The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-12-03

Develgne. All recognize III Mauhme,
Countess de Lisle, Tara, the gypsy. All
but the Empress. She knows her as the
wife of one of the haughtiest and most
powerful mobiles of the empire, and his
romantic meeting with the beauty, love
at first sight, the marriage, sanctioned
by the Emperor, ETC.. all these facts
were known; but the infatuation OF Ma
polean for the gypsy Countess, his daily
interviews, her predictions, and her in
| huence, these facts were a secret even
from the vain old Count, who fondly
imagined his fair wife was q pattern OF
prudence and virtue One night a
masked ball was given by the Empress.
The costumes were all that wealth
could make them, perfect, and costly in
the highest degree. Among the maskers
his air of naughty reserve, and his favor
ite attitude when standing apart from
the crowd. lowering near him was a
lady in the garb of Spanish dancer, the
short, orange-satin skirt, gold-embroid-
cred bodice and tiny velvet cap making a
charming costume. While the merri-
ment was in the highest man, wrapped
in a long, dark mantle, and masked,
stole to the side of the monarch, who
stood in an alcove watching the dancers,
and in another moment the flash of a
dagger was seen by the Spanish dancer,
who threw herself between the would-be
assassin and the Emperor. The blade
passed through the rounded arm, and
the Countess de Lisle sank fainting at
Napoleon's feet, while the man who at
tempted the murder was secured. He
proved to be one Of the many enemies of
the great conqueror, whom he styled
''tyrant and murderer From this time
Tara, the gypsy's lucky. star, was in the
ascendant, and even Josephine began to
notice the attentions and favors that were
lavished upon the beautiful Countess.
At length the eyes of the old Count were
opened. Under pretense Of failing
health, he asked leave to travel, and per-
mission was granted The Countess ac-
companied him. When they arrived III
Wales, where even to this day can be
seen ruins of old castles and strongholds
built centuries ago, the Count, who had
property here, left by relatives who had
emigrated from La Belle France to this
ragged, hardy, and romantic place, he
confined his guilty spouse in one of the
gloomiest castles, that was situated in an
isolated spot, far away from any other
habitation.
Here day after day the beautiful wo-
man languished seeing only her stern,
unrelenting husband and her keeper.
At length, after two months had passed,
Tara, with fierce light in her dusky
orbs and smothered wrath darkening
her fair face, resolved that this tyranny,
as she termed it, should end.
All the long gloomy day she had sat
at the barred window of her room, her
face pale but determined, until at twilight
her husband entered telling her this
was his farewell visit, ''for," said he, 81
tyrant, the despot, the one who has
wronged me so deeply, will feel my
vengeance. 1 have concocted plan
for his death that will not fail of being
achieved, and / shall rid myself of
dangerous enemy. Tonight L leave
Wales. You are to remain here until
my return, and until the death of your
lover, the Emperor, is accomplished;
then, madame, you will retire to con-
vent, there to pass the rest of your days
repenting of your sins"
Tara answerednot word, put clenched
her little hands together and muttered
softly, "My mind is made up; will en-
dure no longer" and while the Count
arose to ring for supper to be brought, his
wife, taking q box of ivory from her bosom,
concealed it beneath her handkerchief,
awaiting the advent of the evening meal
When the Count, as was his nightly
custom, drank glass of mulled wine
prepared by his valet, he did not notice
the slightly bitter taste, but in few
moments he complained of dizziness and
faintness, and being carried to bed he
became delirious, and before day dawned
was no more.
''He brought it on himself, said his
wife, as she gazed upon him. II could
not endure confinement-I, who have
always been free as the wild bird, to
pass my remaining days in convent
that thought made me desperate"
When carried to England for trial (for
Tara was proved guilty of poisoning her
husband) she was sentenced to death;
but, bribing her jailer, she escaped to
France, where she once more gained her
former influence over Napoleon. But
when misfortunes came to the conqueror
defeat, exile and despair-then Tara,
the gypsy, forsook her protector and
friend.
Years passed. In far-off city, miles
away from the gay French capital, a poor
old woman. wretched, sick and infirm,
wandered about, asking charity of those
who passed her by. Every one noticed
that around her throat was blood-red
cord, and day after day, as the beggar-
woman sat in the sun holding out her
hand for aims, the cord about her with
cred throat seemed q huge serpent en-
wrapping her i'll its folds.
One day she was missed from her ac-
customed place on the steps of the moss
covered cathedral, and some charitable
person, wandering amid the haunts of
vice, found the mysterious woman with
the cord encircling her neck. She was
dying, and her last confession was that
she was once the Countess De Lisle; had
murdered her husband, was condemned
to death. but escaped, and when, years
afterward, she again visited England, she
was recognized, was arrested, but through
some unknown influence, was released
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