Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-04-13
"Come in" said Bertha Wyman
And Mrs. Raymond entered.

/ Anu mfs. hdyinOnu entered.
u beg your pardon for disturbin
you, Miss Wyman, but were you awar
that You had left your bracelet on th
piazza floor. Here it is.
"It takes you and Mr.. Fordhan
some time to discover the loss of
| bracelet, said Bertha, tauntingly.
am really sorry to have given you tn
trouble Of so heightened a search"
Zaidee Baymond's cheek hushe,
painfully.
." II you would but allow me TO con
fide in you, Miss Wyman, she falter
ed, drawing step or two nearer to tn
naughty Saxon beauty. "Mr. Ford
man has told me"
81 do not wish to become the re
pository of your confidence, " said Ber
tina, with chilling abruptness, "nor d,
/ care what Mr. Fordman chooses Il
tell you. Good night. " And she mo
toned Mrs. Raymond imperatlvel,
from her presence. as
81 should have struck her in anothe
second, she murmured to herself
tearing the tiny lace frill away from he
throbbing throat, as if it's slight press
ure impeded her free respiration. 9"
have seen the nurses shrink away from
me, as a child, when my temper rose
There was murder in my eyes, the,
said. / think murder came into M
heart, when 1 stood there facing tha
treacherous black-eyed woman. LIE
her beware how she ventures to come
between me and mine
Unconscious Paul Fordman, IL h,
could oily have known, as he paced w
and down the dewy lawn, smoking hiI
cigar, the thoughts that were passing
through the mind of his lovely betroth
ed.
Bertha, he said, the next afte-.
noon as they stood together by tn.
great, spicy sveetbrier bush, "do you
know L had quite chat with Mrs
Raymond last night!
81 am aware of it, -" answered Ber
tina, indifferently STOPPING to gather 8
scented spray. -
And, by Jove, Bertha, the little
creature has had the most romanrit
life, to-"
Il dare say" said Bertha, turning
abruptly away. "The breeze is toe
strong out here, think would rather
go back to the library "
Paul stared at his companion in ut
ter bewilderment.
Il suppose that means she doesn't
want to talk any more about Zaidee
Raymond. Well of all Incompetent
sible creatures, woman is the most
incompreheDsible, They're leagues and
leagues beyond my penetration, the
whole race CT them. l supposed she
would be interested, and here she snaps
my head off before i get out a dozen
words.
And Paul followed Bertha to the IL
brary, confused, and not altogether
pleased, at the arbitrary decisiveness
of the beautiful blonde.
1t was about a week afterward that
Bertha Wyman was coming home from
long walk to distant farm house,
where an old school-mate of hers resi-
ded She had refused Paul Fordham s
escort, probably because she had seen
him walking up and down the long hall
with Mrs. Raymond at his side, and
every morning; and now she felt lit
tie wearied, somewhat lonely, and very
cross. The sun had been down about
half an hour, and the west was still IL
Illuminated with belt of orange bright
ness, and the winding river, tangled
along the shore with starry water lilies,
rejecting the warm glow of the sky
like a second armament.
As Bertha descended into a little
wooded hollow, fragrant with with wild
roses-for she had avoided the thor
oughfare, unfrequented though it was,
and chosen instead shaded by-path
she became conscious that two other
persons were strolling the road itself,
from whom she was only divided by a
tangled mass of wild grapevines, fes-
tooned from the slender branches of a
few silver birches-two other persons
Paul Fordham and Zaidee Raymond.
The color died away from Bertha's
somewhat flushed cheeks, as she
paused to listen, for they, too,
had paused where two roads separat-
ed.
"We must not walk any further to-
gether," sale Paul Fordham's voice.
"Nobody is to suspect anything yet,
you know. Well surprise them"
And then came Zaidee'soft, hesitat-
ing laugh
1T seems like dream, Mr.. Ford
ham"
"But you will find it happy real
ity," he said, looking tenderly down on
her bowed head. "You do not regret
trusting in me 81
"Ohi' she murmured, / never
dreamed that earth had so much OF
happiness in store for me yet! And i
owe it all to you!"
And then Bertha could hear his
footsteps dying away in the distance
she could sec. Mrs. Raymond standing
motionless for moment, with her tiny
hands clasped, and then, gliding softly
on, her scarlet scarf glimmering
through the dusk like the wing of a
Ceylon bird.
"False! faithless !" muttered Ber.
tina under her breath, with her teeth
set closely together. "And she! how
dare she Z"
The storm of hot unreasonable fury
that ragged in her breast seemed to
shake her slight frame as leaf is
shaken by the equinoctial gale; and
her eyes literally blazed with blue,
baleful fire. At that instant there was
murder In Bertha Wyman's heart
She hurried down the twilight glade,
the thorns tearing her dress, the briars
wounding her delicate flesh, but she
felt them no more than if they were
rose petals blown toward her by the
evening breeze. Some strong, savage
purpose was maturing in her mind
some Overmastering passion held her
whole being in its grasp.
She knew that, to strike into the
right road, Zaidee must ere long take
the secluded path she herself was
treading. Her sole aim was to reach
the tiny foot bridge which crossed the
narrow river first. ~.
And she succeeded. It was quite
dark-the fragrant, starry darkness o,
q midsummer night-when she hurried
down the steep, shelving bank.
The planks are old and rulnous. >
she murmured. "They shook and rat.
tied under my feet as I passed over to-