen." said Yer.
bena, with a sigh, land / wish to good
ness he'd sell it, But he WON'T And
what is worse, he wants me to marry
hateful, specialized little old man in
New York. who, next to himself, is
the best Judge of jewels in the state,
and who owns green ruby which is
dead match to Uncle Venable's I'M
set emerald. He calls it an archaco.
logical alliance"
"Well, should think that it partook
somewhat of that nature" said Fritz
thoughtfully.
"He is going up to New York to.