The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-06-18
room, she gr,ded to an ottomon near them,

''Never no one not even my wife, shall
ever do that. swear it by all my hopes
Of"
Sybil glided away. She could hearno more.
Supper-ti drawing near, when all the
guests would have to unmask, SyblI and
Beatrix re-exchanged costumes, and went
down to the drawing-room together just as
the last quadrille was completed, and the
company began to march to the supper
room. ...-..--
AS each compile 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. FekstfsE teH#e
At last the party broke up. Only few
of the guests remained all night. These
were shown to their rooms, and the others
having gone, rs fate would haveit, Mrs.
Blondelle went into the little reception
parlor to meet Mr.. Berners, who assured
her that hence he could never extend
to her mere than a brothers affection.
''Then give me brothers kiss" she
sighed. ''That is not much to ask, and |
have no one to kiss me now. So give me
brothers kiss, and let me 60" she pleaded
plaintively.
bending over her, he said:
"It is the first, and for your own sake it
must be tho last, Rosa p and he pressed
his lips to hers. f.s.
1t lods the last as we'll as the first for at
the meeting of their lips they were stricken
asunder as by the fall of a thunder bolt
And Sybil, blazing with wrath, .likesa
spirit from the Lake Of Fire. stood between
them
She looked not human with her whole
face and form heaving, palpitating, flash
ing forth the l:ghtnings of anger
"SYBIL ! p exclaimed her husband,
thunder-struck, appalled,.
She waved her hand towards him, rs if
to implore 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-ssTo 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
for if 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 a spider | will, as
am a Berners ! And now, BECOME, 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
ut the same instant, and stood dumb and
motionless
| And now at length, Lyon Berners spoke
again. .
"Sybil !" he said, 'this house is yours /!
You must do as you please. But this | tell
You: that i'll the same hour that sees that
poor and friendless young creature driven
| from the shelter of this roof, leave it too,
and leave it foreveri"
If Lyon Berners really meant this or
/ thought to bring his frey hearted wife to
terms by the threat, he was mistaken in
her character.
ooh, gor' she exclaimed bitterly-"oo as
! soon as you like, Lyon Berners Goodnight
and good bye, she said, and with wave
of her hand she passed from the room
He was mad to have spoken as he did
madden to let her leave him so how mad
4 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 IL
! stmctively rushed towards Rosa's room
when the door was suddenly thrown open
! 10y Rosa herself, pale bleeding from a
wound in her breast
''Great Heaven! What is this? he
! a1a1 ac,I,a Il,
row, he supported the ghastly and diving
! form, and laid it on the sofa, and then
| sunk on his knees beside it.
| '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 hfe-blood
was fast yelling.
! She opened her bloodleSs lips, now
paling in death, and gasped forth the
words:
''She-Sybil- wife. | told you she
would do it, and she has done it. Sybil
Berners has murdered me-" she whispered
Then raising herself with last dying
effort, she cried aloud Hear. all Sybil
Berners has murdered me-" And with
this charge upon her lips, she fell back
DEAD 70 e. ~ s-#
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.
All were there 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.
1t 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, her wild
black hair loose and streaming her Grim
soned hand raised and grasping blood
stained dagger.
go, 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.
'Lyon Berners, do YOU believe me guilty?"
she asked -
He looked up, and their eyes met. II he
had really believed her guilty, he did not
now. He answered briefly and firmly:
''No, Sybil Heaven knows that [ do
not; but explain this horrible business, if
you can "
"The explanation is this" she said. en-
Il.