The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-04-29
THE JEALOUS WIFE.

LIE JEALOUS WIFE,
Nearly three centuries ago an extern
sive portion of that part of the country
which lies on the Wallachian banks of
the Danube belonged to Demetri c., a
powerful Boyard, descending from one
of the Greek princes who had been
driven from Constantinople at the fall of
the lower empire. He was wealthy,
generous, and magnitice t., the father of
promising SON who, at the period this
history relates, was eighteen years old
and the husband OF the most beautiful
woman in the country. Thyra G. was
looked upon as the happiest and most
envied of her sex; and she might have
justified the general belief, for nature
had endowed her with mental powers
no less remarkable than her personal
perfections, had it not unfortunately
happened that, amid the countless roses
with which her path in life had been
strewn, one sharp thorn had lurked and
pierced her to the heart, rendering her,
III the intJlerable anguish it occasioned,
regatdiess of the many other blessings
WIN ch had been showered upon hor.
In word, she was of suspicious and
jealous disposition; passionately attached
to her husband, and, to all appearance,
devoted to her child, she, neverthe-
less, lived in a constant dlstrust of him,
which his character and manner were too
well calculated to justify, for his general
admiration of beauty was q matter of
notoricty. And although, from knowl-
edge of his wife's disposition, he had
taken such precautions in his infdelities
towards her that she had never yet been
able to detect him in a love intrigue, she,
nevertheless, felt so persuaded that he
was constantly involved in such pursuits
that she became prey to vague jealousy,
which embittered every hour of her
existence
At last her suspicious appeared to find
nh object on which to settle. Among
her female attendants was a young and
pretty Transylvanian, named Media,
her favorite with her lady: All at once
the damsel became neglectful of her du-
ties, absent in mind, and inattentive to
the wishes of her mistress; when repri
1nanded by her, she betrayed violence
and haute,W. Thyra threatened to dis
miss her from her service. The prince
opposed such II measure; and in proper
ton as the displeasure of his wife was
evinced towards the delinquent, the
voice and manner of her husband
softened in her favor.
This was more than sufficient to fire
the suspicious of the princess. Eager
to ascertain the reality of that which she
dreaded, and resolved to rush upon
knowledge that would break her heart,
she forgot her dignity so much as to
play the eavesdropper and spy over her
attendant, for some time without any
result. One day, however, when the
young girl had been sent for by her, and
had neglected to attend the summons,
Thyra treacherously crept up back way
to her menials chamber, or room door,
and noiselessly stationing herself outside
of it listened to what was passing within.
A murmur of voices in the room con-
vinced her that Media was not alone, and
almost Immediately that of the suspected
damsel broke upon her ear in accents
the purport of which could not be mis-
taken.
"Leave me-" she said, "for heavens
sake, leave me If my mistress We're to
know of your being here, L should be
lost forever. Already she suspects and
watches me, and live in a daily terror
of her discovering a love which would
draw upon me her eternal enmity. Go,
Prince-go, Demetri This evening SO
soon as It's dark, l will contrive to steal
out to the fountain in the sycamore
grove-meet me there at eight-your
pretext of absenting yourself from home
will prevent the princess from suspect
ing thatiwe -
Here the voice became fainter, as the
person speaking moved toward an oppo-
site door the footsteps of man were
plainly to be distinguished moving in
the stme direction. Thyra could hear
no more-she strained her eyes to the
crevice of the door at which she was sta
toned, but saw nothing. Her heart
overdowing with tumultuous passions,
she was for moment tempted to burst
open the door, and confound the guilty
one who had presumed to rival her inner
husbands love but listening again she
felt assured that the room was empty,
and q moments reflection showed her
that, by a few hours delay, she might
render her vengeance more signal and
complete. She, therefore, returned in
the same stealthy manner to her apart
ments, shut herself up, and took meas
ures accordingly.
Her determination was to prevent the
possibility of Media quitting the house,
and then to disguise herself in the dress
of serving damsel, and to personate
the perfidious attendant at the rendez-
vous at the sycamore grove, which she
heard arranged by her. These medita-
tions were interrupted by a message
from the prince, apprising her that he
should be absent from home the remain
der of the day, and should probably not
return until late that night; and this
message, all the additional proof of the
calculating treachery which her faithless
husband ssrup!sd not to exercise toward