Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-10

reason | think you Will agree that | am
right in sending Dirk to Cape Town. You
see, he seemed to expect, when the re-
prieye came, that he would be set ut lib
erty; and so did she, but, as you know,
the death sentence has only been commu-
ted to one Of Imprisonment for life; and
now on earth they managed to persuade
the Governor to do that can't tell. Well,
since that has been made plain to Dirk,
ne has been changed man. He talks
hopelessly OF his future-and God knows,
poor fellow, it's dark enough The seems
to be pinlng for freedom. He says the
convict dress clings to him like cerecloth,
and the other day. just after his wife had
visited HIM, / saw such a queer look in
his eyes that quietly turned over his
things. At the bottom of a basket of 'cOm-
forts she had brought him found this"
tie opened the packet aud poured out
before my eyes whtish powder.
"Welly' | said, interrogatively.
''PoisonW he briefly replied, as he
swept the powder back into the packet.
"And now," he added, ''don't think me
hard if send Dirk to Cape Town"
y
There was an unusual stir and excite
ment in Kimberley; the streets We're
crowded with men andwomen whose faces
bespoke every kind of emotion, from
despairing rage to rejoicing malice; while
hither and thither among the throng in
the market square rode officials in the
dark clue uniform of the Cape Civil Ser
vice.
AT length there was a cloud of whirliug
dust in the Trausvaal road; the crowd
swayed and parted, and at hand gallon
two heavily laden mule wagons passed
through the surgng ranks and halted for
the escort to close r0Hnd.
A woeful freight those wagons bore; a
load OF human misery; a company of
wretched c0nvicts, into whose souls the
iron of captivity had already entered; a
consignment OF baffled, trapped, and for
saken seekers after Illicit wealth. Youth
and age were there, and the CALLING fet-
ters bound all together in the links of
a common despair. Chained as they were,
like wild beasts, some stood up, and in
agOnized voice called upon friend, wife
and child, who answered not; while 9TH
ers, crOuching piteously in corner of the
rude conveyance, bowed their heads be-
tween their trembling hands and sought
to keep out the light of a sun which had
become hateful to them.
Suddenly l caught sight of Dirk Syl-
vester. He was sitting on the side of the
foremost wagon, his arms folded across
his chest, and look of eager expectation
on his finely moulded face, thin and pale
with confinement and suffering. | called
to him but he heard not; his gaze seemed
fixed on some PARKWAY object, and a
smile played upon his wan lips.
l hurried on in advance of the caval-
cade toward 1.-The Oasis" which | knew
it must pass on its way to the open veldt.
| remembered that the governor of the
Jail had told me the night before that be
had allowed last interview before the
fearful journey to Cape Town between
man and wife. and that they spoke some
words in French which he did not under
stand, but which seemed to have won
deTful effect on Dirk.
As l neared the gate of "The Oasis"
over which the blue gums cast their shade,
and where the sweet trailing flowers were
in their full autumnal beauty, l saw Syl-
westerns wife standing motionless. She
was attired in the plain white dress she
wore on the day of the trial, and also
when she crowned Dirk's hopes and rem
dered him the envy Of the bachelors of the
Fields by becoming his own. Her golden
HAIR flOsted unheeded on the lazy breath
from the distant plain; her eyes were
turned upward TO the deep blue sky above,
and her lips seemed to be moving as if in
silent prayer. There was no need to tell
her of the approach of the convict party;
their coming was heralded by the wild
refrain of a dismal song chanted by the
prisoners; and adown the startled air
came the sound of creaking wheels, the
cracking Of whips, the shouting oforders,
and the responsive curses of tho mob.
was unwilling to obtrude myself on her
notice, and therefore 1 did not speak to
her, but merely took up position close
by the gate.
Nearer and nearer came the rolling
wagons; and the crowd rushed on through
the eddylng dust, till suddenly they caught
a glimpse of the lonely watcher inthe gate
way. There was not man there who
did not know that the slight, pale woman
standing with her hands clasped cOnvul-
sively together, and her whole soul con-
centrated as it were In one long gaze, was
Sylvester's wife. Even the officials knew
his history, they knew he was no mid
night purchaser of stolen gems, but only
a passionate, hapless man; and, as if by
instinct, the melancholy procession slow
ed and steadied and paused before what
was once the home OF a pure and holy
love.
Dirk was standing now; the smile on
his lips lit up his whole countenance; he
looked like the careless, happy Dirk of
former days; the lines OF care and deep
dull agony seemed TO soften and disap-
peaT from his face.
He made motion with his left hand to
his breast; with his right he pointed to
the awful blue of the clOudless heaven,
and then-a thin streak Of flame leaped
from the midst OF the creepers and the
quiyering leaves, sharp report rang out
upon the morning air, a puff of smoke
curled upward from the gateway, and
Dirk Sylvester, with that strange, glad
smile upon his lips, fell heavily forward
shot right through the heart by his wife !
n
She never lived to take her trial, indeed
she was unconscious from the time when
by one supreme act she broke the letters
which were wearing Dirk SylVester's
spirit down into the dust and ashes Of a
misery too keen for his endurance, till
within few minutes Of her death.
Then a new light shOne in her fast-clOs-
ing eyes. She stretched out her arms as
il 20 embrace n vieWless form, and with
the words 'tDirk! Dirk! Free forever,
dearl Free, Dirk, freev trembling on
hes lips, her soul went forth rejoicing on
the mystic journey to the dark hereafter.
y
Soon after she had been laid TO rest by
the side OF her husband in the cemetery,
white with many memorial stone to
ruined hopes. lives wrecked and shatter-
cd, and affections sundered by the cruel
hand Of Death, a Kafr, sentenced 20 the
extreme penalty OF tie law for an afro
ciOus murder, confessed that he, and he
alone, was the cause OF the Frenchman's
tragic end. lie had watched, through the
80.