Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-02-09
Select Story.
SIBYL'S MISTAKE;
HUSBAND AND WIFE.
BY he Avthor ef "A GRKAr MlsrAEE-"
"RosH or THE WORLD" "KrSo CoPHB-
TuAj OR. RrBY NORRIS LoyER's," &c.

"Sibyl, l am an old woman, old and
proud, and little used TO stoop; but will
go down upon my knees"-she did indeed
rise from her seat and fall stifly at Sibyrs
feet-"and will confess 10 you that Mark
Breton has never known Of your early
love for Percival"
"Grandmother!" Involutarily did Mrs.
Breton draw back from the trembling
clutch that held her.
ayes, am your grandmother, child
your mothers mother; and you will not
be hard upon met l burned the letters,
my dear; he never saw them-he knows
nothing Of them to this day; and you
you have treated him worse than a dog
for what was my fault and not his!"
as this truei" Sibyl asked, with
blanched lips.
II swear TO you that it isl" The old
woman still clung to her gown, and tried
TO take her hand in hers. "Amaranth
knows. And now, Sibyl"-bursting into
tears-"you will not harden your heart
against us all2 You will not bring dis
grace upon your own home and on your
childi You-you will send Percival
awayf
The girl stood like one in dream. A
great and unavailing horror was dawning
in her eyes.
"Mark," she cried with wall, "and
Mab-little Queenie! Oh, what have /
donei What have you all done between
your
Mechanically she helped the old wo-
man from the floor, and put her back into
her chair. She began to fasten the cloak
which had fallen from her own shoulders.
"Where are you goingl" cried the
Countess, clutching at her arm; but Sibyl
broke from her and ran out of the room.
1t was near the hour when she had
promised to meet Percival She went out
into the snowy park and began to walk
blindly towards their trysting- -place-the
stile where they had stopped to rest on
the day when he had first told her he
must go away.
The winter afternoon was closing in.--
Beyond the black holes of the trees and
all the sncw-c clad landscape, she could see
the red horizon where the sun was going
down. A great dark branch of distant
oak was stretched across it and across
her path like warning arm. She thought
that it was like great fire in the west,
and that she was walking straight into it.
She did not feel the cold, though her
hands were ungloved and numb. She
went on and on, crushing the frozen snow
under her feet and dragging her long
cloak after her.
How long the way seemed! The black
warning arm was still stretched out across
the lurid sky, the wind blew keen and
cutting on her feeble frame, but she kept
on looking neither to the right nor to the
left, trying not to think, trying still to
harden her heart, to remember only her
own sufferings and to forget those of 9th
ers.
At last, after leaving the park and
crossing the roads and some fields, she
came in sight of the stile, and saw that
she was waited for. A man was leaning
on it with both arms and smoking. His
dark figure looked like blot on the spot
less scene around him.
She hurried on. Itwould soon be dusk.
The red fire in the west was dying out.
The man lifted himself up as she ap-
preached; and then she saw that it was
not Percival. 1t was her husband. She
paused stupefed, and then her heart
stood still within her. What was he do
ing there7 Had the Countess sent him to
separate her once more from
"Sibyl," cried Mark, in extreme sur
prise, "what in the world brings you here
so far from home. at this hour7 You will
be frozen, child! You must have been
mad to come out on such II day"
She did not answer; and he looked
startled at her disorded appearance, her
wind blown hair, her bare cold hands, and
the wild light in her great eyes.
"Sibyl," he urged anxiously, flinging
away his cigar, and leaping over the stile
to get to her side, "what is the matter9-
Is anything wrong at homer"
"The Countess sent you SUPPOSED" 81
byl said abruptly.
1.-THE Countess9 Is she here2 No one
sent me, child. am simply waiting for
Sir John, who has been detained by some
tenant with grievance; but will take
you home at once, dear. They had no
business to let you leave the house."
at is too late" sibyl answered. ~ can
not turn back now."
"Sibylr' He would have taken her
hands, but she pulled them away.
"Do you go home," she said, sand leave
me here.r
"Sibyl, are you mad, childY"
"No; but I know now how wicked I
have been all these five years. l would
undo it all if could; but it is of no use
to try. When am gone perhaps you will
forgive me-
Mark looked at her amazed.
"What does this mean2" he said hur-
riedly.
She put her hands up YEARLY to her
head.
"Ask her." she said. "The Countess
will tell you. Oh"-in wailing voice
lit was wicked-wicked! / wrote to you
twice, told you everything! 1 had
promised to wait all my life for him; but
they made me marry you because you
were rich. And he was so poor-so poor"
A light began to break in upon poor
Marks bewildered brain. BY few rapid |
questions he succeeded in learning the
truth. Sibyl was hardly able to stand rs |
she told him the story; she would have
fallen in the snow if he had not caught her
and supported her against him.
"My poor girl-my poor wife" he MUIR
INJURED, with the utmost tenderness, as he