The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-06-25
THE HALLOw EVE MYSTERY,
A LEGEED OF THE BLACK HILLS.
CHAPTER l.

THE BfRNERsoF THE BURNING HEARTS.
Their love was like the lava flood
That burnsin Etna's breast Of lame
Near the end of n dark autumn.day, not
many years ago, q young couple, returping
from their bridal tom, arrived by steamer
at the old city of Norfolk; aud, taking a
hack, drove directly to the best inn.
The gentleman registered himself and
his party as Mr.. aud Mrs. Lyon Berners,
of Black Hall, Virginia, and two servants.
eve shall need q private parlor and
chamber communicating for our own use,
and a couple OF bedroomsfor our servants, ="
said Mr.. Bernera, ~ he handed his hat and
cane 10 the bowling waiter.
'Certainly, sir. What would you like
for tear" asked the landlord.
ooh, ANYTHING you please, 10 that IL is
nice and neatly served, p said MIR. BcTners,
with q slightly impatient wave of his hand
rs if he would have been rid of his obse-
quious host
''Ah, hal anything I please IL is easy
TO see what ails him. He lives upon love
Just now; but he'll care more about his bill
of fare n few weeks hence" chuckled the
landlord, rs he left the public parlor to ex-
ecute his guests orders.
The bridegroom was no sooner left alone
with his bride than he seated her in the
easiest arm. chair, and began with affection
ate zeal to unite her bonnet strings and I'M
clasp her mantle.
'You make my maid n useless mp
pendnge, dear Lyon, said the little lady,
smiling up in his eyes. ''Nou love me
so much, dear Lyon You love me so
much Yet not too much either for oil
il You should ever cease to love me, or
even IL You were ever TO love me less, II
- dare not think what ] should dor she
mutterod in q long, deep, %shuddering tone.
"Why, Sybil, my wifo-you beautiful
mad creature You are n true daughter of
your house A Berners Of the burning
heart A Berners of whom IL has been
said, that IL is almost as fatal to be loved
ms TO be hated by"
Suddenly in the midst of their converse
they heard the sound of w~eeping-low,
deep, heart-broken weeping.
Both paused, looked ut each other, and
listened.
The sound seemed to como from n room
ON the opposite side of the passage to their
own apartment.
"what il that?" inquired Sybil, look.
ing up in her husbands face.
at seems to be some woman in distress,
answered Lyon.
''oh SEQ what it is, dear, will your" en-
treated Sybil.
She was herself 40 happy, that il wal
really dreadful TO be reminded Just theI
that sorrow should exist in this world n
ALL
But IL sho could have forcsecn the wou
that was TO CONF 10 herself, to her husband
and TO the object Of her sympathy, sh,
would have held Lyon back, as with TIN
grip of fate, from the mission on which sh,
now sent him.
r. ... a N...N.g.1 -.
n deserted wife-named Rosa Blondelle
who, although but q few days landed from
= the vessel which had brought her from
/, Europe, had been robbed Of her jewell
and money by her husband, and then lci
TO Der fate in that Norfolk hotel.
Sybil was deeply moved by this lady
story, and insisted on taking Mrs. Blon
dele home with her TO Black Hall, an,
Mr.. Berners gave his assent TO her wishes
But before they got ready TO set out o
their journey. Sybil bitterly repented 9th
! arrangement. Mrs. Blondelle was so on
! chantingly lovely that Mr.. BeTners at one
. began TO yield to her charms; and Sybil
for the first time, saw him pay the homag
Z of admiration TO other beauty than he
own.
! This kindlcd the fires of jealousy in he
! heart, and by the time they reached Blnc
= Hall, those fires had become famed int
s an inextinguishable flame.
i And no Berners had ever been known [
: give an object Of %jealousy.
Black Hall the abode of Mr.. and Mr.
Berners was palatinl old Virginia mansion
I situated in the heart of the Black Valley,
, few miles from Blackyille, the countI
. town. II had been in Mrs. Berner's famil
Q for generations, and was renowned for I'll
scenes of gayety and hospitality which ha
TRANSFERRED beneath its roof.
n Mrs. Berners, the last Of hor rncn, [
n give vent TO the emotions of her restless
IS Jealous heart, resolved 10 reinaugurate ii
festivities of the olden time, and for th,
, purpose announced n mask ball for the q
suing AltHallow Eve, and at once 81
about getting all things in readiness.
q One day while she was absent ut Blacl
y vile, making purchases, Lyon and Roi
= became so absorbed in one another, rs
become oblivious of the entry of MIR
q Wintcrosc, the old housekeeper, WI
found them sitting closely side by sid
her hand elapsed in his, On Sybil's r
: turn, the old housekeeper described tn
! scene 10 her, with many exaggeration
! The revelation seemed to freeze Sybil I'M
ice.
"Oh, my heart my heart" she moane,
turning deulhly pale. ANA then, alter
long silence, she bitterly added, 'Deceivet
Betrayed Scorned Laughed at Wei
wellF she continued, podding griml,
= "well, well, since deceit is the fashion
u the day, / too will be in the fashion; / 10
. will wear n mask Of smile i But benin
y that mask, ! will watch oh, how 1 wi
: watch Not Mt my fanoy-ball alone will
= plG,J n part, but before it., and, perhnp
! gfier ~ None shall ever know howl watcI
what | see, until | descend with tho fe
swoop of the eagle. And henceforth
u me remember that 1 Am a daughter of Il
! house Of Bemers, who never failed a frieI
~ or spared n foe. And oh, let the spirit
my fathers support mo, for / must ENDUI
: until | can AyEEdE T.
- And OIL could those trihers with sacr,
70 loye-those wanderers on the brink of
! fearful abyss-have seen the look of II
% face then, they would nave fed from eaC
y other forever, rather han TO have dar,
n the desperation of her reused soul.
u But they saw nothing, knew nothin
~ suspected nothingl
So And thus all the three drifted towar
" the awful brink Of ruin.
m