Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-07-08

M Hoi oen' anu she subsequently had oc
casion 70 remember and shudder at tha
fact
Seeing the watched couple seat them
serves on small sofa in one corner of tn,
room, she gGded to an ottomon near tbep,
In time to hear Mrs. Blondelle say:
i mo, Lyon, your wife is not nv friend
she is my deadly enemy. She is fercel,
Jealous of your affection for me, though &
Is the only happiness of my unhappy life
and she will make you throw me off vet
"Neveri no one, not even my wife. shall
ever DO that l swear it by ali my hopes
Syol glded away. She could hear no more
oupper-tlme drawing near, when all the
guests would have TO unmask, Sybil and
Beatrix re-exchanged costumes, and went
down to the drawiDg-room together Just as
the last quadrille was completed, and the
company began to march to the supper
room.
As each couple passed into the supper.
room they took off their masks, and hand
ed them to attendants, placed for that pur-
pose to the right and left of the door. Thus
when the company filed the room, every
face was shown, but death" was no
where to be seen.
AT last the party broke up. Only a few
of the guests remained all night. These
Were shown to their rooms, and the other S
having gone, as fate would have it, Mrs.
Blondeile went into the little reception
parior to meet Mr.. Berners, who assured
her that henceforth he could never extend
to her more than brothers affection.
'Then give me a brothers kiss" she
sighed. 'That is not much to ask, and I
have no one to kiss me now. So give me a
brothers kiss, and let me 90" she pleaded
plaintively.
He hesitated for a moment, and then
bending over her, he said:
1T Is the frst, and for your own sake il
must be the last, Rosa r. and he pressed
his lips to hers.
1t sods the last as well as the first; for at
the meeting of their lips they we're stricken
asunder as by the fall of thunder bolt.
And Sybil, blazing with wrath, like a
spirit from the Lake of Fire, stood between
them!
she looked not human-with her whole
face and form heaving, palpitating, fash
ing forth the lightnings of anger
''SYBn r. exclaimed her husband.
thunder-struck, appalled,.
She waved her hand towards kim, as if
TO lmplore or command silence.
81 have nothing to say to you," she
muttered, in low and husky tones, as if
ashes were in her throat. "But to YOU =
she said, and her voice rose clear and
strong as she turned and stretched out her
arm towards Rosa, who was leaning in
alright against the wall-ssro YOU, trait
ress, who has come between the true hus-
band and his wife-in the morning YOU
must leave the house you have desecratedl
ior II you do not, or if ever find your
false face here again, will tread down and
crush out your life with less remorse than
ever set heel upon spider / will, as
am Berners And now, begone. and
never let me see your form again %
Rosa Blondelle. who had stood SPELL
bound by the terrible gaze and overwhelm-
ing words of Sybil. the wronged wife. now
suddenly threw up her hands. and with a
low cry fled from the room.
And Sybil dropped her arm and her voice
at the same instant, and stood dumb and
And now at length, Lyon Berners spoke
again.
"Sybil J" he said, "this house is yours
You must do as you please. But this 1 tell
you: that In the same hour that sees that
poor and friendless young creature driven
from the shelter of this root, leave it too,
and leave it foreveri"
If Lyon Berners really meant this, or
thought to bring his firey-hearted wife to
terms by the threat, he was mistaken in
her character.
'Oh, gor' she exclaimed bitterly-"go as
soon as you like, Lyon Berners Goodnight
and-good bye" she said, and with a wave
of her hand she passed from the room.
He was mad to have spoken as he did: !
madder to let her leave him SO how mad,
he was soon to learn.
Lyon Berners remained walking up and
down the room some time longer. The
lights were all out, and the servants gone
to bed. Yet still he continued to pace up
and down the parlor floor. until suddenly
piercing shrieks smote his ear.
In great terror he started forward and in.
stinctively rushed towards Rosa's room,
when the door was suddenly thrown open
by Rosa herself, pale, bleeding from
wound in her breast
"Great Heaven What is this?" he
cried, as, aghast with amazement and sor-
row, he supported the CHASTITY and diving
form, and laid it ON the sofa, and then
sunk on his knees beside il.
''Who has done this" he wildly de-
manded, as, almost paralyzed with horror,
he knelt beside her, and tried to stanch the |
gushing wound, from which her life-blood
was fast yelling.
She opened her bloodless lips, now
paling in death, and gasped forth the
words:
'''She-Sybil-your wife. 1 told you she
would do it, and she has done it. Sybil |
Berners has murdered me-" she whispered.
Then raising herself with last DIVING
effort, she cried aloud, '.Hear, all Sybil |
Berners has murdered me-" And with |
this charge upon her lips, she fell back
DEAD.
Even in that supreme moment Lyon
Berners' first thought, almost his only |
thought was for his wife. He looked up
to see who was there-who had heard this |
awful, this fatal charge.
Aa were therei guests and servants, |
men and women, drawn there by the |
dreadful shrieks. All had heard the hor-
rible accusation.
And all stood panic-stricken as they |
shrank away from one who stood in their |
midst
It was she, Sybil, the accused, whose |
very aspect accused her more loudly than |
the dying woman had done; for she stood |
there, still in her fiery masquerade dress, |
her face pallid, her eyes blazing, hes wild |
black hair loose and streaming, her Grim |
soned hand raised and grasping blood
stained dagger.
20, wretched woman most wretched |
woman What is this that you have done p |
groaned Lyon Berners, in unutterable AGO. |
ny-agony not for the dead beauty before |
him, but for the living wife, whom he felt |
that he had driven to this deed of despera-
ton. fi3 i'it
Lyon Berners, do YOU believe me guilty?" |
she asked. - :
BE looked up, and their eyes met If he
had really believed her guilty, he did not !
now He answered briefly and firmly:
"No, Sybil! Heaven knows that I do
not; but explain this horrible business, if
you can r.
''The explanation is this, {" she said, en-
phatically. And then her voice arose clear,
firm, and distinct. as she continued:
Il was In my chamber, which is imme- /
diately above that occupied by Ms Blon-
dele. My chamber is approached by two
ways, Arst BY the front passage and stairs,
and secondlH by narrow staircase running