Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-06-23

caslon to remember and shudder at that
fact.
Seeing the watched couple seat them
selves on a small sofa in one corner of the
room, she glded to an ottomOn near them,
in time to hear Mrs. Blondelle say:
"No, Lyon, your wife is not my friend
she is my deadly enemy. She is fercely
Jealous OF your affection for me, though it
is the only happiness of my unhappy life.
and she will make you throw me off vet. y
''Never no one, not even my wife, shall
ever do that. [ swear it by all my hopes
| Of"
Syb1l glided away. She could hear no more.
Supper-time drawing near, when all the
guests would have to Unmask, Sybil 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 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 filled the room, every
face was shown, but ''Death" was no
where to be seen.
AT last the party broke up. Only few
of the guests remained all night These
having gone, as fate would have it, Mrs.
Blondelle went into the little reception
parlor to meet Mr.. Berners, who assured
her that henceforth he could never extend
to her more than a brothers affection.
''Then give me q 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 go" she pleaded
plaintively.
He hesitated for moment, and then
bending over her, he said:
cit is the first, and for your own sake it
must be the last Rosa !" and he pressed
his lips to hers.
1t aoas the last as well as the first; for at
the meeting of their lips they were 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, flash
ing forth the i;ghtnings of anger
''SYBIL p exclaimed her husband,
thunder-struck, appalled,.
She waved her hand towards him. as 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 p
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-F'To YOU, trait
ress, who has come between the true hus-
| band and his wife-in the morning YOU
must leave the house you have desecrated!
for if you do not, or if ever I find your
false face here again, [ will tread down and
crush out your life with less remorse than
ever l set heel upon a spider will, as [
am Berners ! And now, begone, and
never let me see your form again p
! 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
! low cry fed from the room.
And Sybil dropped her arm and her voice
at the same instant, and stood dumb and
motionless.
And now at length, Lyon Berners spoke
again.
| "Sybil /" he said, s'this house is yours
You must do as you please. But this tell
| you: that III 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 firey-hearted wife to
terms by the threat, he was mistaken in
her character.
"Oh, gor' she exclaimed bitterly-tgo as
soon as you like, Lyon Berners Goodnight
and-good bye, she said, and with q 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
| pba
! 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 dying
form, and laid it Oh the sofa, and then
sunk on his knees beside it.
s'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-you 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
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.
AU 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
fSOned hand raised and grasping blood
stained dagger.
go, wretched woman most wretched
woman What is this that you have done ?"
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. If 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 r'
'"The explanation is this" she said, en-
phatically. And then her voice arose clear,
firm, and distinct. as she continued:
81 was in my chamber, which is imme-
diately above that occupied by Mis-. Blon-
dele. My chamber is approached by two
ways, first by the front passage and stairs,
and secondly by narrow staircase running
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