Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-03-01

"Oh ~ she murmured, 81 never
dreamed that earth had 80 much
happiness IN stoe for me yet. Ana
I owe it all to your
And then Bertha could hear his
footsteps dying away in the dis
.ance she could see Mrs. Ray
mond standing motlonless for
moment, with her tiny hands
clasped, aud then gliding softly on
her scarlet scarf gllmmerIng
through the dusk like the wings
of Ceylon bird. |
"False faithless !" mnttereu
Bertha, under her breath, with her
white teeth set closely together
"And she ! how dare she !"
The storm of hot, unreasonlng |
fury that ragged in her breast seem
ed to shake her slight frame as
leafls shaken before the equinoc
tlal gale /; her face was winter than
monumental marble, and her eyes
literally blaued with blue, baleiul
fire. At that instant there was
murder IN Bertha Wyman's heart.
She hurried down the twilight
glade, the thorDs tearing her dreSs'
the brlers wounding her delicate
flesh. bnt she felt them no more
than if they had been rose peuaIS
blown toward her by the evening
breeze. Some strong, savage pur'
pose was maturing IN her MUD
some overmastering passion heid
her while being in its grasp.
She knew that to strike into the
right road Zaidee would ere long
take the secluded path she herself
was :reading. Her sole aim was
to reach the tiny iootbrldge when
crossed the narrow river first.
And she succeeded. 1t was quite
dark-the fragrant, starry dark
ness of midsummer night-wheh
she hurried down the deep, shelv'
ing bank.
"The planks are old and ruinous'
she murmured. "They shook and
ratified under my feet as l passed
over today. Zaidee Raymond
shall come between me and my
plighted lover no mOre.'
Is she crossed she deliberately
stopped, tearing up plank after
plank behind her, and throwing
them with doll, splashing sounu
IN the river. They were not large,
but had they been twice, nay, three
times their size, Bertha Wyman
would have torn them away from
the moulderiug beams, so super
natural seemed her strength IN
that instant.
"Tbere,7 she said, half aloud
pausing to look down into the peace
| tul stream where the planks hoa'-
| ed amid the faint reflection OF IN
Vulnerable stars. "LOng ago, when
| [ was a child, a man was drowned
here. The water is deep, and the
spot is very lonely"
The next moment she was gohe'
hurrying madly away, as if some
unseen presence were following
close upon her footsteps.
, "You're late tonight, Bertha!
Paul was looking out Tor her
from the piazza steps, and came
pleasantly 70 meet her.
81 knew it," she said, putting
the hair away from her forehead,
where the cold dew stood iu beads.
at is a long way from Redcote
farm, and IL did not walk very
fast.n =,
"Come and sit by me, Bertha''
said Paul I've got a long story
to tell you"
"What is it ?" she asked, me-
chanical,Y.
"Its about little zaidee Ray
nond. She's not q widow, after
ALI"
"Not widow T.
"No; and how do You suppose
Ii found it out Clifford, my
cousin Clifford, wrote to me from
India, and he is her husband. You
see. there was some misuEderstand
Ing, some absurd quarrel between
them before the honeymoon was
over. He was a jealous tool, aho
she was passionate, and she ran
> away and lett him. He someho"
, heard she was IN this portion o
the country and wrote to me. "
course the minute l got chance u
: sneak TO her | knew it was Zaldee
Aud she is the happIest HUI
or, ature in the world to think III
! really loves her, and next weei
she's going out to him. I've man
\ agei it all. Don't you think I'm
> pretty good dlplomatist.
8 His face was fairly radi ant VIII
honest pleasure as lie loo ked dow
into Bertha's face. She did no
o see the gaze her eyes, vnde ope
u and dilated, were fixed on vacanc
. and her face was deadly W hite.
u Merciful God of heaven . VIVA
u had she done, IN the wild unreal
~ oning madness of her Jealousy
= Was she a murderess Was ii
=, blot of Cain upon her bro W!
u Alas! for the wild rem orse thi
u gpawed at her heart all the slo'
oroanino hours of that dreadi