The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-05-31
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE RELENTLESS ENEMY,

corner Of the room.
"Are you convinced noY?" said the wo
man IS voice. "Do you now believe that
told you the truth ON the night that Mr.
Ovington was assaulted, and again on the
eve Of your wedding day, whom declared
to you that Maud Ovington was O murder.
ess?'
yes" answered the General in hoarse
voice, and with the strange, unnatural man.
ner of man who speaks in his sleep-"yes,
believe all now"
The honest, the generous and manly
heart of CRANKY Dumont was well-nigh
broken. He bad met with the basest treach.
cry from the woman he had trusted SO long,
so fully. The blow was indeed a terrible
one
| Then, for the first time, the General dis
tinctly beheld the denouncer who had fol-
lowed upon his wfe's track from the hour
of Clarence Suydam's disappearance. By
the extra light OF the lamp which was now
turned up he saw shrouded figure, slender
and delicate, but yelled from head to foot in
white draperies which gave shadowy and
| ghost like appearance to her form.
"Who are you? cried the General.
81 am a woman" answered the voice
which had struck despair to his proud
heart-I am a woman, and revengefll
| one."
Two small hands flung back the white
| and cloud-lke draperies, and the pale face
of Clarice Suydam was revealed.
1t was she who had plotted the fatal dis
covery which had taken place this night,
| and James Dalton had assisted her in its ac-
complishment
II am a woman and revengeful one, she
continued, her voice sounding almost un-
earthly in its unnatural and melancholy
earnestness. II come Of a proud and pas
sionate family--a family whose souls are
like untempered iron, that can break, but
will never bend. Where we love, we love
forever With us love and hate are akin to
madness, perhaps, but we never change.
loved my cousin, Clarence Suydam-loved
him as only n true woman can loye-loved
him better than my life-better, it may be,
than my soul! Ay, and the day was when
he returned my affection, when he loved me
truly and dearly, and the fair future smiled
before me, bright and sunny prospect of
happiness and delight"
'Poor girl, poor grill" murmured the Gen.
eral.
The dream Of the strong mans loving
heart had just been shattered, and he could
feel for woe which was like his own.
II was happy-EIeaven knows how hap
py," continued the impassioned girl, "till
the evil day came, the black day for him
and for me-the day which sealed the fate
of both. l say that Clarence Suydam loved
me. He did love me until Maud Ovington
crossed his pathway. From that hour he
changed. He was bewitched, intoxicated
by the studied destinations OF the false en-
chantress. ierhaps, as much as she could
love- she loved him. 1t pleased her heart to
see him cast his heart, his ambition, his fu-
ture, all beneath her feet, that she might
trample on them. She had written him lot,
ters-letters in which she avowed her lasting
her eternal affection, and she knew your
proud nature CRANKY Dumont-she knew
that if those letters had fallen into your
hands, you would have cast her from you as
base and unworthy creature, traitor alike
to love and honor. Clarence Suydam re-
fused to return those letters He did not
choose that another man should be fooled as
be had been fooled. He threatened to place
them in your hands. From that hour his
doom was sealed, and the same night that
he had declared his reason he was decoyed
from the house and urdered-murdered by
some tool, employed by your wife, Maud
Ovington!"
"Oh, misery, misery!' exclaimed CRANKY
Dumont.
lie could no longer refuse to believe in
his shame and dishopor. From the lips of
his wife he had sufficient proof of her guilt.
"But tell me, he cried, "what was the
meaning of that strange scene which took
place below not half an hour since? What
was the reason of the terror of-of her whom
may no longer call my wife, when her ae-
cuser removed his mask"
Maud Dumont had good reason for her
terror" answered Clarice, coldly; ''she be-
lieved that she was looking upon the face of
the dead"
'And the terror of the man who was with
her?"
"He also thought he beheld the dead-the
murdered dead. That man was no other
than one of the base tools who perpetrated
the murder-a tool in the pay of Mrs. Du-
mo t."
"Merciful Heaven, this is too horrible!"
The General covered his face with his
hands, stunned and stupefed by that which
he had heard.
He rose from his seat and walked across
the room, at first staggering like drunken
man, but afterward steadying himself.
He pointed to the trap door, and spoke in
strange and husky voice to the man in the
sloucn hat, who was watching him with
glance of pity.
''If you will conduct me to the spot where
my carriage waits, shall be obliged to
you, he said.
The man bowed and raised the trap door.
Before descending, the General turned
once more to Clarice.
"You have done me service, he said, in
the same husky voice. II have been blind
until tonight; but you have torn away the
bandage that obscured my mental vision.
cannot thank you yeti suffer too much
but the day may come in which l shall be
able to express my gratitude" l
"You owe me no thanks, replied Clarice.
II swore to be revenged upon the murderer
of the man loved, and l have kept my
oath. Life holds no further purpose for
me, and can but pray for death as well
come release from dark and joyless exist
ence. If the dream of your life is broken,
mine was shattered long ago-upon the
night on which Clarence Suydam fell be.
meath the relentless hand of his murderer"
No other word was spoken.
j. Iork