The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-04-22

ground. Thyra drew her breath and lis.
tened moment; a gurgling noise in the
throat of the murCercd mau was all that
she could distinguish. Then followed a
death-like silence. Terror and remorse
suddenly overcame her for the deed
which, in a moment of frenZied excite.
ment, she had perpetrated, and, turning
hastily from the fatal spot, she rushed to
ward her home.
The first object that met her eye W hen
she entered the house was her husband
There he stood unharmed. surrounded by
his attendants. and in his riding-dress, just
as he had alighted from his horse, and a
tranquil smile upon his lips as he inquired
whether the Princess was in her apart
ment.
" You here ?" she shrieked. running up
to him. IL have not killed you, then.
Thank heaven, have not killed you !!
and she fell gasping at his feet.
"The Princess ~ calculated her Eus-
band, bewildered at the sight of her dis
guise, and her violent emotion and. rails
ing her from the ground, ''What means
this frenzy, and why are you so strangely
disguiseds'
But she answered him not. With her
distended eyes wildly fixed upon him,
she passed her hands repeatedly over his
bosom, and muttered 10 herself, ''No
poniard, no wound! and yet | struck
him there, and felt his hot blood
gush forth upon my hands Ab !
see" she continued, shuddering, ''there
it is" and, holding up her hand as she
spoke, the crimson drops that stained it
attested the truth of some fearful deed be-
ing connected with her mysterious self
accusation.
"Thyra, dearest love-" said the Boyard,
in soothing accents, something has terri
fled you but you are safe now-I am here
to protect you. Tell me, what is the
meaning of this agitation? What is the
meaning of this blood?"
"You, Media the sycamore grove! ~
she uttered in broken cries. Were you
not there, nOw-just now to meet herg'
The Prince shook his head in silent con-
sternation.
"Whom have / murdered, then ~
burst from the lips of the unhappy wO-
man. with a thrilling shrek and, start
ing from her husbands support, she fled
with the speed of maniac toward the
fatal spot from which she had recently re-
turned.
The Prince and his attendants quickly
followed her, some of them bearing light
ed torches, but such was the speed which
the frenZied state of her feelings lent TO
her movements that they only overlook her
at the moment of her reaching the foun-
tain. There she suddenly stopped, as
though rooted to the spot, and, shuddering
pointed to the ground. The Prince ad-
vanced hastily TO her side. His attendants
followed, and, raising their torches. dis
fl,,., Of hn fnnnfaia ha
body of man extended on his back and
weltering in his blood. The ghastly face
was turned upward, and as the glare OF
the torches fell upon it an exclamation of
horror fell from the lips OF
all present, and Thyra, leaning for
ward recognized her victim with a
thrill of agony which caused all the blood
to chill in her veins and her pulse to stand
still. At that one glance the whole truth
flashed upon her with terrible clearneSs,
until she comprehended, when too late,
the fatal error into which her blind and
mistaken suspicious had plunged her.
There lay her son, her only child, her be-
loved Demctri, bathed in the blood that
welled forth from the death-wounds her
murderous hands had inflicted. He it was,
then, whose boyish passion had been re-
ciprocated by her young attendant; he it
was for whom Media had devised the love
meeting which had that morning changed
her own Jealous fears into dreadful certain
ties. He it was, o. God, upon whom her
imaginary wrongs had just been so bar
harously avengedl The similarity OF
names, ef dress, had deceived her. Why
had she not thought of this before? Whyi
Does suspicion ever pause to reason or re-
fleet? Is not jealousy blind as love (whose
dark shadow it is said to be)? All this
passed through her mind with the rapidity
of lightning, as that one awful glance re.
vealed to her the extent of her crime. No
words escaped her lips. but, rs if struck
by thunderbolt, she fell heavily forward
by the side of the beloved son whose life
had fallen sacrifice to the rash and un-
governable suspicious of the jealous wife.
The first use that Thyra made of her re.
turning faculties was to cast herself at the
feet of her husband, and make full con-
fessiOn of the feelings which had driven
her to commit so desperate deed, implor
ing death at his hands in eXpiation of hel
crime. But death. which would have
terminated her earthly torments. was &
boon which the exasperated husband was
resolved not to grant her. Woman,
said he, "you shall live to die thousand
deaths every day. You shall live to curse
the day on which you were born. You
shall live to expiate, in lingering torment'
of mind, the misery you have inflicted OF
me-"
And, inflexible in his determination, ht
caused his unfortunate W fe to be conveyed
to the Rock of Babake. where, in rudely
constructed stone chamber, she was con
demned to drag out a miserable existence
without being suffered to exchange 1
werd with sny human being, and with NJ
companionship save her own wretcheC
thoughts. Her senses failed under her Sc
we're punishment but madness, instead o
bringing oblivion TO her woes, seemed t
have impaired new activity to her facul
ties of suffering. Every. evening, as dark
ness covered the earth, the poor maniac
fancied herself again an actor in the dread
full scenes which stained her soul with thu
foul guilt of murder; and the frenZieC
shrieks she uttered during the night wer'
heard from afar, waking the echoes of tina
dreary solitude until daylight brough
with il a temporary cessation of her ago
nies in the calm of exhaustion.
One day, at last. when her attendan
vino daily brought her supplies of foo,
entered her prison, she had disappeared
Every part of the rock was searched, bu
no vestige of her was to be found, no
could any trace of her be discovered E
account for her mysterious evanishment.-
| O;,r;,1oF; Tr,1es