The Petroleum Centre daily record. [volume] (Petroleum Center, Pa.) 1868-1873, 1869-06-15
CHAPTER IL.
lfte riRsy,.ATAL iIALLow'EvK.

II M All. .Hallow Eve, a night long al
ticipa& with delight by the whole neigh
borho6 6tsand mnca longer still remembered
with ,k1eror by the whole country.
ItA the occasion of Sybil Bernors' mask
ball,3pd Black Hall, The Black, Valley,
and "a town Of Blsckville were. all IN =.
state Of unprecedented excitement, for this
was be ~ entertainment Of the kind that
had ever been given 10 the locality, aud the
gentry Of three contiguous countieSs had
been invited to assist at it.
The throng at Black Hall was great, and
tho characters assumed by the masksrs were
various and we'll sustained.
But far the most beautiful, far the moss /
terrible figure 10 the psaeesntry o. ;ss a. sysu
ing. was that of Sybil Bernsrs! sac na. !
chosen for her character the unprecedented ,
psrt OF the impersonation of the spirit ot
Fire. 1t suited we'll With lsr whole ne'urs.
Her costume was but the outward siea "
the isward fsrvor.
Sybil had coufided the secret Of her COS
tune to no one but her hnsbapd, who was
himself attired as :" Harold tho. Saxon"
while Mrs. Bl0ndelle assumed tho character
Of +" Edith the Fair"
Sybil had not been long 10 the room be-
fore the coqustting Of her husband and Mrs.
Blohdelle drove her nearly TO distraction
Observing that Whenever she came near
! them, they were on their guard, Syoif ex'
changed disguisas with one. of her guests ,
and intimate friends BeatTix Pandleton, ana
was thus enabled to watch her hush''.i anu
bis companion without the least rs'tr'fnt.
Sybii observed that masker. rel r1seh''
ipe Death, whom. nobody seemed to know.
watched Mrs Blondelle as closely as sue. Old
| herself; and she subsequently had occasiUn
| to remember aud shudder at that fact.
Seeing the watched couple seat themselves
on q small sofa in enc corner OF the room,
she glided to an ottoman near them, 10 time
to hear Mrs. Blondelle say:
No, Lyon, your wife is no! my friend
she is my deadly enemy. She is fercely
Jealous of your affection for me. though u
is the only happiness Of my unhappy me
And she will make you throw me OIL yet."
" Never no one, not even my wife, shall
ever do, that. l swear it by all my hopes
Of"
sybil Clidsd away. She could bear no
Supper.time drawing near, when all the .
guests would have to unmask, Sybil ad Be-
atrix re.exchanged costumes, aud went
down to the drswing-room together just as
the last quadrille was completed. aud the
company began to march to the supper
room.
As each couple passed into the supper
room, tDeJ toOh VII ouu ""hH'" &
them to attendants, placed for that purpose ,
to the right aud left Of the dnor. Thus.
when the company filled the room. every
lace was shown, but "Death" WAS nowhere
to be seen.
At last the party broke uD. Only a few
of the guests remained ali night Thess
we're shown to their rooms and the Others
having gone. as fate would have il, Mrs.
Blondelle went into the little reception roou, !
, to meet NJ. Berners, who assured her th II
thencptorth he could never extend " ber
, more than q brothers affection.
. Then give me q brothers kia1, sue
j, sighed. That is not much to ask ana
. have no one to kiss me- now. So give mo .
j. brothers. kiss and let me go," she ,piesqeaA
q plaintively. ;.
:" 1t is the first, and for your own sake it
?. must be the last, Rosa!" and he pressed DIS
a lips 10 hers.
. 1t ,oas the last as well aS the first, for st
:. meeting of their lips, they w're ;strlckeo
l. a,sunder by the fall Of tbundegholt!!
N And Sybil, blazing with wra.hs like .
~ spirit from the Lake of Fire. stood between
IN them. A..
~ derstruck, appalled,
She waved her hand toward him as II W.
:, fOnrfiuve1 on s.ronG paqe