The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-08-09
The
jewelers. Wife.
How She Fell Victim to His Pas
sion For Gems and How He
Was at Last Saved From
the Fiend.
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There dwclt years and years ago in
quaint old city on the banks of the Rhine
handsome young jeweer who loved his
gems So well that he thought them
brighter than any womans eyes and was
impcrvious to the smiles Of the lovcliest
girls who came to his shop to tlirt with
the proprietor rather than for the sake
Of the broken earrings and bracelets
which made their excuse for doing SO.
1t was known everywhere at last that
Max Rudolph did not intend TO marry.
that his heart was given to his art-for
he was rather an artist in gems and gold
than mere workman-aud rs he was
not only handsome, but charming and re-
putrd to hc rich, this was a very provok-
ing fact indeed to the young ladies who
had cherished hopes Of winning his favor.
However the Turks are right when
they say that no man can escape his fate.
One day, going into the country for the
sake of the fresh air and to enjoy himself
with rural dainties at Il little waySide
tavern, there happened to be detailed to
wait upon him a beautiful young country
girl so >parklingly beautiful that he said
to himself: She has diamond eyes and
ruby lips and teeth of pearls She is
made of jewels"
Then there came into his mind the
thought that she was jewclAherSelf well
worth the winning and wearing StiA
she was but a poor girl who earned her
bread as handmade at an inn, ana he
went his way without doing more than to
look AT her Brt he came again. and this
time threw her a kiss and again and
this time the kiss was on her lips. and the
third time he said To himself that at last
he had found the woman he desired, and
he wooed and married her and took her
home with him dressed in splendid gar
ments. with silken shoes upon her feet
that had so often followed the kline in
wooden sabots
For little while the jewelers. love
ruled his soul, He forgot his most pre-
cious jewels for his fair Mna's sake, and
happier pair OF married lovers never
wandered together in the moonlight or
vowed eternal constancy by the winter
hreSide 1t was not long however In
year the jeweler had gone back TO his old
habits. He spent hours in his workroom
watching the polishing of some rare
stone. He would leave his Nina for
weeks together while he sought some
gem Of which he had heard. He would
sit and Cloat over a great diamond. turn
ing it this way and that that the light
might the better fall upon it, while she
sat unhecded.
Nina never reproached him with this
change but she grew sad and often wept
when no one observed her.
The husband never noticed it. His love
of jewels had grown to be a monomania
with him He had not the usual desire
Of craftmcn for fame or for wealth He
had become a miscr, who boarded gems
instead of gold. He refused to sell one
of them at any price Men said that he
was mad and that, satan in person had
been rseen standing behind him whisper
ing in his ear.
Still he seemed to love his wife at
times, and to show 1t would bring jewels
and lay them in her lap and tell her how
to know their value.
The simple woman admired them but
she could not comprehend the power they
had over her husbands heart. And once
or twice she also thought that she saw a
figure. hideouS, though shadowy at her
husbands side and cried out in terror
She was now about to become a moth
er and was full of strange fances. as
women are, and the dark figure may have
been merely born of her imagination. But
it seemed to her to have the shape Of sa-
tan as he is represented i'll the pictures
that peasants see
.I
jewcl-a ruby Of wonderful size and bril-
lianCy such rs no one had seen before.
None but king could he it's owner.
men said, and there was a great contest
for it. The handsome young icweler with
the cleaning eyes and eager gestures
who gIoatcd on its splendor. Max Ru
doIph from Rhncland was thought to be
out of his mind when he declared II
should he his. But his it actually became
Where he got all the money no one
could guess, and there were those who
said that they saw a strange black fig-
ure sitting with him at his inn one night
and heard the chink Of gold and that sa-
tan helped him.
But the jewel was his and he returned
home to his Nina wild with joy. She sat
upon little balcony that ovcrhung the
river watching for him. and he embraced
and kissed her and caspcd her to his
heart.
Now hold your hand" said he. The
jewel shall lie in its palm. See how love
ly it is, And thou-thsu art theloveliest
jewel Of a woman. There is none like
thee anywhere"
And Nina, happy in his praises. looked
up at him rather than at the gem-looked
and saw over his shoulder the hideous
face of-the fend, and forgetting all about
the ruby. clasped her hands and shriekcd
aloud, and as she did SO the jewel drop
ped from her palm, glittered at her feet
an instant's space and glanced from the
floor of the balcony into the blue depths
Of the Rhine.
Rudolph had started to seize it. but
when he saw he was too late he uttered
q hideous imprecation and lifted his hand
threateningly above his wife's head
"Low born peasant kitchen drudge,
COW driver, beer server" he shrieked.
"Fool that | was to think that your
clumsy fingers could hold jewels fast,
Fool that | was to marry coarse crea-
ture like you, born to eat black bread and
walk barefoot"
And then he struck her a furious blow
upon her white bosom, and she staggered
and fell.
The balcony was only defended by a
rail of carved wood that time and wealth