A Famous Gem

"Eh!" said Únele Venable. "You- want - to - getr- married?" "If you don't mind, sir," said Verbena, drooping her pretty head, while a blnsh like the limng of a pink sea shell crept over her face. "Bat what nonsense that is!" said Mr. Venable, shutting his cabinet drawers, leaning back in his chair and looking at Verbena with eyes like gimlets. "Who is the young man?" "Hease, nncle, it's Fritz," whispered Verbena, half inclined to run away and hide herself. "Pritz!" roared Mr. Venable. "That farmer fellow?" "He's a farmer," admitted Verbena, "but he owns his own farm, sir, and his mother is very anxious for me to come there, becaase" "Oh, I can imagine that!" said Mr. Venable with a sneer. "You, a Venable, talkiag about marrying a 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 clodhopper like that, who doesn't know an opal from a moonstone!" Verbena borst into tears. "He isn't a clodhopper," said she. "And I wish there wasn't any such thing as the Malmaison emerald. Mr. Venable transfixed his niece through his spectacles with a glare tha1 might have paralyzed her. "Süence, nriss!" said he; "do you know it is on the reputation of the Malmaisor emerald that the Venables will go dowr to fame? The Empress Josephine" "I don't care for the Empress José phine," said Verbena, who, having drawn the sword, was now minded te cast the scabbard away. "And I'm nol particular about fame, and I don't suppose I shall be a Venable forever" "This sort of talk won't do, Verbena," saids the old gentleman, solemnly. "Where would society be if every on ref nsed to bear the responsibilities and shoulder the cares of his station? Yoti 'are not merely my niece, Verbena. Yon are the representative- the last surviving representative - of the Venables. Te you in my will is left the guardianship of the Malmaison emerald" 'Tm sick of hearing of it," vehe.mently protested Verbena. "And," went on Mr. Venable, "I desire you to give up all idea of marrying this young man. It's entirely out of the question - entirely. "Bnt what is this about the Malmaison emerald?" asked Fritz Elcombe, in a bewildered way, when he found Verbena crying by the sitting room window a few hours later. Her blue eyes sparkled through their veil of tears. "You don't mean," saidshe, "that you have never heard of the famous Malmaison emerald?" "That's my meaning exactly," admitted Fritz. "Do consider in my behalf that I'vo only been here a year, and have much still to learn." "Well, listen," said Verbena, half crying, half angry. "It's a f amaos unset gein," " Oh, it is, is it?" "And it used to belong to the Empress Josephine." "Did it, indeed?" "And she wore it in those days at Malmaison." "Henee the name, eh?" "I suppose so. And Queen Hortense gave it to some one who sold it to somebody else, and it was fmaïly given to one of the Venables who was a sargeoc in the English army by a dying officer out in Hindoostan, to whom he had been able to tender kind offices, and so it has come down to us. It really is a wonderful stone." "I should suppose so," politely incredulous. "They say," went on Verbena, "that when unele kept it in the little iron safe let rnto the guest chamber wall, whoever slept there nsed to dream of a beautifnl, sad faced lady, who walked up and down in a marble terrace under the trees and wrung her hands. That was Empresa Josephine, of course." "Of course," still more incrednlously. "And my tíñele declares that the color in the stone is always dim and torbid wiien the annrworsary of the poor lady's death comes around," fm-öier added Verbena. "Yes, that is exceedingly probable," dryly observes Mr. Elcombe. "My tmcle has been offered greai deal of money for the gem," said Verbena, with a sigh, "and I wish to goodness he'd sell it. But he won't. And what is worse, he wants me to marry a hatef ui, spectacled little old man in New York, who, next to himself, is the best judge of jewels in New York, and who owns a green rnby which is adead match to Uncle Venable's unset emerald. He calis it an arclMeological'alliance." "Well, I shonld think it partook somewhat of that nature," said Fritz thoughtfully. "He is going np to New York to-morrow to a lapidarles' convention," said Verbena. "And I suppose he will bring Mr. Twistleton back with him. Oh, Fritz!" "Don't be alarmed, heart's dearest," said Fritz, consolingly, encircling her waisfc with his arm. "The only way in which we can guard against this complication of ills is" 'Yes, Fritz?" "To get married while Mr. Venable is gone;" "Oh, Fritz! I wouldn't dare openly defy him like that. He has been very good to me," frattered Verbena. "I'll be good to you, too, my darling." "Nonsense, Fritz! You'ie spoiling my hair. Do stop, Fritz!" protested the girl. "Then promise ine, Verbena." "No, I'Ü promise nothing." At the lapidaries' convention there was a stormy eession that year. Herr Heidelgrnn was there, a stuffy, dried up old man, of great age and still greater arrogan.ce, who had apparently come out of his epider web in Vienna for the sole pnrpose of discomfifcing all the antiqnaries of the western continent. "De Malmaison emeralt!" said Herr Heidelgrnn. "Dat ish a mistake. Vat you cali one big lie. It oceupies all your timo to chase dése lie and den naü him down. I haf the Malmaison emeralt in min collection." "How can that be," said Mr. Venable, choking with rage, while Mr. Twistleton stood by ready to espouse his friend's cause, "when here it is - the very stone itseli?" He opened the velvet casket which contained the drop of green flre. It blinked at the circle of eagerfaces.above it like a baleful eye. Herr Heidelgrun langhed a shrill cackle of derision. "Dat de Malmaison emeralt?" said he. "O how easy are some folks hoodwinked! A ferry good imitation, I grant, O, yes, I can teil yon all about him. But de genuine Mahüaison emeralt it was sell me in 1850, at Vienna, byoneCapt. Giles Venable"- ("Verbena's father," tlaought Mr. Venable, with a start and a sinMng of the, heart.) "For de gracious Empress Augusta, who was den making de collection for a necklace which should outshine all the coarts of Europe. I pay Capt. Venable 8,000 florina for him, and I engage my best workmen to make him an imitation Malmaison emeralt which shall deceive ze very jeweler himself. I t'ink I make my fortune, but I am wrong. De captain he pockets nis florins and he rides away. De gracious empress she change her mind. She get tired of emeralts, and she t'inks she will haf pearls. But I know dere will some day be market for de Malmaison emeralt. I keep him; I haf him yet. Here he is, and here is ze letter from Capt. Giles Venable which proves his genuineness. Eh? Are you to be satisf y now?" And the green blaze of the real gein put the artificial imitation to shame at once. Mr. Venable carne home without waiting for the adjournment of the lapidaries' convention. He did not bring Mr. Twistleton with him. "A man who couldn't even teil abogas stone from a real one," sputtered Venable, "and calis himself a judge of gems! Verbena, come here." Verbena came accórdingly, with tfie teapot in one hand and a pan of hot graham muffins, fresh from the oven, in the other. "I've ,got something to teil you," said Mr. Venable. "Tes, únele," murmured Verbena, her little heart giving an ominous throb nnder the cluster of roses she wore. "The Malmaison emerald is a - humbug!" said Mr. Venable distinctly. "Oh, unele!" "And Caleb Twistluton is a charlatan and an adventurer." And ho proceeded to inipart to hos niece the whole revelation of Herr Heidelgrun. "Yourfather, my dear," said he, "has wrecked the family fortunes and broken my heart. Hencef orth I will give up the study of gems. I'll dónate my collection, such as it is, to the Middleville museum. It may serve as a nucleus for something greater in time. And I'll devote myself to roses. They can't imítate flawers! And, Verbena" "Yes, unde." "Tou may maary young Elcombe, if you choose. After this, Twistleton doeen't deserve a wife." "Thank you, unde." said Verbera, de-.