The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-12-06


1eizs3 and excited. Aif he il 90 fool
= to defy me and 70 refuse to leave
tkel him beware.
xars Rsslyh aross 10 his feet, ready Il
III zee you tomorrow. : he said,
Vhless send for you before, " said the
he bads hsrseoOa-night ut the door, he,
1 1oft cheek recelving him ardent kiss a
4 placidlf IS If he was proven lover.
y 0nc6 more alone, she unused deeply.
Il 0fil not be long before he will be
bere, 6he aaid, land shall wait for him.
II ~ hat knew the hatredI experience
TOE him, heEould be glad to dispense with
10 lpsaless q. bride"
H She n1Rin reseated herself, and mem
Eory OF h6F pnt life swept over her mind,
EhfnginQ revelations Of life miss-spent,
}indolent and trihing, if not positively bad.
IA Eoinan, unprincipled and base, sae had
IAH pect for the esiporaiity which lad she
-. E<&a& leEould LIE faxdB :her useful
TIzB ses5ssy Ukfsk sb6 p1xyNa
qson AS a means of support. The allah
sorbing and the greatest passion with her
was love for gold, and money she was
bound to possess, even at the sacrifice of
principle and morality.
She seated herself near the window, and
gazed out upon the beauties Of nature ly-
ing spread there before her. Then, as she
saw a carriage drive up, she murmured to
herself in a low whisper
He has come"
A few moments later a man was ushered
into her presence man in whom was re-
vealed the nobleness of an industrious and
of well-spent life.
Beatrice y he cried, as he clasped her
in warm and long embrace
Some demon which the fear that her
plans had been disturbed caused her with
draw from his embrace, and to raise in her
small jewelled hand tiny toy Of pistol
1t was a reception which had given to him
a start Of surprise, for her face was cruel
and cold in its expression.
Beatrice - he cried, as his hand caught
the glimpse of the pistol III her hand,
what would you do r.
81 would rid myself Of the incubus of
your presence, she hissed, as the cold
muzzle of the revolver was pressed against
his temple ''It is desperate deed, but
| am resolved to be free from you, even if
| plunge myself in guilt that | may gain
the freedom which | so crave -
She pulled the trigger as she spoke, ard
stood Mortified at the terrible deed which
she had committed in moment Of the
direst desperation. At that moment the
door opened.
II was Eugene Allerton who entered.
Eugene Allerton who had resolved to seek
her presence, and who had entered at this
inauspicious and fatal time. His white
face was mutually questioning her-he
gazed upon the body upon the floor, and
then his eyes met her own.
A wild idea came into the mind Of the
evil, bad woman as she saw how terrible
was the crime she had committed, and
realization of what her guilt might be
forced itself into her mind She came
closely and quickly to Eugene Allerton, and
pressing the still smoking pistol into his
hand said,
"You have sworn that you loved me,
you have said that you would do anything
for me. The man who lies there insulted
me in gross and open manner. have
killed him. Even now the people are has
tening up the staircase. If you love me
tell them that you killed him in defending
me from a madman's opportunities of
love. VIII yeu do it r.
'"To prove my love for you will.
He stood in confused maze, as the peo-
pie thronged into the room, alarmed by
the report of the pistol and the noise His
eyes were fixed upon Beatrice Vernon, for
whom he was about to sacrifice himself.
He had expected no vindication from her
lips, he was only acting blindly because he
so fondly loved her
"Who has done this deed--who is this
man r. demanded Ronald Darlington, as
he gazed at the lifeless form upon the floor.
"Yonder man did it y cried Beatrice
Vernon, with wild eyes and extended
finger towards Eugene AllertOn, and the
man whom he has murdered was my hus-
band ~
He heard, as in a maze; he saw that false
face, those traitor eyes for but a moment
more, and then Eugene Allerton, with the
cry of man deceived, blinded and be-
trayed, fell to the floor, dim realization
of his position filling his mind, but not
clear enough to overpower the terrible
consciousness that the woman whom he
had loved was not only murderess, but
an unprincipled and false adventures
who had sacrificed Lim to shield herself.
When the room was again vacant, and
when the dead man and his accused muir
derer had been conveyed below, in the
charge Of the officers of the law, Beatrice
Vernon, cowardly, shivering, conscience
haunted woman, crept to the bed and flung
herself upon it. And lying there with a
remorse in her soul too deep for utterance,
she seemed to hear the fatal words,
"Murderess, traitress, thy punishment
is yet to come :"
A few days later, when coroner's jury
had adjudged Eugene Allerton as the muir
derer Of Beatrice Vernon's husband, the
woman for whom he had sacrificed his very
life, left the place in the company of Vane
Evelyn the remorse of her conscience all
forgotten in the lapse of few days time,
defantIy and boldly resolute to find in
new fields new conquests for her Unsuitable
greed for gold.
All unknown to her she had left behind
her witness Eyting, the servant,
too Mortified to speak, but holding the ter
rible secret proof of Beatrice Vernon 8
crime, which should some day confront
her and bring her the punishment she SO
richly deserved, and which is ever award
ed where there is guilt.
ITO BE CoNTINUED.)