What happens to Tom's wife in "The Devil and Tom Walker"?

After hearing
Tom's report of the deal he had been offered by , whereby he could basically "sell his
soul" in return for great wealth (the gold buried by Kidd the pirate), Tom's wife goes into
the forest to make her own deal since Tom refuses to do so.  She is never heard from
again.

Various reports in town offer differing theories for what happened to
her: some say she lost her way and sank in the slough; some say she ran away with the household
valuables; and others say she was misled by "a great black man, with an ax on his
shoulder" into a quagmire, where her hat was later found.  Some said they had seen such a
man late at night leaving the sawmp, "carrying a bundle tied in a check apron, with an air
of surly triumph."

This last report seems to be confirmed by what Tom
finds upon entering the forest to look for his lost wife - or rather, his lost property.  After
much searching and calling of her name, his attention is drawn to some noisy crows in a cypress
tree.  When he looks up, he sees "a bundle tied in a check apron," and he immediately
recognizes his wife's apron.  However, when he takes it down and unties it, he does not find his
household valuables; instead, he finds "nothing but a heart and liver tied up in
it!"

The reader is left to assume that his wife has been killed - that
her deal-making with the devil did not work out.  Unfortunately, Tom does not take heed of this
warning.  Instead of feeling sorrow at his wife's demise, he feels liberated, and therefore goes
on to make his own deal with the devil, happy that this time any wealth he gains will not have
to be shared with his wife.  His ill-gotten wealth, however, only leads to a life of regret and
a miserable end.