The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-11-19

1 III oDO4u, WdHb GdIu55t, IGopCCtAuiY
beautiful friendship, instead Of tickle,
passionate, fatal love r
She was much excited. All the con-
troll she had shown when Lu tainted
| her was swept away. She had suffered
so much through love that she could
bear no mention of what had darkened
her whole life.
Whenever and wherever ] try to es-
tabIish friendship, it is shortly trans
formed into reckless and despairing
love,
All that she said was received In utter
silence. Surely he was not man but
marble. Ali this was such deep grief to
her, and he did not care. Any other man
would have expressed some sympathy
not 50 this impressive Ncrtherner, who,
cynical and bitter, thought it a fine bit
of acting. He had been drawn toward
her at first, but an anonymous letter had
told him to "beware OF Drusilla Ster-
ling" that she was an actress by birth,
and by education, and utterly without
heart. From that time he had been on
his guard.
"Pardon my emotion" she said, after
a moments pause. " Pardon me also if
/ go on to say more Of myself.
"I want you to know if there is any
sufficient reason in the past why my
present should be SO fill of passion and
pain You have before now accused me
OF being coquette Upon my honor |
do not mean to be. What do / cannot
help. 1t is deep and sad fatality. Let
me tell you the story Of my birth that
you may Judge for yourself how I came
to inherit my birthright Of sorrow.
MY father was an English artist and
marriee q woman who made her living
by singing and dancing at the theaters.
She was as deceitful as she was beauti-
full. Ny old nurse jeanette has often
told mo how mother would say to her:
The Englishman is an ogre But to
him she would say: You are grand
like the gods She won him, not be-
cause she loved him, but because he
was supposed to be wealthy. He loved
her with his imagination rather than
with his heart. He was very suscepti-
bic to beauty and gracef,ilness, and both
were hers to remarkable degree. The
fact that she was married did not pre-.
vent men loving her. She died when ]
was but three days old, and father and
Jeanette brought me to England.
From my tenth year have been con-
scious of possessing my mothers fatal
fault of fascination. There is nothing I
so much deplore, for I have my fathers
honest English heart, and would win love
only where could return it. Until the
last few months / have never known
what that word meant. You are still 81
lent. / have lost your esteem by con-
Tossing my mothers profession. Oh,
Maxwell st. Ives, I trusted you Are
Won not still my friend ?"
In her earnestness she laid both her
little caressing hands over both Of
his. All his reserve and skeptlcism
were swept away. He oppressed her hands
like rose leaves in his own, and an
swered:
"For life-for death p
Before theyparted they were betrothed
lovers. Drusilla had some misgivings,
and said:
"Can you go to your proud mother
and tell her that you have espoused the
daughter of dancer?"
"Drrsilla Sterling, I can say any,
thing to anybody. If only you are true
to me there is no obstacle to our union
that will not easily overcome. [ have
given myself to you, body and soul, and
God help him who comes between us p
she felt her heart grow cold as he
spoke. Was this love also to prove I'M
happy2 0, it was too sad that i'll this
first glad hour of betrothal there should
be shadow of impending evil. She
loved him so 1t was cruel that she
could not be free from forebodings. At
the moment of farewell she sohbed as if
her heart were breaking, and he had
scarcely reached his home when q note
followed him, saying:
" MAXWELL ST.. IVES: AS love Won
l must never see you again. [ would
only bring you unhapplness. 1t is my
sad fate. Forget me and farewell.
" Yours, with love and regret,
"DRUsILLA STERLING"
It was hardly the kind of letter to send
q man the worlds width from his hearts
desire No possible combination of
words could have been more certain to
bring him to her side. No pleading, no
tenderness, could have been more potent
than this deeply-despondent dismissal
What would he not venture for her af-
lection Other men might love her
they must love her if they but entered
her presence-but as for Dr1lsilla her
self, she should be so sheltered by his
devotion, SO hedged about by his atten-
tions and tenderness that she could love
no one else.
He would not visit her tomorrow nor
| for many days. He would wait until
her mood had changed and she was sub
dued by desire to see him. He had
some power over her that he knew. But
his own will was weakest. He must see
her. He must hold her in his arms, if
only for moment. It was evening.
two weeks from his last visit. That very
afternoon Roy Sebert had returned from
a fishing excursion, and at 8 o'clock he
| found Drusilla alone in the brilliantly
lighted parlor. Never had he
seen her so we'll dressed, she
was careless about her attire in general
she had put on her one rich dress, a
myrtle green silk, bought, think, to
match her emerald ring and necklace,
Drusilla had persuaded herself thatMax-
well would visit her that evening. Oh,
could she but have known on what q
fatal errand, she would never have let
Roy lift her hand to examine the quaint
device on her ring. Before she could
prevent it, Roy had pressed her hand to
his lips. She snatched it angrny away,
and at that instant the words flashed
through her brain, God help him who
comes between u.s.
At Drusilla's command Roy instantly
left the room. He had been gone but a
moment when she heard the report of a
pistol, and, fearing she knew not what,
she rushed into the hall only to find her
worst fears confirmed. Roy Sebert lay
there upon the floor i'll last agony, the
blood issuing from a wound in his
heart.
Swift as Drusilla had been Lucrece
was there before her. She was down
upon her knees trying to stanch the
blood. Her face was distorted with hor-
ror and grief. She was still as death
until she found her efforts vain, and,
when her lover fell hfeless burden
| from her. arms. such shrek echoed
| through the house as could never be for
| gotten by those who heard it. Father
and mother knew in that instant that