Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-06-20
3{--f-k-t'-F-tss~E'ts -
I ( + =
- eS'
II 81,
+ A WOMAN'S ERROR &:
- BY 81.
~ BERTHA NJ. CLAY 81,
y ri,

BY
BERTHA NJ. CLAY

NCu are most surely mao. Lazy VIZ
lante Selwyn-the low-born woman
who inveigled my noble husband into
marrying hers dead. ! saw her dead.
| saw her buried; she lies far away in
Florence"
Nay" interrupted the clear voice,
she is here, Look well at me: do you
not know my face? Dc you not know
my voice? Do you want further proof?
See."
Then, with calm, quiet hands that
had ceased to tremble, she removed
the widows cap, the false hair that
had so effectually disguised her, and
then. when Beatrice saw the soft
golden curls clustering, short, and
wavy. she uttered low cry, as though
she stood face to face with spector.
Have you risen from the dead?" she
asked.
The dead never return" was the
grave reply. DO you believe, now,
that am Viola1te Selwyn?"
BIT Beatrice waved her away with
outsuetched arms.
You are Violante Selwyn," she
cried: and oh, Heaven! what am
lI?"
"A murderess in heart and in deed"
said Violante. Listen, and in few
words / will tell you why l did what
have doae."
In her dark dress. with the short,
clustering, golden curls, her face
flushed until all her youthful beauty
seemed to return to it, she looked like
an avenging angel So thought the
guilty woman who crouched at her
feet.
II speak to you before Heaven. l
accuse you before Heaven that you,
Beatrice Leigh. drove me to madness
and despair You tainted me, and
sneered at me. you prosecuted me;
YOU held me up TO the ridicule CT
friends and foes; you deliberately set
To work and stole my husbands heart
from me; you took IL quite away, and
he ceased to'care for me; you made
him ashamed Of me; you thrust your
beauty. your wit, your thousand &C
complishmeats before him, and con-
trasted them with my ignorance; and
you won my husbands love. ] knew
IL. / saw him kiss you, and then |
went mad. You are right, | was mad"
A cold sheer on the white face. a
wicked CLEAN In the dark, angry eyes.
"Ycu drove me TO despair, Beatrice"
she continued, "and my sorrow was so
great that IL confused my notions Of
right and wrong. Sheer If you will
Il hid from me the face of the Most
High. / dared not kill myself; but I
resolved to go away forever from my
husbands sight-to relieve him from
what believed TO be a burden TO
him-my presence. You can guess
how Il happened. fed, and sent my
maid on first to England. She was
killed at Sedi, while / had sought
shelter in a little village not far from
Florence.
When I read in the papers that l
was dead, and my husband mourned
for me-" she continued, "a temptation
came to me and yielded TO it. al
lowed the world TO believe me dead,
God knows why-Ae understands
man never will. In this disguise |
have lived ever since; but my heart
ached so to see my husband and son
that came here, could not help it"
An infamous story-an infamous
plot to disgrace me-" cried Beatrice.
Nay; not 80! 1t was an error-a
woman's error. ] forgot right or
wrong. ! forgot the probability that
my husband would ever marry again
il neve occurred to me-"
You did il all for this one hour Of
vengeance and of triumph" said Bea-
trice.
1T Is not so! You have tried TO
kill my sol, and ny heart is full OF in
dignation, of sorrow. and of anger; but
believe me. or the disgrace / have I'M
thinkingly and unconsciously brought
down upon your head, l am sorry
sorry with my whole soul. ! would
kneel to beg your forgiveness for it; l
would do anything to atone for IL"
"Disgrace!" cried Beatrice. "oh.
Heaven. that any living woman should
use hat word 10 me-"
Her tall figure was drawn TO its ut
most height, her dark eyes flashed
fire.
Il have 10 thank the plotting, low
born daughter of a country attorney
that !. Beatrice Leigh, am disgraced!"
she cried: that l have lived for six
years with the man / love, yet am not
his wife. that I have borne a child
who has no right to its fathers name!
/ II is TO you I owe it,"
The fair head dropped before her in
unutterable sorrow.
1T is all my fault" she replied,
meekly. Would that could bear the
punishment alone"
1T is your fault" she replied, meek
I ". Would that I could bear the pun
ishment alone"
1T is your fault" said Beatrice. She
drew herself nm with the hauteur of a